Whitney
NBC | Release Date: September 22, 2011
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
48
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 25 Critic Reviews
Positive:
4
Mixed:
17
Negative:
4
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
NewsdayDiane WertsSep 21, 2011
Season 1 Review: The show's core relationship is appealingly relaxed. It dares to suggest successful coupledom lies less in heated passion than in being able to dress down and screw up and know you're still loved. Read full review
83
Uncle BarkyEd BarkSep 21, 2011
Season 1 Review: It all makes for a promising start on a network whose best comedies invariably wind up on Thursday nights. Whitney is already there, and looks as though it just might belong. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesRobert LloydSep 22, 2011
Season 1 Review: Eventually the mood relaxes, even as the slapstick amps up, and what may prove to be a charming comedy begins to emerge. Read full review
70
The New York TimesAlessandra StanleySep 19, 2011
Season 1 Review: Whitney is funnier than "2 Broke Girls," probably because the humor seems more idiosyncratic. Read full review
60
Miami HeraldSep 22, 2011
Season 1 Review: It's really one lonnnnng sex joke. That said, some of the punch lines are pretty funny. Read full review
50
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob OwenSep 22, 2011
Season 1 Review: The characters are all caricature-y stereotypes and the jokes are of the ba-da-dum! variety, but the pilot made me laugh more than some other new comedies, mostly due to the performances. Read full review
50
Slant MagazinePhillip MaciakSep 22, 2011
Season 1 Review: The show largely treads disappointingly familiar territory. Read full review
50
Boston HeraldMark A. PerigardSep 22, 2011
Season 1 Review: D'Elia sparks well off Cummings, but this show demonstrates her true talents lie offscreen. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesLori RacklSep 22, 2011
Season 1 Review: The relationship jokes come off stale and cliched (men can't be monogamous!), and you're left feeling like you watched a raunchier--and less funny--version of "Friends." Read full review
50
New York PostLinda StasiSep 22, 2011
Season 1 Review: Problem is both series [2 Broke Girls and Whitney] are hit-you-over-the-head until you laugh or else. Read full review
50
USA TodayRobert BiancoSep 22, 2011
Season 1 Review: The main character is too loud, too dominant and far too central; the lines all sound as if they were written to be delivered by a performer rather than spoken in conversation; and the supporting characters are ciphers who exist merely to reflect or foil the star. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleDavid WiegandSep 21, 2011
Season 1 Review: The sitcom, premiering Thursday night, is perfectly adequate, but only that, and it doesn't compare well to the show Cummings co-created, "2 Broke Girls," which premiered Monday on CBS. Read full review
50
VarietyBrian LowrySep 19, 2011
Season 1 Review: Other than Cummings' slightly off-kilter view of relationships as writer and star, Whitney as a construct is more spindly than her legs. Read full review
50
Washington PostHank StueverSep 16, 2011
Season 1 Review: It's D'Elia and the other cast members who rescue the show from a wretched Whitney overload. Read full review
42
HitfixAlan SepinwallSep 19, 2011
Season 1 Review: Although there aren't any Carrie Bradshaw-esque puns on this show, nor ethnic stereotypes, the comedy feels more frantic and desperate. Read full review
42
Boston GlobeMatthew GilbertSep 12, 2011
Season 1 Review: Standup comic Cummings has potential, but no one could overcome these dated relationship cliches. Read full review
40
Zap2it (Inside the Box)Mikey O'ConnellSep 23, 2011
Season 1 Review: Instead of an entertaining half-hour to ease our wait for the return of "30 Rock," the network has given us another "Outsourced." Read full review
40
The Hollywood ReporterTim GoodmanSep 22, 2011
Season 1 Review: A lot of the success of Whitney may hinge on whether people find her likeable or not. But there are fundamental issues holding back the show as well--beyond the multi-camera fakeness of it all. Read full review
40
TimeJames PoniewozikSep 22, 2011
Season 1 Review: It also has hints--just hints--of a fascinating show about the implications of technology and the limits of knowledge. But I don't know if it really wants to, or will be allowed to, become that more interesting show. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsDavid HinckleySep 22, 2011
Season 1 Review: Collectively, then, Whitney often feels like a series of standup jokes broken up by snippets of dialogue. Read full review
40
The Huffington PostMaureen RyanSep 19, 2011
Season 1 Review: Not only are Whitney's jokes a little musty, the multi-camera format seems like the wrong choice for this comedy. Read full review
30
The New YorkerEmily NussbaumDec 8, 2011
Season 1 Review: The problem is that Whitney is a terrible show, though in ways that resonate with our culture's debates about women and humor. Read full review
30
TV Guide MagazineMatt RoushSep 22, 2011
Season 1 Review: Relying heavily on sex talk and slapstick, Whitney is the kind of show where less funny people surround the star, always commenting on her zany actions. Read full review
30
SlateTroy PattersonSep 19, 2011
Season 1 Review: If you caught a snippet of Whitney unawares, you would be forgiven for assuming that it's one of those shows-within-a-show that exists to caricature bad television. Read full review
20
PopMattersMarisa LaScalaSep 22, 2011
Season 1 Review: With its stilted scenes, canned laughter, and handwringing about marriage, Whitney feels more like a step backward. Read full review
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