Free Agents (2011)
NBC | Release Date: September 14, 2011
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
51
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
8
Negative:
8
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
Uncle BarkyEd BarkSep 13, 2011
Season 1 Review: Despite its lead characters' fragile makeups, Free Agents is a niftily scripted, bracingly grownup comedy when in the hands of its two leads. Read full review
83
Boston GlobeMatthew GilbertSep 12, 2011
Season 1 Review: The tone tips awkwardly between crude and romantic, and a little of Azaria goes a long way. But I'm game for episode 2. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalDorothy RabinowitzSep 16, 2011
Season 1 Review: It's no small miracle that Mr. Azaria makes this soppy character work. He does. The same can be said for just about everything else in this appealingly hard-headed, smartly written comedy. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesRobert LloydSep 14, 2011
Season 1 Review: Free Agents has its moments and fine performances--and also make one wonder about the long run. Read full review
70
PopMattersMichelle WelchSep 14, 2011
Season 1 Review: These initial 23 minutes offer a promising mix of rapid banter, smart cultural references, and delightful absurdity. Read full review
70
The Huffington PostMaureen RyanSep 13, 2011
Season 1 Review: I found Free Agents more than tolerable, and there's potential in the office ensemble that surrounds these two characters (though I wouldn't mind if the super-sass of Natasha Leggero's assistant character was toned down a bit). Read full review
70
The New York TimesAlessandra StanleySep 13, 2011
Season 1 Review: Free Agents is not "The Office," but the lead characters are appealing, and the show is funny in its own, quite grown-up way. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsDavid HinckleySep 14, 2011
Season 1 Review: Free Agents has a strong premise, solid characters, good chemistry and some great one-liners. Like Alex and Helen, it needs to trust its heart. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyKen TuckerSep 28, 2011
Season 1 Review: The second episode was an improvement creatively: Azaria's Alex and Hahn's Helen displayed some mature-adult chemistry. It may not be enough to save the series, though. Read full review
58
Boston HeraldMark A. PerigardSep 14, 2011
Season 1 Review: This remake of a tart British sitcom of the same name starts with the moment that has killed many a show: its two main characters in bed, post-booty call. It's anything but romantic. Read full review
50
Zap2it (Inside the Box)Rick PorterSep 14, 2011
Season 1 Review: It's a show I would really like to like, and there are elements present in the pilot that make me want to see how it's doing by, say, episode four or five, but it's not there yet. Read full review
50
HitfixAlan SepinwallSep 13, 2011
Season 1 Review: The British show accepts that this is the story of two very damaged individuals and is willing to confront that damage early and often - sometimes seriously and sometimes in black comic fashion. Whether by choice or NBC fiat, Enbom has placed these same characters into a much lighter style, and the fit doesn't work. Read full review
40
Miami HeraldGlenn GarvinSep 14, 2011
Season 1 Review: At least Azaria and Hahn do have an uncertain chemistry that might have developed into something watchable had the producers not decided to provide it with a Greek chorus of locker-room cracks by loutish co-workers. Read full review
40
TimeJames PoniewozikSep 14, 2011
Season 1 Review: What we lose in the US Free Agents pilot is the sense of emotional commitment to the situations of the characters. Read full review
40
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob OwenSep 13, 2011
Season 1 Review: It moves fast and doesn't wait for viewers to catch all the jokes that are made. Some of the dialogue is clever but it's more savvy than it is hilarious and viewers come to broadcast network comedies for the funny stuff. Making matters worse, the two leads are humorless sad sacks. Read full review
37
USA TodayRobert BiancoSep 14, 2011
Season 1 Review: There's not a character you're likely to believe, which is a problem, or one you want to see again, which for a series is a bigger problem. Read full review
30
TV Guide MagazineMatt RoushSep 14, 2011
Season 1 Review: An unpleasant show about miserable people working in an environment (corporate public relations) that's about as welcoming as Chernobyl. Read full review
30
VarietyBrian LowrySep 12, 2011
Season 1 Review: As constructed by writer John Enbom ("Party Down") and director Todd Holland, Free Agents leaves its leads adrift with scarcely a genuine moment to be found, and other than Head, not a single supporting character worth mentioning. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleDavid WiegandSep 14, 2011
Season 1 Review: It's virtually impossible to care about the characters, and not only is the show without a single laugh line, its attempts at humor come off as brittle and nasty. Read full review
25
Washington PostHank StueverSep 13, 2011
Season 1 Review: This painfully flat American version of a British comedy stars Hank Azaria as Alex, a newly-divorced and depressed PR agent who unwisely beds another agent at the firm (Kathryn Hahn as Helen). Read full review
25
Chicago Sun-TimesLori RacklSep 13, 2011
Season 1 Review: Comedy is supposed to be funny, and Free Agents is not. Read full review
25
RedEyeCurt WagnerSep 13, 2011
Season 1 Review: The office gang from Free Agents is anything but funny. Read full review
25
NewsdayVerne GaySep 12, 2011
Season 1 Review: What's missing here, besides laughs? Chemistry. Read full review
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