The Unicorn

The performance [by Walton Goggins] anchors what is in its first episodes a thoughtful and sophisticated sitcom about what follows mourning — in other words, the rest of life.

Goggins is, as stated above, great as Wade; though a few early scenes don’t gel perfectly, he’s mostly very good in the pilot and note perfect after that. ... His daughters are equally well-cast, and while Goggins is the main attraction, the quartet of actors who play his hyper-involved friends are no less essential to the show’s success. ... For a story in which death is, frankly, an inescapable presence, “The Unicorn” is surprisingly light viewing.

The cast flexes its chemistry early and often; the follow-up episode is another smarter-than-your-average-CBS-show dive into Wade’s emotional state; the story can flourish as the supporting characters get further developed, and they forget the weird, unfortunately eponymous unicorn-designation.

Considering he [Walton Goggins] has played some of the most offbeat characters on TV, this is a switch and, at times, a heartwarming journey.

Some of the dating tropes are musty, and so are the sad moments when Wade and his kids realize they’re still grieving. Thankfully, this is a single-camera sitcom and there is no laugh track, so there are no “awwws” when the show turns sincere. But the cast makes it all work pretty well, and I’m going to keep checking it out.

“The Unicorn” is at times muted by its effort to underscore the warmth of its ambitions. There’s a kind of waiting-room airlessness to the production. ... It’s not fatal, in any case, and perhaps only something a person whose job it is to look too hard at television will notice. The cast all do lovely work.

There’s no laugh track involved in any of this, which is heartening. And Goggins fares fairly well in this very tamped-down mode, even if a number of his previous characters clearly would want to choke Wade Felton to death.

I wish the things Wade was freaking out about were more interesting, but they fit into familiar CBS sitcom modes of male bafflement and we should probably all be relieved that Wade's friends are peers. ... Through three episodes, my appreciation for the cast remains intact. I'm still waiting on mirth. In three episodes, I had only one real laugh and it involved a phone dictation error, which is the lowest of low-hanging fruit.

On paper, this show sounds dreadful, but it rises above its premise largely thanks to Goggins.

Well-crafted sitcom, but Goggins takes some getting used to.

It’s the most neutered possible version of a story that’s otherwise ripe with potential to challenge, move, and confound the audience. The fault doesn’t lie with Goggins. ... Only Breaking Bad co-star Betsy Brandt, as a truth-telling, cage-rattling member of the widows group who catches Wade’s attention, finds authenticity in this pile of network notes masquerading as something fresh and honest.