Sullivan & Son

:

Season 1
  • Network: TBS
  • Series Premiere Date: Jul 19, 2012
Season #: 3, 2, 1
Metascore
48

Mixed or average reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 15
  3. Negative: 3 out of 15
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Critic Reviews

  1. Newsday
    Reviewed by: Diane Werts
    Jul 18, 2012
    91
    Bracing and tasty.
  2. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Hank Stuever
    Jul 18, 2012
    70
    Within a few episodes and with slightly lowered expectations, it gets a good buzz going.
  3. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: David Hinckley
    Jul 19, 2012
    60
    Plenty of material here, spoken by people we like. It's what a good cable sitcom can be.
  5. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
    Reviewed by: Rob Owen
    Jul 18, 2012
    60
    Sullivan & Son is no instant TV classic, but its reinterpretation of a place where everyone knows your name is outrageous enough to bear watching.
  6. Boston Herald
    Reviewed by: Mark A. Perigard
    Jul 19, 2012
    58
    Anyone really thirsty for laughs will probably come up dry.
  7. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: David Wiegand
    Jul 18, 2012
    50
    Sullivan & Son doesn't break any new ground, and you'll probably have a sense of deja vu all over again as it evokes "Cheers" and, more subtly, "Everybody Loves Raymond."
  8. TV Guide Magazine
    Reviewed by: Matt Roush
    Jul 19, 2012
    40
    Sullivan & Son certainly feels like something you've seen before. Only done much better.
  9. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Mary McNamara
    Jul 18, 2012
    40
    Dragon lady, cougar and feisty redhead; dutiful son, jealous daughter and henpecked husband are all present and accounted for, with pat and predictable jokes leeching whatever hope might be had from a racially diverse cast and a promising enough setup.
  10. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Matthew Gilbert
    Jul 18, 2012
    40
    Sullivan & Son is a contrived sitcom with nothing original or new to offer.
  11. Denver Post
    Reviewed by: Joanne Ostrow
    Jul 18, 2012
    40
    Byrne is trapped in a mediocre effort he created with Rob Long of "Cheers" that's best forgotten.
  12. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Mike Hale
    Jul 18, 2012
    40
    Sullivan & Son has fewer explosive laughs per episode than Mr. Jeong [Chang in "Community,"] provides per minute.
  13. Variety
    Reviewed by: Brian Lowry
    Jul 18, 2012
    40
    Granted, some of these throwback-style shows can work sparingly, but the comedy here feels so tepid and predictable as to virtually cap the upside.
  14. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Tirdad Derakhshani
    Jul 19, 2012
    30
    Whether it's the unfunny, raunchy jokes, the acting, the writing, or the awful blocking, nothing in Sullivan & Son seems to jell. And no laugh track can change that.
  15. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Tim Goodman
    Jul 18, 2012
    30
    Two episodes of Sullivan & Son were like watching caricatures of characters you'd seen before (and were equally unfunny then).
  16. Uncle Barky
    Reviewed by: Ed Bark
    Jul 18, 2012
    16
    Sullivan & Son is utterly artless in its efforts to be an equal opportunity offender.

Awards & Rankings

34
#34 Most Discussed TV Season of 2012
83
#83 Most Shared TV Season of 2012

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
4.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 42 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 42
  3. Negative: 22 out of 42
  1. meamsuperman
    Jul 27, 2012
    1
    Be warned. This show contains a terrible laugh track. Okay, all laugh tracks are terrible and I can't watch any show with one. But withoutBe warned. This show contains a terrible laugh track. Okay, all laugh tracks are terrible and I can't watch any show with one. But without it there would be no laughs at all during this show. Who approves this crap?… Full Review »
  2. vbux
    Jul 26, 2012
    0
    I've watched a few episodes of this show, and was so shocked at how bad it was, I signed up for Metacritic.

    This show is so forced and    I've watched a few episodes of this show, and was so shocked at how bad it was, I signed up for Metacritic.

    This show is so forced and awkward I have trouble finding any redeeming qualities about it.

    I was so distracted by the blatant profanity ("BullSh*t" regarding figure skating) and double middle fingers, that I rewound both scenes repeatedly to be sure I'd heard / seen what I thought. I am by no means a prude / easily offended, or even that old. (I'm 32 years old, love Family Guy, and pretty middle of the road on most issues, no kids, work in a high tech industry)

    Despite this, I have to say, I'm amazed that TBS would air a show that is so desperate to appear relevant, that they have to resort to forced profanity and completely unnecessary middle fingers. When did it become legal to show that on basic cable? Perhaps it's not illegal, but the point is, when TBS has so many great shows (Big Bang Theory, Family Guy, etc) that don't stoop to such a trivial methods, does it make sense to air something that does?

    They need to get this crap off of the air, and not be in such a rush to add profanity (verbal or otherwise) to a show that is well within the time slice that kids can easily see it. We've got enough issues these days, without teaching our kids that its OK to be that crass.

    Horrible show, there is MUCH better on TV.    … Full Review »
  3. JBM
    Aug 3, 2012
    2
    I wanted this show to work. I thought the bar setting had potential. But I bailed on it. The first episode where they should at least try toI wanted this show to work. I thought the bar setting had potential. But I bailed on it. The first episode where they should at least try to be funny was all about how wonderful thjs legacy bar was. The old dad just offered a grin to everything instead of being a diverse and crusty barkeep. But the heart of the problem is the comic center of the show, Byrne, well he can't act. His last dialog with his girlfriend who was leaving him was so awkward and poorly performed that I could not imaging watching this guy every week. This could have been a lot better. But it wasnt.… Full Review »
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