Here Comes Honey Boo Boo
TLC | Release Date: August 8, 2012
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
53
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews
Positive:
5
Mixed:
6
Negative:
5

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Entertainment WeeklyMelissa MaerzAug 7, 2012
Season 1 Review: You'll alternate between cooing at 6-year-old pageant queen Honey, gawking at her self-described "redneck" family and pet pig, laughing so hard you cry, and feeling deep shame for not turning it off. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyMelissa MaerzJul 12, 2013
Season 2 Review: They're way more like us than the Kardashians, and they clearly love one another, roadkill dinners and all. [19 Jul 2013, p.80]
80
Washington PostHank StueverJul 12, 2013
Season 2 Review: I think the show is a fitting document for our times, good or bad. Mostly (oddly) good. Read full review
70
SlateWilla PaskinAug 7, 2013
Season 2 Review: The Honey Boo Boo clan often transcend the narrow condescension of the series’ producers--between-scene interludes include shots of humping dogs and the sound of a toilet flushing--with a deep familial affection and a rousing, Amelia Bedelia-esque esprit de corps. Read full review
63
People WeeklyTom GliattoJul 12, 2013
Season 2 Review: Honey Boo Boo is just a little girl doing [her] best to be a beauty queen, TV star and dutiful daughter to the surprisingly levelheaded June. [22 Jul 2013]
58
Boston HeraldMark A. PerigardJul 17, 2013
Season 2 Review: TLC’s editing, as expected, goes out of its way to make the family appear like idiots.... But the Thompsons don’t care what other people think. They’ve got each other. In that, they’re light-years better adjusted than just about any family on any other reality show. Read full review
50
NewsdayVerne GayJul 16, 2013
Season 2 Review: Boo Boo is critic-proof. Call it vulgar, call it schlock, call it a cup of flatulence, call it whatever you like. But John Waters called it first: America loves its trash culture, smells and all. Read full review
50
SalonWilla PaskinAug 9, 2012
Season 1 Review: As with many of these series, Honey Boo Boo wobbles along that strange line of being at once an exploitative mess, and not just an exploitative mess. Read full review
50
TimeJames PoniewozikAug 9, 2012
Season 1 Review: While I was creeped out by the way Honey Boo Boo was framing the family and presenting them to us, I couldn't help loving the Thompsons themselves. Read full review
50
Boston HeraldMark A. PerigardAug 8, 2012
Season 1 Review: Despite all of TLC's crafty maneuvering, this is a family that likes to laugh with each other. The rest doesn't seem to matter. Read full review
50
Washington PostHank StueverAug 7, 2012
Season 1 Review: You'll blow a gasket if you watch this show with any trace of superiority or outrage. Instead, bafflement is a good resting spot; a guilty-pleasure glee works even better. Read full review
30
VarietyBrian LowryJul 16, 2013
Season 2 Review: Despite the show’s underlying themes extolling a family that loves each other and self-acceptance (such as June referring to her ample frame as “voluptuous”), the series sets up its intrepid heroes to be laughed at, not with. Read full review
30
Philadelphia InquirerDavid HiltbrandAug 8, 2012
Season 1 Review: If you haven't yet put your affairs in order, this would be a propitious time to do so. The world as we know it is about to end. How do I know? Because Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. Read full review
30
VarietyBrian LowryAug 7, 2012
Season 1 Review: Disturbingly condescending and almost irresistibly cheeky. Read full review
25
People WeeklyTom GliattoAug 17, 2012
Season 1 Review: Here Comes Honey Boo Boo Child is one miserable half-hour. [27 Aug 2012, p.44]
25
RedEyeCurt WagnerAug 7, 2012
Season 1 Review: Seems to me she's [Alana's mother June is] desperate to stay in the spotlight. And all I can say to that is, "Honey, bye-bye." Read full review
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