Cristela

Cristela tries so hard and achieves so much--some potent jabs at broken-down American racial politics; portraying a family whose insults don’t undermine the genuine affection on-screen--that misfires are inevitable. But like the woman at its center, the show gets a long way on sheer effort.

The twist here is that on top of the jokes, Cristela has things to say, and it says them in English and Spanish. Fortunately, it's pretty funny in both languages.

There's nothing cutting-edge about Cristela, and there doesn't need to be.

A fairly standard family sitcom that rises above its pedestrian premise thanks to star Cristela Alonzo, a comedian who makes a favorable impression in this series about an Hispanic Texas family.

[A] solid and confident show.

Despite the slightest everything's-up-to-date vibe, Cristela is really just another old-fashioned sitcom with roots that reach all the way back to the dawn of television, where shows neither offended nor scandalized.

[Cristela Alonzo's] pushing a bit too hard for laughs in places, but the joy she brings to her performance can be infectious, and the authenticity she brings to some of her scenes points the way to a better future.

Once we know the setup, at home and in the workplace, we can pretty much figure what we're about to see and hear. That doesn't make the show less amusing or Cristela herself less appealing. It does mean that once it has found its pocket, at least in the beginning, it seems content to work inside it.

Episode 2 is considerably weaker than the watchable premiere.

It’s too broad and familiar to hold attention.

The show’s classic sitcom format, with recorded laughter and pauses between punch lines, is stifling--too much like “The George Lopez Show” and not tailored enough to Ms. Alonzo’s own brand of humor.

Cristela, both the character and the performer, is bright and goofy and confident, and she's got that sitcom-put-down timing down.... The show is a lot less successful when it goes for those pre-fab sitcom setups that feel like a catchphrase waiting to happen.

Much of the first two episodes of Cristela feels dishearteningly retro.... Still, Alonzo is a pleasure to watch.

So three cheers for Cristela and a shrug-and-a-half for Cristela, a harmless but so far forgettable addition to ABC's reconstituted mini-"TGIF" lineup. If only the show had the gumption of its leading lady.

It tries so hard to be funny, but no matter how likable Alonzo is, the jokes are as stale as year-old taco shells.

Yet as nice as it is to see another sitcom with dollops of heart (you can count the “aww” moments) built around a real-looking woman (Alonzo co-created the series with Kevin Hench), that’s about the only thing that distinguishes Cristela from what once occupied these environs back in ABC’s “TGIF” days. Nor does a second episode--in which Cristela’s sister pushes her to date online--suggest the show has much more in mind than recycling familiar plots.