Channel 4 | Release Date: March 30, 2000
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
66
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
5
Negative:
1
100
New York PostLinda StasiJan 13, 2026
Season 1 Review: As funny as TV gets. [20 Feb 2003, p.112]
90
Los Angeles Daily NewsDavid KronkeJan 13, 2026
Season 1 Review: This is rich material: Think of it as a particularly outrageous "Candid Camera," with politicians and Sunday-morning talking heads as the marks. [21 Feb 2003, p.U35]
75
Chicago Sun-TimesPhil RosenthalJan 14, 2026
Season 1 Review: You've seen this kind of shtick before on other shows, but Cohen occasionally gets off a laugh-out-loud moment. [21 Feb 2003, p.45]
75
Houston ChronicleAnn HodgesJan 13, 2026
Season 1 Review: He moons ya, he fools ya, and it don't mattah much if ya love him or ya hate him, he gonna make ya laugh. Dat's Ali G. [20 Feb 2003]
75
Kansas City StarAaron BarnhartJan 13, 2026
Season 1 Review: I'd seen a tape of Cohen's UK show and wasn't impressed - but as with so many TV stars, being on HBO just seems to improve him. [18 Feb 2003]
70
SlateVirginia HeffernanJan 14, 2026
Season 1 Review: What Cohen's characters lack in originality, they make up for in execution. [24 Feb 2003]
67
NewsdayNoel HolstonJan 13, 2026
Season 1 Review: In England, critics have called Cohen the new Peter Sellers. If that's the case, it's not Sellers at his "Dr. Strangelove"-"Being There" shrewdest but, rather, at his do-it-for-the-money "Pink Panther"-sequel broadest. [21 Feb 2003]
63
Boston GlobeMatthew GilbertJan 14, 2026
Season 1 Review: Despite Cohen's talent for submerging himself in his characters, "Da Ali G Show" is a spotty venture. [22 Feb 2003]
63
San Diego Union-TribuneRobert P. LaurenceJan 13, 2026
Season 1 Review: The Brits just love Ali G, but they have a considerable appetite for rude, politically incorrect satire. Americans may just find him rather peculiar. [21 Feb 2003, p.E5]