| 88 |
USA Today Robert Bianco
Granted, this new Andy may not be as inventive or subversive as Universe, but it is just as funny and probably a bit more accessible. |
| 88 |
New York Daily News David Hinckley
It's as quirky, original and funny a comedy as "Universe." |
| 83 |
Entertainment Weekly Gillian Flynn
Andy Barker isn't as complete a comedy as Andy Richter Controls the Universe — the first three episodes feel like a series of very funny bits that have been welded together. But so did 30 Rock when it first started, and that's now the best comedy on TV. |
| 80 |
Orlando Sentinel Hal Boedeker
This amusing series is likely to leave you smiling rather than guffawing. |
| 80 |
Kansas City Star Aaron Barnhart
With all the crazy gags, pitch-perfect dialogue and a fresh hero at the center, it’s hard not to see “Andy Barker” as the spiritual successor to “Police Squad!”. |
| 80 |
TV Guide Matt Roush
Nerdy sweetness and deep silliness flow effortlessly from Andy Richter. |
| 80 |
Newsday Diane Werts
It's hard to convey all the ways that this tightly directed show goes right: quietly observant character detail, solid sleuthing, play-it-straight absurdity and sneaky "Airplane!"-style parody riffs. |
| 80 |
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Melanie McFarland
The show could be almost too funny to be appreciated on normal television, in the same way "Arrested [Development]" was. |
| 80 |
Philadelphia Inquirer Jonathan Storm
The show is equal parts silliness and satire. |
| 80 |
Washington Post Tom Shales
What it lacks in edge, it makes up for in charm. |
| 75 |
Detroit Free Press Mike Duffy
[A] sly spoof. |
| 75 |
San Francisco Chronicle Tim Goodman
"Andy Barker, P.I." is a joyous, ridiculous, warm, affecting and silly comedy that is tone specific (read: Not everybody is going to get the vibe, and thus the jokes). |
| 75 |
People Weekly Tom Gliatto
This show has a light, charming sense of the ridiculous. [19 Mar 2007, p.39] |
| 70 |
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Rob Owen
Like "30 Rock," "Barker" is more absurd and goofy than it is broadly funny, but it's definitely not as mainstream. |
| 70 |
Variety Brian Lowry
Another clever single-camera comedy. |
| 70 |
Hollywood Reporter Barry Garron
The show has a complex rhythm involving characters, satire and sight gags. You can watch "Barker" again and find things you missed the first time. |
| 70 |
Los Angeles Times Robert Lloyd
It's funny, but it doesn't go for big laughs so much as a mood of whimsical parody. |
| 70 |
The New York Times Virginia Heffernan
This peculiar series seals NBC’s new role as the skinflint’s HBO. The shows “30 Rock,” “Friday Night Lights” and now “Andy Barker, P.I.” are all so engrossing and so creatively untrammeled that it’s almost suspicious. |
| 70 |
LA Weekly Robert Abele
Don’t get me wrong, I like the new show: its workmanlike verve, its professionalism. But its joys are simple, the kind of laughs that don’t feel new so much as pleasantly old-fashioned. |
| 70 |
New York Magazine John Leonard
You may be surprised to hear that it works. |
| 70 |
San Jose Mercury News Charlie McCollum
A smart, sophisticated spoof. |
| 63 |
Chicago Sun-Times Doug Elfman
NBC should consider scrapping Thursday's first episode.... But then come the second and third installments -- inspired, taut and funny. |
| 50 |
Chicago Tribune Maureen Ryan
Everything about "Andy Barker"... is lovingly created. And there are some laughs, but the show fails to truly catch fire. |
| 40 |
Newark Star-Ledger Alan Sepinwall
Unfortunately, the idea's a little too thin to support a weekly sitcom. |
