How to Be a Gentleman
CBS | Release Date: September 29, 2011
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
41
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 20 Critic Reviews
Positive:
4
Mixed:
7
Negative:
9
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
Entertainment WeeklyRob BrunnerSep 26, 2011
Season 1 Review: The notion that decent guys need to learn how to be "real men" from macho jerks is a little silly, even for a sitcom. But the pilot does serve up some laughs, especially when Flight of the Conchords vet Rhys Darby is on screen. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesRobert LloydSep 29, 2011
Season 1 Review: I've watched the pilot possibly too many times not to notice how the parts have been glued together and the jokes teed up, but the performances are good. Read full review
70
Miami HeraldGlenn GarvinSep 28, 2011
Season 1 Review: How to be a Gentleman has some sharp writing, good byplay between the stars and a fair number of laughs. Read full review
67
Uncle BarkyEd BarkSep 28, 2011
Season 1 Review: This is a comedy with a solid core group of characters and a chance to go the distance. Read full review
60
PopMattersRaffi PaulSep 29, 2011
Season 1 Review: As ordinary as this plot sounds, How To Be a Gentleman has a couple of things going for it, namely, Hornsby and Dillon. Read full review
58
Boston GlobeMatthew GilbertSep 12, 2011
Season 1 Review: The cast is an embarrassment of potential, but Dillon is wearing as a Drama-like dude; the cultural-obsession-with-youth trope is old; and the learning-to-be-a-man stuff is pat. It's very meh. Read full review
42
Boston HeraldMark A. PerigardSep 29, 2011
Season 1 Review: This series won't last long enough for him to complete his education. Read full review
42
HitfixAlan SepinwallSep 29, 2011
Season 1 Review: On top of having a dated premise, it just feels tired. Read full review
42
NewsdayDiane WertsSep 28, 2011
Season 1 Review: There's no "here" here. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsDavid HinckleySep 30, 2011
Season 1 Review: There's nothing to really dislike about CBS' new sitcom How to Be a Gentleman. There's just not that much there at all. Read full review
40
Philadelphia Daily NewsEllen GraySep 28, 2011
Season 1 Review: How to Be a Gentleman feels as if it comes from someone who knows a fair amount about constructing a sitcom but not quite enough about being funny. Read full review
37
USA TodayRobert BiancoSep 28, 2011
Season 1 Review: Even were this Odd Couple rehash amusing, you'd still wonder what sane person would think the dimwit who bullied him in high school was the ideal Sherpa into modern manhood. Read full review
30
Philadelphia InquirerJonathan StormSep 29, 2011
Season 1 Review: It seems to have an awful lot in common with a group of shows that never [found themselves], the generic and unfunny fodder that NBC threw up between its popular comedies back when it ruled Thursday nights with Friends, Seinfeld, Frasier, and Will and Grace. Read full review
30
TV Guide MagazineMatt RoushSep 29, 2011
Season 1 Review: It couldn't be more forgettable, but what's really irksome is the waste of a strong supporting cast. Read full review
30
VarietyBrian LowrySep 26, 2011
Season 1 Review: With most of the near-laughs coming from the supporting players, Hornsby (also a producer on "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia") and Dillon are reduced to set-ups and groaning rim shots. Read full review
25
Chicago Sun-TimesLori RacklSep 29, 2011
Season 1 Review: I hope Andrew (David Hornsby) has penned an etiquette column on how a gentleman handles getting canceled by a network, because he's going to need it. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleDavid WiegandSep 29, 2011
Season 1 Review: There may be something salvageable here--this kind of odd couple pairing worked great in, well, "The Odd Couple"--but the pilot is virtually humorless. Read full review
20
The Hollywood ReporterTim GoodmanSep 27, 2011
Season 1 Review: It's painful to watch so many talented comedic actors, like Darby, Rajskub, and Dave Foley, who plays Andrew's boss at the magazine, suffer with this material. Read full review
10
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob OwenSep 27, 2011
Season 1 Review: How to be a Gentleman is exactly the kind of TV comedy Johnny Drama would be thrilled to star in. Read full review
0
Washington PostHank StueverSep 21, 2011
Season 1 Review: Welcome to this year's "$#!* My Dad Says." Read full review
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