Better Off Ted

Chicago Sun-TimesMisha Davenport

It has wit, humor and a set of flawed but likable and offbeat characters not unlike the ones on the sophisticated "Arrested Development."

New York PostLinda Stasi

A very funny comedy.

Entertainment WeeklyKen Tucker

Better Off Ted is certainly the most original sitcom to come along in a while.

Hollywood ReporterRay Richmond

It's the clever satire for which we've all been waiting.

Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob Owen

Set in the offices of Veridian Dynamics, a behemoth conglomerate, this single-camera, laugh-track-free comedy is the funniest show ABC has birthed in quite some time.

Philadelphia Daily NewsEllen Gray

Better Off Ted may be a little too right for comfort about the work many of us do and the lives we live. But it's also funny.

San Francisco ChronicleTim Goodman

Better Off Ted is more funny than not, rushing into absurdity with abandon and playing at stylized comedy in a completely fearless way. The pacing doesn't allow for regret.

USA TodayRobert Bianco

Ted, like most such single-camera sitcoms, is just too mannered and cold, though warming signs do appear in later episodes. Happily, despite its flaws, it's well-cast and reasonably entertaining.

Los Angeles TimesMary McNamara

Better Off Ted is funny, it's just not as funny as it might be, or should be, or, with any luck, will be.

New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley

A funny, fast-paced and rather refreshing new ABC sitcom that looks at contemporary office life in much the same way as the comic strip "Dilbert."

Newark Star-LedgerAlan Sepinwall

For the seven of you who remember "Andy Richter," Better Off Ted isn't quite as good--in part because star Jay Harrington isn't as innately funny as Richter (and he's mainly used as a straight man), and also because Fresco ditched the fantasy scenes that were often the most memorable part of the earlier series--but it's still a breath of fresh air in the present stale environment for TV comedy, as well as an accidentally timely show.

Washington PostTom Shales

If it isn't pure gold, it still has bright, shiny moments--and unlike so much of what's on TV these days, it's much more likely to make you laugh than cry.

The New York TimesAlessandra Stanley

At its best, Better Off Ted is like some of the better new comedies on NBC and CBS, shows that blend mordant satire with odd, endearing characters that viewers want to keep watching. Ms. Anders in particular is a very funny, appealing actress who makes even dull patches of dialogue amusing; Mr. Slavin and Mr. Barrett bring comic heft to their small roles.

Boston GlobeMatthew Gilbert

The new ABC show is significantly better than its corny title promises.

NewsdayVerne Gay

Honestly, it's a complete oddball with some charm and a few good lines.

Chicago TribuneMaureen Ryan

NBC has some good workplace comedies, most notably "30 Rock" and "The Office." If you do watch Better Off Ted, there’s a good chance you’ll find yourself comparing the ABC program to those two shows and finding Ted wanting.

VarietyBrian Lowry

So thus far, anyway, it's a promising concept inconsistently executed, and perhaps a trifle miscast.

SlateTroy Patterson

Better Off Ted, which feels more devoted to establishing its cool than earning some laughs, is hardly so bad to deserve a bleh from halfway-discerning viewers. Eh or meh would be closer to the mark.

Miami HeraldGlenn Garvin

Watching Better Off Ted is a bit like reading old Dilbert comic strips--amusing, but the punch lines seem awfully familiar.

Orlando SentinelHal Boedeker

This sendup of corporate life is no Office or 30 Rock. Good guy Ted (Jay Harrington) is just too bland, and heartless villain Veronica (Portia de Rossi) constantly upstages him.

Philadelphia InquirerJonathan Storm

Hip TV heads may see strains of "Andy Richter Controls the Universe," a 2002-03 workplace quirk-a-thon that was seriously more amusing because its absurdity sprang from its central character's vivid fantasy life, not from a reviled institution.