Champions
NBC | Release Date: March 8, 2018
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
64
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 13 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
5
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
Entertainment WeeklyPatrick GomezMar 5, 2018
Season 1 Review: Holm and Favreau banter like the best of them, and Totah devours the scenery while a deep bench of supporting characters (including Fortune Feimster) populate the show's titular gym. [9 Mar 2018, p.51]
75
The A.V. ClubGwen IhnatMar 8, 2018
Season 1 Review: Champions has a cast and comedic skill many wannabe successful sitcoms would envy, but while these surface elements are all in place, the show seems to have missed a bit at the base. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleDavid WiegandMar 6, 2018
Season 1 Review: Kaling and co-creator Grandy use plot as a display case for consistently funny writing, sweet and credible performances by the ensemble cast and most of all, the exceptional skills of J.J. Totah, who plays Priya and Vince’s proudly out son, Michael. Read full review
70
VarietySonia SaraiyaMar 8, 2018
Season 1 Review: The exceptionally diverse cast brings a lot to the table, and the writing is smart and fresh. But right now it’s a bit too disjointed to be a complete success. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesChris BartonMar 8, 2018
Season 1 Review: The breezily funny Champions might fare better if it makes things tougher on itself. ... That said, the moving parts that make up Champions will probably win you over. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Jen ChaneyMar 7, 2018
Season 1 Review: In other words, Champions is a promising comedy, one that doesn’t arrive quite as fully formed as recent NBC gems like The Good Place or Great News, whose time slot it has inherited, but that offers enough funny moments and bright spots to place it squarely in the good category. Read full review
70
The New York TimesMargaret LyonsMar 7, 2018
Season 1 Review: While Champions specializes in of-the-moment allusions, part of why it gels so quickly is that its character mix is borrowed from the sitcom bible: “Cheers.” ... Champions is off to a promising start. Read full review
65
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob OwenMar 6, 2018
Season 1 Review: Mr. Totah steals the show with his witty retorts and Mr. Favreau makes Matthew likable despite his naiveté. The rest of the cast, consisting mostly of the gym family, have yet to come into focus through three episodes made available for review. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterDaniel FienbergMar 8, 2018
Season 1 Review: Totah is clearly talented in a variety of ways and he gets the best punchlines in the early episodes, though his extremely focused myopia doesn't always track believably and the show has yet to figure out how to make Michael's schooling a part of the show in any real way. ... The show's workplace zaniness is definitely where Champions is most a work-in-progress. Read full review
50
Washington PostHank StueverMar 7, 2018
Season 1 Review: The results in the first few episodes are mixed, with LOLs spaced a little too far apart. Read full review
50
NewsdayVerne GayMar 6, 2018
Season 1 Review: Champions wants to be liked, and it is likable, but maybe just a little too eager to earn points. Read full review
45
Reason.comGlenn GarvinMar 7, 2018
Season 1 Review: There are a few amusing exchanges across this cultural divide, but they get old quick. Read full review
42
Uncle BarkyEd BarkMar 7, 2018
Season 1 Review: Some of the scenes play out OK, and Favreau has a marginally winning way with the doofus brother he plays. As the self-described scene-stealer, newcomer Totah also gets in a few good jabs. None of this seems nearly good enough, though, to make Champions more than a likely short-termer on the TV sitcom conveyor belt. Read full review
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