Critic Reviews
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
-
Cybill is bawdy, rowdy and fun. Indeed, it's a comedy for the over-the-hill gang to look at - and laugh ruefully along with all the wrinkle, cellulite, bad date, bad sex, bad marriage jokes. [11 Jan 1995]
-
Shepherd handles the romantic banter quite well. ... But so far, Shepherd isn't particularly adept at the other comic demands of her role: the double takes, the slowly dawning reactions, the ironic deliveries and other tricks of the trade.
-
Shepherd reveals more spunk and style than she did in Moonlighting; like Candice Bergen and Burt Reynolds before her, she will soar to sitcom stardom. [02 Jan 1995, p.1F]
-
Letting the viewers feel like they were in on the fun was Moonlighting's greatest asset. First impressions indicate it will be a strength of Cybill as well. [02 Jan 1995, p.D1]
-
Well written, well produced and well acted. [02 Jan 1995, p.B41]
-
There's something magical about Shepherd that keeps us interested and makes us predict a long life for this series. [02 Jan 1995, p.1]
-
Cybill crackles with that kind of wry, brittle, unexpected wit and it could well rejuvenate the sagging CBS Monday night schedule. [01 Jan 1995]
-
Here's a surprise from CBS - a new comedy that's actually fairly funny. [02 Jan 1995, p.6E]
-
Dark, sophisticated zingers abound in the premiere, with earthquake tremors and impotence leading to laughter. Shepherd, still refining herself as a comic actress, is smart enough to surround herself with talented pros on both sides of the camera. [02 Jan 1995, p.23]
-
Few new shows, at least on CBS, arrive in such polished and sparkling condition. If it gets better, it may turn out to be terrific.
-
It takes a certain level of chutzpah to play your life for laughs. Shepherd, the prototypical ballsy lady, delivers her share. [09 Jan 1995, p.60]
-
Sharply written and played (expect for bland Tim Matheson as Cybill's latest flame), Cybill flirts dangerously with a cruel edge - an off-camera joke about a cat devoured by a coyote seems a misstep. But at least this has an edge, a style, a genuine star. [30 Dec 1994, p.1D]
-
When it comes to TV, Shepherd’s comedy pedigree has the sheen of a winner.
-
Robert Berlinger’s crisp direction and creator/writer Chuck Lorre’s tangy script give a buoyant liftoff to the premiering CBS sitcom Cybill.
-
Ignore several adolescent sexual references and you have a sitcom willing to poke fun at the trauma of growing old in a culture that reveres youth. And while Shepherd is not God's gift to TV sitcoms, she holds her own as an island of near-sanity in a sea of hedonism. [30 Dec 1994]
-
Absolutely Fabulous is grandly bawdy and uninhibited; Cybill, more restrained for American sensibilities, ends up too often being only vulgar. Still, Ms. Shepherd and Ms. Baranski have their delightful moments. And the series appears to be getting stronger.
-
This all sounds so promising — why isn't it funnier?
-
As manifest in Cybill's premiere, Shephard and cast are castoffs, and a bit confused as to the actions they are made to complete, people performing in such an extruded manner that it's difficult investing interest in Cybill's citizens. [30 Dec 1994]
-
Shepherd plays good-naturedly off her narcissistic image and the writers get off a few good lines. But this is just the kind of show that has to score with the quick zinger because it has nothing more solid to stand on. [01 Jan 1995]
-
Left to her own devices in the new CBS sitcom Cybill, La Shepherd seems a little lost.
-
Racy jokes and blue language are everywhere, less shocking than tacky, since most of the jokes are stale one-liners with little punch or durability.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
-
Positive: 5 out of 7
-
Mixed: 0 out of 7
-
Negative: 2 out of 7
-
Dec 20, 2010