The New Normal
NBC | Release Date: September 10, 2012
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
61
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 32 Critic Reviews
Positive:
19
Mixed:
10
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
Los Angeles TimesRobert LloydSep 11, 2012
Season 1 Review: Much about the pilot felt flat or programmatic to me, but much was likable as well, especially the nonchalant tenderness between the male leads. And the cast is good. Read full review
50
Philadelphia Daily NewsEllen GraySep 10, 2012
Season 1 Review: This one tries so hard to set up its premise that at times it ends up feeling more like a PSA than a comedy, which can be annoying if you're already on board with same-sex marriage and gay parenting. Read full review
50
NewsdayVerne GaySep 7, 2012
Season 1 Review: The New Normal needs to take a deep breath, get off the soapbox and get funny fast. The right elements--talented cast and showrunner--are already in place. Read full review
50
Uncle BarkyEd BarkSep 6, 2012
Season 1 Review: For now, it's a disappointing polemic that mainly offends by being lazily or awkwardly executed more often than not. Read full review
42
HitfixAlan SepinwallSep 10, 2012
Season 1 Review: The execution in this case is too shrill and scattered to get any of his points--or jokes--across. Read full review
40
The Hollywood ReporterTim GoodmanSep 11, 2012
Season 1 Review: Murphy and Adler opt for the caustic in a series that probably had its best chance of success playing it more subtle and more sentimental, tossing in the barbs judiciously. Read full review
40
New York Magazine (Vulture)Matt Zoller SeitzSep 10, 2012
Season 1 Review: The New Normal humanizes stereotypes without ever quite making them seem like people. Read full review
40
The Huffington PostMaureen RyanSep 10, 2012
Season 1 Review: The New Normal needs to work in a more linear and emotionally direct fashion, and there's not much about this NBC pilot, which is fueled by a mixture of cattiness and slick manipulation, that reassures me on that front. Read full review
40
TimeJames PoniewozikSep 10, 2012
Season 1 Review: For now this show is much more normal--read: mediocre--than it seems to think it is. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsDavid HinckleySep 10, 2012
Season 1 Review: The New Normal wants what "Modern Family" is having. But if we're going to catapult from "South Park" to a Hallmark movie, we need a smoother ride. Read full review
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