Way before Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic, Roger Ebert — the most influential film critic of all time — was the person both fans and moviemakers looked at to see if a movie had passed the quality test. Interestingly, he hardly ever glanced at television. The Pulitzer Prize winner reserved his sophisticated reviews for cinema, even though networks were kind to him. Apart from writing for the Chicago Sun-Times, Ebert hosted three review shows over the years, namely Sneak Previews, At the Movies, and Siskel & Ebert & the Movies.
Ebert’s preference for cinema is understandable, considering tons of new movies were coming out each month. If he chose to review TV shows too, he wouldn’t have had the time to watch everything. The latter would especially have been extremely time-consuming. Consequently, he would never have become the great prolific critic we remember him as. However, Ebert and his equally influential review buddy, Gene Siskel, once spared some time for an animated sitcom: The Critic.
‘The Critic’ Was Created by Former Showrunners of ‘The Simpsons’
Following the early success of The Simpsons, Al Jean and Mike Reiss — who had served as writers and showrunners on the third and fourth seasons — were granted the opportunity to make their show and took a chance writing a zany, highly ingenious script about a film critic and his inability to replicate his professional awesomeness in his personal life. The Critic was the name, and was the first major non-family sitcom animated show to appear in prime time.
The story involves a 36-year-old New York-based film critic named Jay Sherman (voiced by Jon Lovitz). He hosts a televised review show named Coming Attractions that airs on the Philips Broadcasting cable network. On screen, Sherman mercilessly tears movies apart for their poor quality. His signature line, upon seeing a terrible film, is “It stinks!” In person, Sherman is kind and full of self-doubt.
Each episode also consists of several film-related pop culture references and parodies. Recurring characters on the show include Sherman’s madcap adoptive parents, his half-sister Margo, his good-hearted son Marty, Australian movie star Jeremy Hawke, his make-up artist Doris, his boss Duke Phillips, and his ex-wife Ardeth. In Season 2, Sherman gets a new love interest
The show premiered on ABC in January 1994, but was canceled after 13 episodes. It was then picked up by Fox where it aired for 10 episodes. Unfortunately, Fox also canceled it. UPN expressed interest, but a proper agreement was not reached, hence the sitcom was terminated for good.
Initially, Roger Ebert Didn’t Like ‘The Critic’
In their review of the first three episodes of The Critic, Siskel and Ebert expressed dissatisfaction with the show. They noted that the animated sitcom lacked compelling characters compared to The Simpsons. Specifically, they felt that the second episode veered away from its initial premise as a satire about Hollywood’s quirky figures to focus on family life. The reviewers criticized the fact that the show’s focus on friends and family members distracted from the attention that movies were supposed to receive. Given the abundance of television shows centered around American dads (as Seth MacFarlane might attest), they felt that there were already too many in the market.
The influential critics noted that the jokes about Sherman’s dad were tiresome, and that the station boss was a weak parody. They believed another critic character was needed and offered to write scripts for the sitcom if the network would allow it. Ebert specifically suggested that the show should have at least three movie or genre parodies in each episode and allow Sherman to watch television (unlike them). Most importantly, Sherman should be an intelligent critic, not just a mean and angry one. They noted that if his critiques were good, the show’s satire would be sharper.
Ebert also felt the writers were fantasizing too much by portraying Sherman as a cocky and debauched lothario whose only real skills lay in bed. He felt the show was more likely to burrow into viewers’ hearts if it remained big-hearted, charming, and respectful to professional boundaries:
“In real life (in my experience of it, anyway), critics are never offered bribes for good reviews, and never wind up in bed with movie stars.”
After Season 1, the Pulitzer Prize winner grew to love the animated sitcom, perhaps because the showrunners considered his notes, erasing the racy repartee, erotic innuendo, and endless family squabbles. It had now become a stately, scrupulously tempting saga, a pastiche of industry machinations gussied up as a sultry sitcom. He stated that Sherman had become very likable and that there was a great balance between humor and character development.
Ebert and Siskel Would Eventually Have Cameo Roles in ‘The Critic’
Given how hostile Ebert had been towards the show, no one would have expected him to guest-star. Surprise! Surprise. He and Siskel voice themselves in the Season 2 episode “Siskel & Ebert & Jay & Alice.” In it, Sherman gets an invitation to the Oscars alongside a select team of influential critics that includes Siskel and Ebert. There, the protagonist yuks it up on the red carpet with industry heavyweights, and traipses around the main hall, happy that he has made it. As all this is happening, the show serves us so much humor that it takes some time to note that tension is simmering, almost indiscernible, and it will all be released later in a burst of cathartic comical violence.
Siskel and Ebert disagree and fight each other after leaving the ceremony, a development that angers Sherman, who has just befriended them. He thus takes it upon himself to help repair their friendship, but it won’t be easy. As the tussle unfolds, Ebert takes Sherman under his wing, offering to save him from his boring life and school him in the ways of precise, sharp film criticism. Resculpted into a charming, well-behaved, confident commentator, Sherman assumes his new identity with eagerness and flair, but he begins to experience pangs of conscience upon noticing that Siskel is unhappy with the new arrangement.
Ebert’s choice to create a new show with Sherman causes Siskel to go full villain mode. He orchestrates a smear campaign against the two, and does everything in his power to bring them down. Thankfully, the trio later reconcile and dive into the humor of cinema, joking that Sherman ripped off the ending of the critically acclaimed rom-com, Sleepless in Seattle, to bring Siskel and Ebert back on friendly terms.
“Siskel & Ebert & Jay & Alice” is pure fun, featuring more laugh-out-loud moments than the show usually delivers. For example, Jay discovers that Oscar trophies are actually foil-covered chocolate, so he eats half the award he is supposed to present right before he goes on stage. Unsurprisingly, that causes a major problem. The parodies are also top-notch. At one point, Siskel and Ebert hang on the wing of the plane as is the case in the iconic Twilight Zone episode “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.” And wait till you see Siskel and Ebert in a wrestling-style match. Showrunners Jean and Reiss later named this their favorite episode of the animated sitcom.
It’s a shame the show was canceled. Since its initial release, its reputation has steadily grown, and today it is recognized as one of the true great masterpieces of ‘90s animated television. It is even more relevant in the modern world of Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic, where criticism has become an essential part of cinema culture.
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2025-03-16 20:12