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The Critic is an American prime time animated series revolving around the life of New York film critic Jay Sherman, voiced by actor Jon Lovitz. It was created by writing partners Al Jean and Mike Reiss, who had previously worked as writers and showrunners (seasons 3 and 4) for The Simpsons. The Critic had 23 episodes produced, first broadcast on ABC in 1994, and finishing its original run on Fox in 1995. A revival of webisodes was released online on AtomFilms and Shockwave in 2000 and 2001.

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally airedRank
First airedLast airedNetwork
113January 26, 1994 (1994-01-26)July 20, 1994 (1994-07-20)ABC#76, 8.6 rating[1]
210March 5, 1995 (1995-03-05)May 21, 1995 (1995-05-21)Fox#106, 7.5 rating[2]

Episodes

Season 1 (1994)

The first season aired Wednesdays at 8:30-9:00 pm (EST) on ABC.[3][4][nb 1]

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		U.S. viewers
(millions)
11"Pilot"Rich MooreAl Jean & Mike ReissJanuary 26, 1994 (1994-01-26)7811-10126.5[6]
A short, balding, overweight, divorced film critic named Jay Sherman gets a second chance at love when a gorgeous movie star named Valerie Fox (voiced by Jennifer Lien) falls for him, but it may all go to pieces if Jay doesn't give Valerie a glowing review for her latest movie, the Basic Instinct-inspired erotic thriller, Kiss of Death.
22"Marty's First Date"Alan SmartTom Gammill & Max ProssFebruary 2, 1994 (1994-02-02)7811-10318.2[7]
Marty invites his father Jay to Career Day at his school, where Marty Falls for a Cuban girl named Carmen, who is later revealed to be the granddaughter of Fidel Castro.
33"Dial 'M' for Mother"Bret HaalandAl Jean & Mike ReissFebruary 9, 1994 (1994-02-09)7811-10416.7[8]
When test audiences brand Jay Sherman "worse than Hitler," Duke sets up a TV special where Geraldo Rivera interviews Jay with his adoptive mother Eleanor, which falls apart when Jay yells at Eleanor.
44[9]"Miserable"Dan JeupSteven LevitanFebruary 16, 1994 (1994-02-16)7811-10213.3[10]
Jay falls for a female projectionist (voiced by Pamela Reed) who turns out to be an obsessed fan of his.
55"A Little Deb Will Do Ya"Lauren MacMullanNell ScovellFebruary 23, 1994 (1994-02-23)7811-10510.8[11]
Eleanor forces Margo to get prepared for and attend a debutante ball, despite Margo's protests over how sexist and elitist it is. Meanwhile, Jay gets into a ratings war with children's show host Humphrey the Hippo.
66"Eyes on the Prize"Dan Jeup & Brian SheesleyTom BradyMarch 2, 1994 (1994-03-02)7811-10617.1[12]
Jay rethinks his career when his 1000th episode bash is a dud. He seeks advice from image consultant Adolph Hitmaker (voiced by Phil Hartman), but his advice and all other attempts at recreating his TV image prove unsuccessful.
77"Every Doris Has Her Day"Alan SmartSteve TompkinsJune 1, 1994 (1994-06-01)7811-10714.0[13]
Jay befriends his make-up lady Doris after they attend a musical adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and thinks that she may be the mother who gave him up for adoption years ago.
88"Marathon Mensch"Susie DietterJudd ApatowJune 8, 1994 (1994-06-08)7811-10810.8[14]
Jay's masculinity is called into question after Doris rescues Jay from a studio fire, so Jay trains for the New York marathon.
99"L.A. Jay"Bret HaalandSteven LevitanJune 22, 1994 (1994-06-22)7811-10911.4[15]
Jay moves to Los Angeles when studio executive Gary Grossman (voiced by Billy Crystal) offers the critic a chance to write the second sequel to the Ghostchasers franchise.
1010"Dr. Jay"Dan JeupJon VittiJune 29, 1994 (1994-06-29)7811-11010.6[16]
Duke is diagnosed with a rare disease, and Jay is determined to find a cure.
1111"A Day at the Races and a Night at the Opera"Lauren MacMullanKen KeelerJuly 6, 1994 (1994-07-06)7811-111
[17][18]		10.8[19]
After Marty bombs out during his elementary school field day, Jay buys his son a guitar and encourages him to take lessons. Meanwhile, after Them Magazine christens Jay "The Wittiest Man in the World," Duke offers to pay $100 to every viewer who does not find Jay funny.
1212"Uneasy Rider"Alan SmartSteve TompkinsJuly 13, 1994 (1994-07-13)7811-11210.7[20]
After refusing to plug chewing tobacco on his show, Jay quits his job and becomes a truck driver.
1313"A Pig Boy and His Dog"Bret HaalandPatric VerroneJuly 20, 1994 (1994-07-20)7811-1139.9[21]
In the first season finale, Eleanor writes a children's book called "The Fat Little Pig," featuring a character based on Jay. Meanwhile, Jay adopts a Great Dane puppy, who grows up too fast and becomes a nuisance.

The Simpsons Crossover (1995)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		 Viewers
(millions)
12118"A Star Is Burns"Susie DietterKen KeelerMarch 5, 1995 (1995-03-05)2F3114.4[22]
Following a news report naming Springfield as "America's Worst City" due to its lack of culture and backwards view on science, the town adopts Marge's suggestion of a film festival, in which any of the townspeople can enter a short film. To help her judge, Jay Sherman comes from New York City to stay at the Simpsons' house. Homer feels threatened by Jay, and so Marge puts him on the panel as well. At the festival, the vote becomes deadlocked between Mr. Burns' self-glorifying biopic, Hans Moleman's comedy short, "Man Getting Hit By Football" (which is little more than Hans getting hit in the groin by someone throwing a football offscreen), and "Puke-ahuntas", Barney's touching film about how his alcoholism has ruined his life.

Season 2 (1995)

The second season aired Sundays at 8:30-9:00 pm (EST) on Fox. It began following the Simpsons episode "A Star Is Burns", which featured Jay Sherman in what Bart would call a "cheap cartoon crossover."[23][24][nb 2]

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		U.S. viewers
(millions)
141"Sherman, Woman and Child"Bret HaalandAl Jean & Mike ReissMarch 5, 1995 (1995-03-05)201
[26][27]		13.8[28]
In the second season premiere, Jay worries that he may be fired due to Coming Attractions' low ratings and Duke suddenly being nice to him. He then befriends a single mother from The South named Alice, and develops feelings for her. However, Alice's adulterous, country-singing husband Cyrus (voiced by Sam McMurray) has returned and wants her back.
152"Siskel & Ebert & Jay & Alice"Lauren MacMullanJon VittiMarch 12, 1995 (1995-03-12)20714.3[29]
After Jay attends the Academy Awards, Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert break up and each rope Jay to be their new partner.
163"Lady Hawke"Rich MooreTom BradyMarch 19, 1995 (1995-03-19)20512.1[30]
During a taping of the sketch comedy show Yesterday Night Live, Jay meets Jeremy's twin sister Olivia (voiced by Morwenna Banks). After Jay takes Olivia on a tour of the city, she falls in love with him and the two start dating. This strains Jay's relationship with Alice, who realizes that she is also in love with Jay.
174"A Song for Margo"Tom MazzaccoJoshua Sternin & Jennifer VentimiliaMarch 26, 1995 (1995-03-26)20310.8[31]
Margo dates Nuns in a Blender frontman Johnny Wrath (voiced by Todd Louiso), while Alice tries to find a good preschool for her daughter, Penny.
185"From Chunk to Hunk"Steven Dean MooreSteve TompkinsApril 2, 1995 (1995-04-02)2049.3[32]
Jay and Marty go to a weight-loss camp, where Marty dramatically loses weight and becomes one of the popular kids in school. At the same time, Jay fears for his life when pretty-boy action star, Jean-Paul LePope, threatens to kill him after trashing his latest movie.
196"All the Duke's Men"Chuck SheetzPatric VerroneApril 23, 1995 (1995-04-23)20811.3[33]
After Jay helps Marty get elected class president, Duke decides to run for U.S. President himself (despite his lack of political experience) and hires Jay as his speechwriter.
207"Sherman of Arabia"Brian SheesleyRichard DoctorowApril 30, 1995 (1995-04-30)20211.9[34]
At Marty's slumber party, Jay tells the story of how he ended up in Iraq during the Gulf War in the early 1990s.
218"Frankie and Ellie Get Lost"David CutlerStory by : Judd Apatow
Teleplay by : Richard Doctorow		May 7, 1995 (1995-05-07)2068.5[35]
Franklin and Eleanor are presumed dead after their plane crashes on the island, and Jay uses the money left to him in the will to make New York City a better place.
229"Dukerella"Bret HaalandKen KeelerMay 14, 1995 (1995-05-14)20911.1[36]
Alice's sister Miranda moves to New York to find a rich man to marry. She then ends up taking a job at a mattress delivery service called "Mattress in an Hour." She falls in love with Duke when she sees him on Coming Attractions and attends his costume ball with Jay and Alice in order to meet him.
2310"I Can't Believe It's a Clip Show"Lauren MacMullanTom Brady, Richard Doctorow, Al Jean, Mike Reiss, Ken Keeler, Joshua Sternin, Jennifer Ventimilia, Steve Tompkins, Patric Verrone & Jon VittiMay 21, 1995 (1995-05-21)21012.6[37]
Jay hosts a 10th anniversary special of Coming Attractions, featuring past clips of the many crummy movies he had to review, but the festivities come to a halt when a group of terrorists holds everyone hostage.

Webisodes (2000–01)

In early 2000,[38] show creators Al Jean and Mike Reiss wrote a series of ten 3-5 minute long internet webisodes of The Critic, still with Jon Lovitz as the starring role. While still making fun of movies and Hollywood in general, its story focused on Jay lusting after the lovely Jennifer, his new makeup lady (voiced by Valerie Levitt). Alice does not appear in any of the episodes and is not mentioned by name, though Jay does briefly refer to a "second divorce" in the first episode—presumably from her or the Mexican woman he married in order to get to Cuba. Besides Jay, Vlada (voiced by Nick Jameson) is the only other character from the show to make an appearance. Maurice LaMarche and Tress MacNeille are the only other cast members from the show to return alongside Lovitz and Jameson, voicing assorted background characters. MacNeille returned for webisode 10. The episodes were available on AtomFilms.com and Shockwave.com until 2001. All ten of the "webisodes" were included on the complete series DVD (but not iTunes). Parodies include gaffs on The Patriot, Harry Potter, Mission: Impossible 2, X-Men, Pearl Harbor and Cast Away.

Episodes 1 through 4 were animated by Jet City Studios; 5, 9, and 10 by Unbound Studios; and 6 through 8 by Flinch Studios.

No.
overall		No. in
season		Movies ParodiedWritten byOriginal release dateRuntime
241"X-Men"Al Jean & Mike ReissDecember 12, 2000 (2000-12-12)3:20
Jay talks about his rise and fall from fame and introduces his new make-up lady, Jennifer.
252"Mission: Impossible 2, Gladiator, Gone in 60 Seconds"Al Jean & Mike ReissDecember 12, 2000 (2000-12-12)3:22
Jay reviews the best movies from the year 2000 in a beach-themed studio (since all public beaches have banned Jay until he loses 20 pounds) and gets an unexpected visit from Arnold Schwarzenegger.
263"Pokemon 2000, The Patriot"Al Jean & Mike ReissJanuary 2001 (2001-01)3:50
Jay pans The Patriot with special guest Pikachu (from the Pokémon video games, TV shows, and movies), whom he outs. All the while, Jay tries to prove to Jennifer he is nice enough to date.
274"Perfect Storm, Star Wars, Titanic, The Sixth Sense"Al Jean & Mike ReissJanuary 2001 (2001-01)2:34
Jay finally lands a date with Jennifer. He takes her to L'ANE Riche (The Wealthy Jackass) where he talks about the movies he missed out on reviewing while unemployed.
285"Out of Africa, Silence Of The Lambs, On the Waterfront"Al Jean & Mike ReissMarch 2001 (2001-03)3:39
Jay reviews the Oscars.
296"Sleepy Hollow, Pulp Fiction"Al Jean & Mike ReissApril 2001 (2001-04)2:59
Jay discusses Sleepy Hollow and a spoof of Pulp Fiction with Jennifer at her apartment.
307"Cast Away, The Legend of Bagger Vance"Al Jean & Mike ReissMay 2001 (2001-05)3:18

Jay takes a look at the best films of the year 2000, including Cast Away and The Legend of Bagger Vance.

Note: When this episode premiered online, viewers could choose one of two different endings, depending on whether they wanted to see Jay act like a "Gentleman" or an "Animal" at Jennifer's apartment. He fails to have sex with her in both, and he urges viewers to complain to their Internet service provider. Both endings are available on the DVD.
318"Harry Potter, Planet of the Apes"Al Jean & Mike ReissMay 2001 (2001-05)4:58
Jay visits the set of the Harry Potter film and takes a look at the Planet of the Apes remake. He also shows Jennifer his favorite spots in New York City. Later at her apartment, Jennifer introduces Jay to her many children and he asks the viewers' opinion of what he should do, showing gratefulness when they suggest that he have sex with her.
329"(None)"Al Jean & Mike ReissJune 2001 (2001-06)3:28
Since he hasn't seen a good movie to review in months, Jay defuses Broadway bombs, such as "Copenhagen," "Tuesdays with Morrie: The Musical," "The Graduate" with Kathleen Turner as Mrs. Robinson (the role later played by Jon Lovitz), and "Death of a Seinfeld."
3310"Pearl Harbor"Al JeanSeptember 2001 (2001-09)3:42
Jay reviews Pearl Harbor and is mistaken for Shrek while waiting in line at the movies with Jennifer.

References

  1. ^ "The TV Ratings Guide: 1993-94 Ratings History". The TV Ratings Guide. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  2. ^ "The TV Ratings Guide: 1994-95 Ratings History". The TV Ratings Guide. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  3. ^ TV Listings for January 26, 1994
  4. ^ TV Listings for July 20, 1994
  5. ^ "Weekly Nielsen Ratings: 1993-94 TV Season". ratingsryan.com. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  6. ^ "Super Bowl runs up NBC's Score – Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. Gannett Company, Inc. January 31, 1994. p. D3.
  7. ^ "Lilith brings ratings to 'Frasier' – Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. Gannett Company, Inc. February 7, 1994. p. D3.
  8. ^ "Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. Gannett Company, Inc. February 14, 1994. p. D3.
  9. ^ Miserable was originally slated as the second episode of the series, but ABC censors barred it from being shown due to content they felt was unsuitable at the time. On The Critic complete series DVD set, this episode is properly listed as the second.
  10. ^ "Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. Gannett Company, Inc. February 21, 1994. p. D3.
  11. ^ "CBS' Olympic sweep – Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. Gannett Company, Inc. February 28, 1994. p. D3.
  12. ^ "Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. Gannett Company, Inc. March 7, 1994. p. D3.
  13. ^ "CBS newsmag grabs viewers' 'Eyes' – Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. Gannett Company, Inc. June 6, 1994. p. D3.
  14. ^ "CBS newsmag grabs viewers' 'Eyes' – Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. Gannett Company, Inc. June 13, 1994. p. D3.
  15. ^ "Newsmags score big with O.J. stories – Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. Gannett Company, Inc. June 27, 1994. p. D3.
  16. ^ "Sitcoms soar 2nd time around – Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. Gannett Company, Inc. July 4, 1994. p. D3.
  17. ^ "The Critic 7811-111 Production Code (1)". Google Docs. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  18. ^ "The Critic 7811-111 Production Code (2)". Google Docs. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  19. ^ "Ratings slip for prime-time Simpson specials – Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. Gannett Company, Inc. July 11, 1994. p. D3.
  20. ^ "Baseball gives NBC grand slam – Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. Gannett Company, Inc. July 18, 1994. p. D3.
  21. ^ "Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. Gannett Company, Inc. July 25, 1994. p. D3.
  22. ^ "Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. Gannett Company, Inc. March 15, 1995. p. D3.
  23. ^ TV Listings for March 5, 1995
  24. ^ TV Listings for May 21, 1995
  25. ^ "Weekly Nielsen Ratings: 1994-95 TV Season". ratingsryan.com. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  26. ^ "The Critic 201 Production Code (1)". Google Docs. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  27. ^ "The Critic 201 Production Code (2)". Google Docs. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  28. ^ "'Murphy,' 'Dust' help push CBS to No. 1 tie – Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. Gannett Company, Inc. March 15, 1995. p. D3.
  29. ^ "Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. Gannett Company, Inc. March 15, 1995. p. D3.
  30. ^ "Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. Gannett Company, Inc. March 20, 1995. p. D3.
  31. ^ "Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. Gannett Company, Inc. March 27, 1995. p. D3.
  32. ^ "Oscar show, celeb chats keep ABC on top – Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. Gannett Company, Inc. April 3, 1995. p. D3.
  33. ^ "Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. Gannett Company, Inc. April 24, 1995. p. D3.
  34. ^ "Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. Gannett Company, Inc. May 3, 1995. p. D3.
  35. ^ "Ratings go to the movies – Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. Gannett Company, Inc. May 10, 1995. p. D3.
  36. ^ "Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. Gannett Company, Inc. May 17, 1995. p. D3.
  37. ^ "Nielsen Ratings". USA Today. Gannett Company, Inc. May 24, 1995. p. D3.
  38. ^ Epstein, Daniel Robert. "Simpsons Producer Mike Reiss Talks Critic". UGO.com. Archived from the original on August 3, 2004. Retrieved September 20, 2009.

Notes

  1. ^ The Nielsen Ratings were retrieved from the Nielsen Media Research via USA Today, but have been archived online by ratingsryan.com[5]
  2. ^ The Nielsen Ratings were retrieved from the Nielsen Media Research via USA Today, but have been archived online by ratingsryan.com[25]
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