Summer Heights High
HBO | ABC1 | Release Date: September 5, 2007
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
67
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 13 Critic Reviews
Positive:
9
Mixed:
3
Negative:
1

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Entertainment WeeklyAri Karpel
Season 1 Review: Thank you, HBO, for airing Australia's outrageous Office-like, eight-part high school mockumentary, rather than getting a lesser comedian to do an American version. Read full review
80
Boston GlobeMatthew Gilbert
Season 1 Review: The nonfictional veneer feels authentic, and so does Lilley's talent. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesRobert Lloyd
Season 1 Review: All in all, it's a rich work, full of detail and small moments, and grounded in reality by an utterly believable supporting cast partly drawn from the school where the series was shot. Read full review
80
Washington PostTom Shales
Season 1 Review: Lilley's script and performances are rife with recognizable personalities, neuroses and human absurdities. Read full review
80
SalonHeather Havrilesky
Season 1 Review: The only bad thing about Summer Heights High is that it makes a lot of American comedies look pathetically unoriginal and lackluster by comparison. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalNancy DeWolf Smith
Season 1 Review: It is funny in the manner of "Best in Show" or "A Mighty Wind," but much more biting. Although that means there are some truly painful moments, the talent of Mr. Lilley, a brilliant mimic, is a divine salve. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleTim Goodman
Season 1 Review: The documentary look is engaging, and Lilley's wildly over-the-top performance as three distinct characters is made all the more funny as it clashes against the reserved nature of the nonactors. Read full review
75
TV Guide MagazineMatt Roush
Season 1 Review: A funny/sad Office-style mockumentary depicting a year in the life of an Australian public high school, this wildly talented writer-star loves making you squirm (à la Gervais) while submerging himself inside the skin of characters so diverse (à la Ullman) you can hardly believe it's the same guy. Read full review
67
TimeJames Poniewozik
Season 1 Review: Summer Heights High is not a perfect comedy, and those offended by crossed boundaries will feel their boundaries crossed. But it's a welcome, if sometimes familiar, HBO comedy while we wait for the return of "Flight of the Conchords." Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley
Season 1 Review: In the end, while its outrageous characters are often amusing, their palate of jokes runs thin. Read full review
50
Newark Star-LedgerAlan Sepinwall
Season 1 Review: Much as I admire Lilley's ability to pull off a sort of one-man Christopher Guest movie, only one of the three Summer Heights High leads is funny on a consistent basis. Read full review
40
The New York TimesMike Hale
Season 1 Review: It’s easy to admire Mr. Lilley’s writing and performing talent, and some jokes work anywhere. But if he’s interested in really connecting with audiences here--something HBO probably has in mind for the future--he needs to do some more research. Read full review
30
VarietyBrian Lowry
Season 1 Review: Cultural distinctions notwithstanding (will U.S. viewers double over at a Tongan accent?), Summer Heights High seldom rises above silliness and mostly proves just plain irritating. Read full review
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