Suburgatory
ABC | Release Date: September 28, 2011
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
71
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 28 Critic Reviews
Positive:
23
Mixed:
3
Negative:
2

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
San Francisco ChronicleDavid WiegandSep 26, 2011
Season 1 Review: A genuinely funny and immediately likable sitcom. Read full review
91
Boston GlobeMatthew GilbertSep 12, 2011
Season 1 Review: I love the suburban satire, which is old territory made fresh again. [Jane] Levy, from "Shameless," is tart and sympathetic, and [Cheryl] Hines is a revelation as a rabidly superficial mom. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubEmily VanDerWerffJan 15, 2014
Season 3 Review: The show may have been simplified due to budgetary concerns, but that makes its core themes shine all the brighter. Read full review
83
HitfixAlan SepinwallSep 27, 2011
Season 1 Review: There's enough sincerity lurking convincingly beneath the snark, and Levy is so good in both aggressive and vulnerable modes, that I have faith the show will find a way to humanize Tessa's new environment while still bringing the laughs. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyHenry GoldblattSep 26, 2011
Season 1 Review: Not quite an Easy A, but certainly an easy B+. Read full review
80
SlateTroy PattersonOct 6, 2011
Season 1 Review: What Surburgatory lacks in novelty, it compensates for with a steady stream of gags, splashes of nuance (and nuance's vivid opposite), the comedic flow of Ana Gasteyer and Chris Parnell as the Altmans' neighbors, and an undercurrent of sweetness. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesRobert LloydSep 28, 2011
Season 1 Review: The dialogue has a nice snap, the jokes come from just to the left of where you expect them to, and the players are all first-rate. Read full review
80
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob OwenSep 28, 2011
Season 1 Review: Suburgatory is fall's most consistently funny comedy pilot. Read full review
80
TimeJames PoniewozikSep 28, 2011
Season 1 Review: Yes, satirizing the suburbs is an age-old theme in entertainment, but Suburgatory feels like it's thought through what specifically there is to say about the burbs of 2011. And so far, I like the way it says it. Read full review
80
TV Guide MagazineMatt RoushSep 28, 2011
Season 1 Review: You'd never accuse Suburgatory of subtlety, but it's a fun place to visit, even if you'd never want to live there. It's also a hoot. Read full review
80
Zap2it (Inside the Box)Liz Kelly NelsonSep 28, 2011
Season 1 Review: It delivers laughs, for sure, but with a brainy, subversive and sometimes absurdist edge. Read full review
80
Philadelphia InquirerJonathan StormSep 27, 2011
Season 1 Review: A hilarious family fish-out-of-water tale that fits seamlessly Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. on 6ABC between The Middle and Modern Family. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterTim GoodmanSep 27, 2011
Season 1 Review: Suburgatory is an interesting little sitcom in that all on its own the show deserves your attention for the merits [nuance, snark, sweetness] mentioned above. Read full review
75
Boston HeraldMark A. PerigardSep 28, 2011
Season 1 Review: Sisto is surprisingly sweet as a befuddled dad. Everyone seems to want the next Emma Stone. Levy isn't there yet, but given time she might grow into a solid comic actress. Read full review
75
New York PostLinda StasiSep 28, 2011
Season 1 Review: With a snarky running dialogue from Tessa (Jane Levy), the laughs are as easy and as sophisticated as she is. Or as she thinks she is--and that's the key. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesLori RacklSep 27, 2011
Season 1 Review: On the whole, Suburgatory delivers more hits than misses, largely thanks to its cast. Read full review
75
Washington PostHank StueverSep 21, 2011
Season 1 Review: Suburgatory displays a polished sense of humor and a better cast than it deserves, which makes it worth a look. Read full review
70
The Huffington PostMaureen RyanOct 17, 2012
Season 2 Review: One of the best things about "Happy Endings," however, is how the character relationships all work--each combination of characters brings its own pleasures. Suburgatory isn't quite there yet. Read full review
70
Philadelphia Daily NewsEllen GraySep 28, 2011
Season 1 Review: A clever send-up of life in the land of triple strollers from Emily Kapnek ("Parks and Recreation," "Hung") with just enough heart to keep viewers living there from wanting to slit their wrists. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyHenry GoldblattJan 9, 2014
Season 3 Review: The performances, as usual, are tops. But the jokes, like some of the cast, seem to have gone missing. [17 Jan 2014, p.62] Read full review
67
Uncle BarkyEd BarkSep 27, 2011
Season 1 Review: For now, Levy is an OK mix of insolence and vulnerability, Hines is her usual hoot and Sisto shows signs of being nimble on his feet in an arena where he's still learning the ropes. Read full review
63
USA TodayRobert BiancoSep 28, 2011
Season 1 Review: There's no question that some of the jokes are funny, or that it's nice to see Sisto in a role that lets him lighten up. Read full review
63
RedEyeCurt WagnerSep 27, 2011
Season 1 Review: None of this, of course, is cutting edge new. But if you buy into the show's out-there fantasy of the suburbs--and I do, because I fear them--then you'll be amply entertained. Read full review
60
PopMattersMichelle WelchSep 28, 2011
Season 1 Review: The result is a show that's more ABC Family than Tina Fey. Read full review
50
NewsdayVerne GaySep 27, 2011
Season 1 Review: "Suburgatory" falls flat--a flatness that will be accentuated by the smart suburban comedies that bookend it. Read full review
50
VarietyBrian LowrySep 26, 2011
Season 1 Review: As is, the pilot created by Emily Kapnek ("Hung") and directed by Michael Fresco finds some warmth in the father-daughter bond and labors rather feebly to expose Hines' character in a less-than-harsh light, but the too-familiar start doesn't bode well for consistently tapping into such elements. Read full review
30
The New York TimesNeil GenzlingerSep 27, 2011
Season 1 Review: The series begins with a tenuous premise, uses it to leap to an inaccurate dichotomy and supports that with tired, unfunny stereotypes. Read full review
20
Miami HeraldGlenn GarvinSep 28, 2011
Season 1 Review: Basically, Suburgatory is a random collection of clichés drawn from such suburb-bashing works as Valley Girls, Stepford Wives, Clueless and Cougar Town, assembled without a scintilla of wit or human empathy. Read full review
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