Emily's Reasons Why Not
ABC | Release Date: January 9, 2006
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
48
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews
Positive:
2
Mixed:
16
Negative:
5

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
50
Entertainment WeeklyJennifer Armstrong
Season 1 Review: Emily comes off as a regressed teenager. [13 Jan 2006, p.70]
60
VarietyBrian Lowry
Season 1 Review: Breezy and fun, there are several reasons to sample "Emily," but also plenty of room for skepticism over whether this witty half-hour has the depth to survive a highly competitive timeslot. Read full review
30
Wall Street JournalAmy Finnerty
Season 1 Review: Judging from the first episode, "Emily" needs not only a new boyfriend, but also some more grownup material. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterBarry Garron
Season 1 Review: Despite her position as editor, Emily lives in a world with high school values, where the ultimate achievements are being popular, fitting in, looking good and finding a hot date. Read full review
40
Orlando SentinelHal Boedeker
Season 1 Review: This ABC sitcom strives for edgy sophistication, but the characters come off as superficial and mean. Read full review
60
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob Owen
Season 1 Review: Lightweight and unaffecting. Read full review
30
The New York TimesAlessandra Stanley
Season 1 Review: A tepid knockoff of "Sex and the City." Read full review
50
USA TodayRobert Bianco
Season 1 Review: Even at her worst, when she's contorting her face to match the coy, thought-revealing voice-over, you tend to root for [Graham]. Unfortunately for ABC, by the end of Emily's Reasons Why Not, you're rooting for her to find a better vehicle. Read full review
60
Washington PostTom Shales
Season 1 Review: Despite the limitations, and there are a bundle, "Emily's Reasons Why Not" logs a happy high on the delightful meter -- fresh and frisky much of the time. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesDoug Elfman
Season 1 Review: Finally, a "Sex and the City" clone comes through. Read full review
40
Chicago TribuneMaureen Ryan
Season 1 Review: It's just too bad the shopworn material on "Emily" is just a tad too weak to support Graham's talents, even though she tries (a bit too hard, truth be told) to give viewers a reason to watch. Read full review
50
Detroit Free PressMike Duffy
Season 1 Review: Breezily prefabricated sitcom humor that lacks the fresh zing of anything remotely original. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesPaul Brownfield
Season 1 Review: The notion of Graham as a TV star is an enticing one, but she's starring in a show that's not big enough for her. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldGlenn Garvin
Season 1 Review: It also helps that Heather Graham as Emily is so appealing that it often distracts from the fanciful idiocy of what she's saying or doing. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley
Season 1 Review: No matter how obvious the wardrobe might be, the scripts are even more so. Read full review
75
New York PostLinda Stasi
Season 1 Review: Like "Sex and the City" with its clothes on. Read full review
20
NewsdayDiane Werts
Season 1 Review: The show seems to have no point, rendering it agony how hard the proceedings work at making one. Read full review
60
Philadelphia InquirerJonathan Storm
Season 1 Review: You hope the show doesn't get stuck in sexual shenanigans week after week. Even 30-year-olds think about other things sometimes. But for now, it seems fair to follow Emily's lead and see what develops. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleTim Goodman
Season 1 Review: Actually, "Emily's Reasons Why Not" does have its funny moments. The problem is twofold. The show tweaks and contorts itself so hard to get those laughs that the whole thing feels forced and unmanageable for two consecutive episodes, much less a season. And secondly, the premise is unlikely to hold up for any length of time. Read full review
10
SlateDana Stevens
Season 1 Review: There's so much not to like about Emily's Reasons Why Not. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeMatthew Gilbert
Season 1 Review: It's not half bad, but then it's not even a quarter original. Read full review
30
L.A. WeeklyRobert Abele
Season 1 Review: Based on the pilot of Emily’s Reasons Why Not, there’s no worry that this half hour from ABC... will be honest, or real, or even funny. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineMatt Roush
Season 1 Review: It’s painfully derivative, but we’ve seen worse.
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