Mr. Sunshine
ABC | Release Date: February 9, 2011
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
54
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
10
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Chicago Sun-TimesPaige WiserFeb 8, 2011
Season 1 Review: There's some smart slapstick, and I believe that Perry could be the one sane man in an arena that holds 17,505 people. Read full review
83
Boston HeraldMark A. PerigardFeb 9, 2011
Season 1 Review: As a man struggling to find where he misplaced his heart, Perry makes angst seem easy. His sense of timing isn't rusty. The sitcom has a few clouds: Alonzo needs an edge and the show should make Jorge Garcia's ("Lost") facilities manager a permanent regular. But Mr. Sunshine could be midseason's brightest ray of mirth. Read full review
75
USA TodayRobert BiancoFeb 8, 2011
Season 1 Review: What more could you ask? Sharper scripts, for a start, and a better sense that Perry's unhappy central character is strong enough to hold the center of the show. But there's enough promise here, and enough room to grow, that you can't help hoping Sunshine will follow the midterm-correction path set by the show it's replacing, Cougar Town. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesRobert LloydFeb 9, 2011
Season 1 Review: It's a busy opening, including brief but satisfying guest appearances by Jorge "Hurley" Garcia and an elephant. The show is well played down to the smallest parts. Read full review
70
Miami HeraldGlenn GarvinFeb 9, 2011
Season 1 Review: Watching Crystal fire off demands to Ben while working out on a treadmill wearing high heels and a business suit is wondrously, bizarrely funny. If Mr. Sunshine can relocate moments like that from the show's periphery to its center, it may stick around for a while. Read full review
70
Philadelphia InquirerJonathan StormFeb 8, 2011
Season 1 Review: Mr. Sunshine looks promising, with former Friend Matthew Perry playing straight man in a swirl of kooks, including an especially amusing Allison Janney, who deliver consistent laughs. Read full review
70
The New York TimesAlessandra StanleyFeb 8, 2011
Season 1 Review: Mr. Sunshine isn't nearly as polished or original as "Modern Family," which precedes it on Wednesday night, but it has the talent and the potential to improve. Read full review
67
San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa TimesChuck BarneyFeb 9, 2011
Season 1 Review: Unfortunately, things just never really gel in a pilot episode that falls flat and is only intermittently funny....In fact, only Janney, whose gleefully oblivious character spews un-PC zingers and keeps a huge self-portrait in her office, makes a truly fresh impression. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyKen TuckerJan 27, 2011
Season 1 Review: [Perry] needs to put on a smilier face without losing his sharp edge: sunshine with the ability to inflict a burn. Read full review
63
People WeeklyTom GliattoFeb 18, 2011
Season 1 Review: For now, Sunshine is a bit busy and unfocused. [28 Feb 2011, p.43]
60
The Hollywood ReporterTim GoodmanFeb 9, 2011
Season 1 Review: Part of the hedging about Mr. Sunshine stems from her role. In the pilot, it's a wildly over-the-top portrayal that's simultaneously fun to witness but worrisome as to whether Janney can pull it off every week. Read full review
60
HitfixAlan SepinwallFeb 9, 2011
Season 1 Review: Much like "Cougar Town" was back in the fall of '09, Mr. Sunshine is a show with a lot of likable performers, a solid creative pedigree, occasional laughs and a whole lot of room for improvement. Read full review
60
Philadelphia Daily NewsEllen GrayFeb 8, 2011
Season 1 Review: The premiere of Mr. Sunshine feels more forced at times than it needs to be, as if the writers mistrusted Perry and company's ability to wring humor from real-life situations and felt compelled instead to send in the clowns--with axes--to get the job done. Read full review
50
VarietyBrian LowryFeb 8, 2011
Season 1 Review: While the varied events coming to the center each week do create comedic possibilities, Sunshine will wax or wane less on what passes through that revolving door than on the underwhelming occupants of its regular offices. Read full review
42
Uncle BarkyEd BarkFeb 9, 2011
Season 1 Review: Decidedly dreary for openers, Mr. Sunshine succeeds in making Cougar Town look like a lion of the prime-time jungle. That's obviously not the intent. But Perry, Janney and company will have to brighten matters in a hurry to avoid a very quick sunset. Read full review
40
TV Guide MagazineMatt RoushFeb 9, 2011
Season 1 Review: Mr. Sunshine never really comes into focus. I'm regarding this as a work in progress, and am hoping it finds its way in weeks to come the way Cougar Town quickly did. Read full review
40
The Huffington PostMaureen RyanFeb 9, 2011
Season 1 Review: Mr. Sunshine isn't particularly hilarious or endearing, and the comedy doesn't surround Perry with a balanced ensemble of characters who get to be funny as well. Read full review
40
Washington PostHank StueverFeb 9, 2011
Season 1 Review: Even when the pacing and writing and performances seem to line up, some intangible quality fails to quite hit the spot. Read full review
40
Boston GlobeMatthew GilbertFeb 9, 2011
Season 1 Review: It's not a complete disaster, thanks to supporting actress Allison Janney and a smooth single-camera tone. But it's a quintessential "so what?" sitcom that practically begs you to damn it with extremely faint praise, mincing your words down to the blandest of neutrality. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsDavid HinckleyFeb 9, 2011
Season 1 Review: It just doesn't feel like it's setting up a story we're really going to care about. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleDavid WiegandFeb 9, 2011
Season 1 Review: I suppose Sunshine can get by for a time on Perry's familiarity to audiences and because it has the great "Modern Family" as a lead-in. But in the long run, those factors aren't enough to counterbalance how much of a downer the show is. Read full review
25
NewsdayVerne GayFeb 8, 2011
Season 1 Review: Leaden, dull, flat, tone deaf. Any reason to go on? Sure. This replaces another ex-"Friends" vehicle (Courteney Cox's "Cougar Town," which returns mid-April) that launched with both left feet, then dramatically improved. With all the on-screen talent here, this ex-"Friends" star could eventually shine, too. Read full review
0
New York PostLinda StasiFeb 9, 2011
Season 1 Review: The premiere, which was written by and stars "Friends'" Matthew Perry, has a premise that's full of possibility but a delivery that never arrives. Read full review
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