• Network: ABC
  • Series Premiere Date: Apr 11, 2012
  • Season #: 1 , 2
Metascore
71 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 29 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 29
  2. Negative: 1 out of 29
  1. Reviewed by: Verne Gay
    Apr 9, 2012
    83
    Raunchy and at times genuinely funny, Apartment 23 is jam-packed with promise--and inconsistencies.
User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 75 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 10
  2. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. Okay, after four episodes of pure hilarity, I can safely say that I really really like this show. I know the actor-playing-a-stylized-version-of-himself trope has been done and overdone countless times, but James Van Der Beek is just so charming and funny that he makes it feel fresh. The writing is sharp and fresh and has a uniquely definite voice of it's own. It's smart, funny, charming, and clever and is definitely worth a watch. Full Review »
  2. Oh joy, yet another show based in New York, let's hope this one ups the ante and doesn't drive our opinions of the city into the ground. It seems to be mandatory to include a sex scene in your pilot episode and this show wastes no time as it opens with a slightly humorous romp between two characters whom have yet to be named unless of course you've choked on any promo footage prior to viewing. The roommate walks in to find her fiance being screwed (on her birthday cake) that is as we smile before the show's title screen rolls.

    A few more social jokes are thrown in our direction as we realize this show isn't half as bad as the title may suggest which is verified by a rather hilarious scenario that features the main character's dream job prospect going up in near literal flames, we again laugh due to our superiority in combination with suitable casting choices and witty line as we are absorbed into the show with a smooth progression as the main character initiates a hunt for a suitable roommate when upon decision your expected token asian warns her of incoming threat.

    Unfortunately, the quirkiness runs dry as we're presented with censored nudity, perverts from across the way and James Van Der Beek if for some reason you happened to neglect which forgotten celebrity they used to boost this shows starting appeal though our hopes are raised ten minutes into the filler when we're exposed to witnessing a seemingly innocent youth get wasted at the expense of a minor laugh as we're sent to the beginning of the episode and a small reconcile and a premature end to a lacking episode.

    You're still not sure what you just watched but it was enough to confuse you into the second episode we're sure.
    Full Review »
  3. Just watched the pilot. I liked it. While it has some elements in common with 2 Broke Girls (i.e. do all girls in New York bond over one girl revealing to the other girl that her boyfriend is cheating on her, and said 2nd girl appreciating her honesty despite how different they are? Just wondering.) That aside, this pilot took a pretty original path in getting there. So while the end was familiar, the journey was fresh. More importantly, it made me laugh and there seems to be good chemistry between the leads. Hopefully subsequent episodes hold up, but it seems like the building blocks are all there. I am curious to see how well Van Der Beek's character holds up. He had some great lines in the pilot. Hopefully he's not a one-note character like all the supporting characters on 2 Broke Girls. Full Review »