An Oral History of ‘The Critic’

[TMC]

https://www.cracked.com/article_3746...he-critic.html

By:
Brian VanHooker
March 29, 2023

Whether it was explosive action movies like Rabbi P.I. and Dennis the Menace II Society or heartwarming family films like The Cockroach King and D.T.: The Drunken Terrestrial, esteemed film critic Jay Sherman always offered the same reaction: “It stinks!”

In an era when film critics like Gene Siskel, Roger Ebert and Gene Shalit were household names, two pivotal writers of The Simpsons, Al Jean and Mike Reiss, decided to create a new series centered around the host of a movie review program. The Critic debuted on January 26, 1994, and it lasted for a total of 23 episodes. The first season aired on ABC, but its cynical, smart and snarky sensibilities never quite fit in with the family-friendly TGIF crowd. The second season aired on FOX right after The Simpsons, where it retained a healthy amount of The Simpsons’ massive audience. Nonetheless, The Critic was unceremoniously canceled thanks to an executive who hated the show, its final episode airing on May 5, 1995.

Years before Futurama and decades before Disenchanted, The Critic was the first show perceived by the public to be a sort of spin-off of The Simpsons. It was created by Jean and Reiss, it was produced by Simpsons executive producer James L. Brooks and it starred Saturday Night Live alum Jon Lovitz, a frequent Simpsons guest star. It also featured the same seamless blend of lowbrow and highbrow humor that The Simpsons had mastered.

The Critic did seek to carve out its own niche though, sometimes to its detriment. Whereas Futurama and Disenchanted made use of Matt Groening’s signature art style, The Critic tried to find its own look. And while Homer Simpson was a lovable moron, Jay Sherman was a self-centered, well-educated elitist who loved foreign films, which made him difficult to sympathize with.

Despite its shortcomings, The Critic has often been cited as one of the best prematurely canceled shows of all time, and its fan base remains substantial to this day. Just recently, when the title of Quentin Tarantino’s last film was revealed to be The Film Critic, legions of Critic fans jokingly rejoiced about Jay Sherman’s return. Many of those same fans have advocated for a reboot of The Critic, chief among them is the voice of Jay Sherman himself, Jon Lovitz, who has frequently expressed his desire to play the character again. But Jean and Reiss, who join us here to talk about The Critic’s brief but brilliant run, aren’t quite so sure the show could make it today.