• Network: NBC
  • Series Premiere Date: Jan 10, 2013
  • Season #: 1
1600 Penn Image
Metascore

Mixed or average reviews - based on 27 Critics What's this?

User Score

Mixed or average reviews- based on 49 Ratings

  • Summary: Being president is hard enough, but President Dale Gilchrist (Bill Pullman) and his first lady (and his second wife) Emily (Jenna Elfman) must also deal with problems created by his kids: Skip (Josh Gad, also co-creator), Becca (Martha MacIsaac), Marigold (Amara Miller), and Xander (Benjamin Stockham).

    Episode one is previewed on December 17, 2012 before its official premiere January 10, 2013.
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  • Genre(s): Comedy
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 27
  2. Negative: 3 out of 27
  1. Reviewed by: Michael Landweber
    Jan 10, 2013
    80
    1600 Penn's tone may be apolitical, but it is also very funny.
  2. Reviewed by: Matt Roush
    Jan 10, 2013
    60
    The broad comedy in 1600 Penn derives from familiar sitcom clichés being magnified by the Oval Office fishbowl. It's a gimmick that may have trouble holding up to a second term, though the cast is certainly game.
  3. All in all, Skip, an unkempt ball of puppyish energy to whom the writers feed a wealth of good material, is by far the best thing about this show. Jenna Elfman is all right as first lady and the rest of the cast hovers around the edges not making much of an impression.
  4. 30
    The show is "clever" in a way that makes me mourn how far standards of cleverness have fallen. If it's the best new comedy that NBC has in the pipeline, the network is in more trouble than anyone knew.

See all 27 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 15
  2. Negative: 7 out of 15
  1. 10
    I really went into this show to be bad going in. The previews looked meh at best, and the concept didn't seem that interesting, but surprisingly it has been really funny. Argueably one of the funniest shows on network TV right now in fact. At first I thought it was just because my expectations were so low, but we went back and watched all the episodes we had missed and they were all funny. Expand
  2. The show's premise has so much potential and the writing and direction can totally prove it to be another successful comedy. The first episode was promising for me, I liked it. It is fresh, the cast is likeable and good, the jokes are somewhat old but their application is new. Let's see what is the future of this series. My hopes are high now. Expand
  3. This show seemed to be a slam dunk - original director of Modern Family, a great premise, funny stars. The pilot was a huge faceplant, however. The third act was the President of the US playing tennis against a foreign dignitary and the crowd chanting, "USA"!?!? If this show is going to succeed it has to have some grounded plotlines and let the humor come from the character dynamics. It's already asking a lot of the audience to believe this family is in the White House, the president is Romney-looking Bill Pullman (with a Black Chief-of-Staff?). I don't think I can stomach another watch. Someone let us know if it gets any better. Expand
  4. Dear god please, let this show be a figment of my imagination. It's time to mourn the NBC of old, which created such gems as 30 Rock and Community. If this is the future of television, I want no part in watching it. Expand

See all 15 User Reviews

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