The Good Guys

:

Season 1
  • Network: FOX
  • Series Premiere Date: May 19, 2010
Season #: 2, 1
User Score
8.5

Universal acclaim- based on 97 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 86 out of 97
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 97
  3. Negative: 9 out of 97
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  1. democracy
    Oct 1, 2010
    10
    Its great fun to watch. Lines and scenes of the Good Guys make you laugh out loud just remembering them. The edits and scene merges and structure seem well done. The site says its single camera.
  2. firecritic
    Sep 2, 2010
    9
    This is a very funny show!!! Bradley Whitford's constant comedic timing is amazing! I think this show is a great way to turn off your brain and just watch a funny show that requires no thought. Colin is the perfect straight man to bottle it all up. Keep em coming FOX!
  3. RyanB300
    Sep 22, 2010
    9
    I almost hate to admit this...I actually look forward to this show. Although the humor is corny and the cop version of The Odd Couple has been done before, the show works on a few levels. Dan Stark is trapped in his own time warp of how things used to be (and how he used to be perceived) along with his obsession with his own good looks that is personified in his mustache-grooming create aI almost hate to admit this...I actually look forward to this show. Although the humor is corny and the cop version of The Odd Couple has been done before, the show works on a few levels. Dan Stark is trapped in his own time warp of how things used to be (and how he used to be perceived) along with his obsession with his own good looks that is personified in his mustache-grooming create a likeable character with some good one-liners. The backwards, lets-start-with-the-end, type of filming is pretty original for a TV show and the plot works out with a clear, though not always believable, resolution. Overall, I enjoy the show.… Expand
  4. Carmen
    Aug 17, 2010
    10
    I really enjoyed The Good Guys and am greatly disappointed to see it cancelled. Tired of the "formula" same old cop shows and really dislike all the so called "reality shows" . Every network seems to put out the same old junk whether or not they call it new, the formula is still the same. Good Guys was comedic, entertaining and very different from the network same old. These two playedI really enjoyed The Good Guys and am greatly disappointed to see it cancelled. Tired of the "formula" same old cop shows and really dislike all the so called "reality shows" . Every network seems to put out the same old junk whether or not they call it new, the formula is still the same. Good Guys was comedic, entertaining and very different from the network same old. These two played off each other wonderfully. SHAME ON YOU FOR CANCELLING!!!! Guess I'll go back and find something else, like a documentary. At least, networks don't copy each other when it comes to these shows. BRING IT BACK......… Expand
  5. Tink
    Sep 4, 2010
    8
    This show needs a couple writers who have more depth when the Good Guys aren't in a goofy stuation.
    But when it's funny it's hilarious. Definitely worth watching. These guys are great together. The producers just need to hire additional writers and advisors to bring it to it's full potential. Was rooting for this show. If they put more effort in making this show what it can be, it could be    This show needs a couple writers who have more depth when the Good Guys aren't in a goofy stuation.
    But when it's funny it's hilarious. Definitely worth watching. These guys are great together. The producers just need to hire additional writers and advisors to bring it to it's full potential. Was rooting for this show. If they put more effort in making this show what it can be, it could be a leader in a real original for Fox.    … Expand
  6. AEtkind
    Oct 1, 2010
    10
    First of all, The Good Guys has NOT been cancelled, Carmen. Fox took a big gamble starting a series in June, but they gave us less than half a season. The show is now back and it has a committment to the end of the season. Having said that, I am a HUGE Bradley Whitford fan. But we have to learn to separate the characters and not expect him to play Dan Stark like he was Josh Lyman orFirst of all, The Good Guys has NOT been cancelled, Carmen. Fox took a big gamble starting a series in June, but they gave us less than half a season. The show is now back and it has a committment to the end of the season. Having said that, I am a HUGE Bradley Whitford fan. But we have to learn to separate the characters and not expect him to play Dan Stark like he was Josh Lyman or even Danny Tripp. (His biggest professional mistake, I think, was to be filming Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip at the same time he was wrapping up The West Wing, but that's just me.) OK, so he's playing a washed up, womanizing, drunk cop with a gut and a propensity to want things to be like they were. He's playing it with GUSTO, and after the couple of years he's had, I'm OK with that. I find Dan Stark oddly sexy and endearing and that has less to do with who's playing him than I thought it would. Anybody over the age of 40 KNOWS a guy like Dan Stark. And some of us still like to hang out with him.… Expand
  7. godslonelyman
    Nov 6, 2010
    10
    My new favorite series. Dan Stark is a classic character, and Bradley Whitford is a revelation. This should do for him, what Breaking Bad did for Bryan Cranston, which makes me happy. I've been a fan of his since Valley Girl.
  8. pps
    Nov 19, 2010
    10
    This one of the funnest shows on tv. It may not be some emmy winning thing but it definitly deserves more cedit than it gets, some shows are just hilarious, they don't need to be masterpieces to be good.
  9. bootzilla
    Dec 10, 2010
    10
    Yes, The Good guys is outlandish, sophomoric at times and a bit cheesy - but that's the point! The show is supposed to be fun, and it is. Cop shows nowadays spend so much time trying to be overly dramatic and painstakingly scientific that they all kind of run together into a big dull blob. The Good Guys is good old-fashioned mindless entertainment, the kind that makes you want to sit downYes, The Good guys is outlandish, sophomoric at times and a bit cheesy - but that's the point! The show is supposed to be fun, and it is. Cop shows nowadays spend so much time trying to be overly dramatic and painstakingly scientific that they all kind of run together into a big dull blob. The Good Guys is good old-fashioned mindless entertainment, the kind that makes you want to sit down with a few friends and some beer and just have fun. Besides - how can Bradley Whitford NOT completely crack you up with that crazy 'stache and his Burt Reynolds-meets-Barney Miller persona? Critics won't like it, because they all take themselves too seriously, but pay no attention to them - The Good Guys is an entertaining show. It delivers exactly what it promises, and casts no aspersions about it's intentions.… Expand
  10. bluemoondog
    Oct 10, 2010
    10
    Very fresh, producing much laughter, if you are open to its tongue-in-cheek humor. Fairly good character development over the episodes. Great writing and acting. Sure there are some implausible story lines (but have you been watching TV lately!) but they are pulled off with humor and believability. The car chase scenes are fun, and preferable to the blood, gore, horror, visuallyVery fresh, producing much laughter, if you are open to its tongue-in-cheek humor. Fairly good character development over the episodes. Great writing and acting. Sure there are some implausible story lines (but have you been watching TV lately!) but they are pulled off with humor and believability. The car chase scenes are fun, and preferable to the blood, gore, horror, visually revolting scenes that some tv shows rely upon. This is my favorite Bradley Whitford role--it really shows his versatility as an actor. Colin Hanks has much improved over the course of the series, and he demonstrates potential for real growth. Not many actors could pull off a show this silly, but this cast does it successfully. No, it is not real deep--but it is not meant to be drama--just plain fun. Love it and want more.… Expand
  11. Newbydude
    Oct 31, 2010
    10
    Simply a refreshing twist to the criminal genre. Unlike most predictable procedural crime shows, this one will have you glued to the screen throughout.
  12. blackstone
    Nov 8, 2010
    10
    Wonderful show. It follows a long forgotten cop show formula that rely`s on comedic situations and character quirks as much (or more) as plot lines and realism. The acting is very good, especially the always hilarious Bradley Whitford. The fun, non-linear timeline also works well, but I just like the fact that there is a cop show again that doesn`t try to take itself so seriously.
  13. yhprumdet
    Dec 10, 2010
    10
    All I can say is that line when they are going to the premiere of their movie - "Let's go tux ourselves!"...
    is frigin hilarious
    This show is pretty damn funny
  14. jhall1128
    Dec 11, 2010
    10
    Here's the way it works, being 24 years old, this show should have nothing to do with me, but every Friday, I look forward to it more and more. The talent involved, including on many more than one occasion the guest actors, step far beyond their realm and make me laugh, and cheer out loud. PLEASE do not cancel The Good Guys, if Fox doesn't want it, I'm very, VERY sure that some otherHere's the way it works, being 24 years old, this show should have nothing to do with me, but every Friday, I look forward to it more and more. The talent involved, including on many more than one occasion the guest actors, step far beyond their realm and make me laugh, and cheer out loud. PLEASE do not cancel The Good Guys, if Fox doesn't want it, I'm very, VERY sure that some other network can pick it up and run with this! I can literally go on and on about everything I like about this show. Whether it be the fact that it's out of it's time, or the acting, or the story-telling. Collin Hanks and Bradley Whitford deliver. As a fan, I can see how people would believe I'm biased, but I've sat people down my age and told them to watch, and at the end, we're singin' FOGHAT and throwing our fists in the air. I see the reviews about stereotypes and by-the-books cop comedy, and I think that maybe they haven't given the show a fair chance, this is hyperbole at it's finest. Anyway, beyond my glowing reviews, I have to give a shout out to Angela Sarafyan, she is gorgeous, and definitely on her way to bigger things. Samantha Evans (her character) was a breath of fresh air in the latter part of this first season, and she will be the reason I see my first Twilight movie. If I truly have seen the last of The Good Guys, I just want to take the opportunity to thank the entire cast for all of their hard work and dedication, I never gave up on you guys, and you never gave up on me. Thank you for making wonderful TV that made me laugh and cheer week-in and week-out. Now lets crank up some Foghat and crash a classic car through a building!… Expand
  15. RickyM.
    May 21, 2010
    2
    I really wanted to enjoy this new show, as I'm familiar with the streets it shoots on. I hope it improves soon or it is doomed. However, I felt the same about Seinfeld, which I grew to love.
  16. Brian
    May 20, 2010
    2
    Bradley Whitford doing a straight rip-off of Dabney Coleman's "Buffalo Bill" recast as a cop. Might be funny if you hadn't seen every punchline done so many times before, it wasn't utterly predictable or the cop team wasn't already to the "uncomfortable old shoe" stage. Who had the dim-witted idea to put on a comedy where the straight character repeatedly cues the Bradley Whitford doing a straight rip-off of Dabney Coleman's "Buffalo Bill" recast as a cop. Might be funny if you hadn't seen every punchline done so many times before, it wasn't utterly predictable or the cop team wasn't already to the "uncomfortable old shoe" stage. Who had the dim-witted idea to put on a comedy where the straight character repeatedly cues the audience to be bored by the 'madcap' character's antics & stories?… Expand
  17. FiZ
    Aug 13, 2010
    5
    I'm conflicted about The Good Guys: The funny parts are really good, but the dull points REALLY drag. As it stands, if I happen to be watching the show, I multitask on something else so I only have to pay attention to the good parts. I think it has great potential, but it has yet to be realized.
  18. JennetP
    Dec 30, 2011
    9
    When it aired, "The Good Guys" made such a negligible impression on me that I can't remember watching a single episode. Ditto later online viewing: Netflix tells me that I streamed the pilot (most of it, anyway) last summer, but I don't remember doing so. Impressed by Colin Hanks's recent stint on "Dexter," though, I went back to give the series one more try, and the third time wasWhen it aired, "The Good Guys" made such a negligible impression on me that I can't remember watching a single episode. Ditto later online viewing: Netflix tells me that I streamed the pilot (most of it, anyway) last summer, but I don't remember doing so. Impressed by Colin Hanks's recent stint on "Dexter," though, I went back to give the series one more try, and the third time was definitely the charm. This time around, after a half-dozen episodes, I'm impressed by the precise comic balance of the series, which simultaneously satirizes and embraces a host of cultural stereotypes. Most satire is caustic, rather than affectionate; insight is compromised by sympathy. But, every once in a while, someone manages both (think Cake's brilliant cover of "I Will Survive," which both skewers and celebrates the self-dramatizing affirmations of the disco anthem). Matt Nix nails that difficult balance, starting with the mismatched partners in the Trans Am, played with intelligence, daring, and gusto by Whitford and Hanks, and ending with perhaps the smartest soundtrack in television, able to provide sly commentary on the action while setting viewers' heads a-banging. Oh, and the cases the partners solve--and the way they solve them--are often ingenious, cleverly emerging from petty, impossibly dull assignments and frequent missteps. In other words, I found material enough to occupy my inner mystery fan, though I doubt it would satisfy a stickler for authenticity in police procedure or the culture of law enforcement. In short, this is NOT a series about detectives but about the people who play them on television; it's not TV but metaTV. Viewers who expect the first, as I'll wager I did initially, may be disappointed. Viewers who lack the necessary cultural references may be bored or confused. But I won't be at all surprised if this series enjoys a healthy afterlife.… Expand
  19. Donnatwin
    Dec 11, 2010
    10
    Do all programs have to keep you on the edge of your seat or keep your brain engaged in scientific or factual details? To simply sit back, laugh and go intellectually off for a few moments can be good for the soul. The Good Guys gives you this opportunity. Enough of politics, economics, crime and war, we need a break and Good Guys provides just that.
  20. jonnyohio
    Jul 19, 2011
    9
    The entire season of The Good Guys is now on Netflix, so if you have streaming service you will want to go watch it. When you are done you will be wondering why it ever got cancelled (unless you have no sense of humor or poor taste in TV shows). Don't just watch the first few episodes and judge it, because like any good show it takes a little time for the characters to develop. By midThe entire season of The Good Guys is now on Netflix, so if you have streaming service you will want to go watch it. When you are done you will be wondering why it ever got cancelled (unless you have no sense of humor or poor taste in TV shows). Don't just watch the first few episodes and judge it, because like any good show it takes a little time for the characters to develop. By mid season the show was really fun to watch, and I for one was upset when it got canceled. Watch it on Netflix and enjoy.… Expand
  21. CritiqueGirl
    Feb 26, 2011
    8
    I thought this was one of the funnier new shows and I was looking forward to it returning but I saw it was canceled. I don't understand why the more lighthearted dramas aren't making it. And I can't understand why the Big Bang Theory has made it.
  22. aggiefanatic95
    Feb 6, 2012
    10
    It was a great show and I encourage everyone to see it. Its a pity that it lasted only 1 season though. Stupid Fox first Firefly and now this!!!
  23. NikolayG
    Jan 27, 2016
    10
    Why do so many great shows go off the air after a single season? They say that if networks were as draconian in their policies back in the day that MASH never would have made it because its ratings lagged for its first few years on the air; but the network saw the quality, believed in the show, and trusted it would catch on even if the word of mouth took time. No such patience today, so weWhy do so many great shows go off the air after a single season? They say that if networks were as draconian in their policies back in the day that MASH never would have made it because its ratings lagged for its first few years on the air; but the network saw the quality, believed in the show, and trusted it would catch on even if the word of mouth took time. No such patience today, so we have lost this great and unique show after only one season. Good Guys is real cop show with complex interwoven plots expertly crafted, and yet it's funny at the same time, playing the young Colin Hanks off his older partner who was a big shot in days gone by; insisting on using his gut instincts over "computer machines" apparently this guy is only still employed because 25 years before he saved the governor's son; and yet while hopelessly out of date in many ways (he's not sure he believes in DNA evidence), he also embodies nobler values than his careerist younger partner. As he says in the pilot after Colin Hanks complains that they are jeopardizing their careers, "In my day we didn't care about our careers; we cared about our partners." Wonderful show. Watch it.… Expand
  24. jmcarroll
    Aug 24, 2012
    8
    I've only recently discovered The Good Guys on Sky and was really disappointed to read it was cancelled. What were Fox thinking?!!! I love this show. The pairing of Whitford and Hanks is perfect and the cheesy humour is right on the money. Great opening titles too!

Awards & Rankings

75
#75 Best TV Season of 2010
38
#38 Most Discussed TV Season of 2010
46
#46 Most Shared TV Season of 2010

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
61

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 20
  3. Negative: 3 out of 20
  1. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
    Reviewed by: Rob Owen
    40
    "The Good Guys" isn't really good but it is OK if all you seek from TV is bland, comfortable entertainment--the same type of program you were watching 30 years ago.
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  2. Slant Magazine
    Reviewed by: Aaron Riccio
    25
    Never before have stereotypes been so proudly strutted about.
    Read full review
  3. Variety
    Reviewed by: Brian Lowry
    70
    Good Guys isn't a perfect construct, but it's a well-executed one--albeit more a breezy, busy diversion than appointment TV, placing greater reliance on guests than its limited supporting cast to prop up the principals.
    Read full review
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