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Everybody Hates Chris
SERIES: UPN, Thursday 8:00p (30 minutes)


8.1

based on 32 reviews
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based on 129 votes
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Get more information on this show at TV.com.

Official Show Site

Starring Tyler James Williams, Terry Crews, Tichina Arnold, Tequan Richmond, Imani Hakim, Vincent Martella, and Chris Rock

Chris Rock narrates this comedic look back on his childhood in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant in the early 1980s. It is being compared by critics to classic series such as "The Wonder Years" and "The Cosby Show."

GENRE(S):	Comedy
CREATED BY:	Chris Rock Ali LeRoi
FIRST AIR DATE:	September 22, 2005

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Chicago Sun-Times Doug Elfman

[A] rare work of brilliance.

100

Detroit Free Press Mike Duffy

Blends Rock's signature, whip-smart irreverence with richly humorous, character-driven stories of his own adolescence to create the rare family comedy that is both hilariously honest and filled with heart.

100

Miami Herald Glenn Garvin

Sweet but never treacly, nostalgic but never dishonest, startlingly frank about race and always painfully funny, Everybody Hates Chris is the sitcom for which the networks have been yearning for the better part of a decade.

100

New York Daily News David Hinckley

It's one of the best new shows from any network this year, and is a total, almost giddy delight from start to finish.

100

San Francisco Chronicle Tim Goodman

With elements of "Wonder Years," "Cosby" and the "The Jeffersons," but also a spirit all its own, "Chris" is a sitcom that finally makes the family funny again.

100

USA Today Robert Bianco

It is, in short, a show about real life, as seen through the eyes of one of the funniest men in America.

100

Orlando Sentinel Hal Boedeker

A hugely likable sitcom is born.

PopMatters Michael Buening

The networks have been wondering how to compete with the no-holds barred nature of cable programming. This is it.

Variety Phil Gallo

It could be a "Wonder Years" for a new generation.

Wall Street Journal Nancy DeWolf Smith

What makes it uniquely entertaining are Mr. Rock's and co-creator Ali LeRoi's humorous insights into the terrors of adolescence and their tart observations about harsh realities of the wider world.

New York Magazine John Leonard

The best of the new fall sitcoms.

The New Republic Lee Siegel

"Everybody Hates Chris" is something more than the wise, tender, funny portrayal of the evolution of a gifted mind. It's actually something very rare on television, even rarer in the movies, and almost non-existent in contemporary fiction. It's the wise, tender, funny portrait of a poor kid.

The Onion A.V. Club

Comparisons to The Wonder Years are inevitable, but Everybody Hates Chris scrapes away much of that golden nostalgia by putting a funny spin on frequently painful times.

Salon Heather Havrilesky

The kid is funny, the mom is funny, the dad is funny, the stories are funny, and Rock's voice-over is fantastic.

San Jose Mercury News Charlie McCollum

[It has] a rich mix of sharp observant humor and a sure feel for the family dynamic.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Melanie McFarland

Real and relatable, "Chris" may be the best new comedy of a season filled with sitcoms worth viewing.

Slate Dana Stevens

Unexpectedly sweet-spirited.

Kansas City Star Aaron Barnhart

“Everybody Hates Chris” is one of those rare nostalgia shows that doesn’t patronize childhood.

Hollywood Reporter Barry Garron

Much of the charm in this show, as well as the humor, comes from Rock's ability to vanquish political correctness in favor of a candid but affectionate look at the past.

Chicago Tribune Maureen Ryan

Every bit as good as the advance praise has made it out to be.

Cleveland Plain Dealer Mark Dawidziak

It easily lives up to its advance billing as the best new show of the fall season.

Baltimore Sun David Zurawik

Rock deals with a harsher teen reality than Cosby did in his Fat Albert days, but he is hitting the same universal notes of conflict, love, weirdness and strength found in close-knit families.

Houston Chronicle Mike McDaniel

There's a lot to love about Everybody Hates Chris.

Flak Magazine Tamara Watkins

"Everybody Hates Chris" is family-friendly, but it doesn't detract considerably from Rock's usual profanity-drenched style of (brutally) honest comedy. Rather, the scope of the show's humor is broadened, and allows the coming-of-age tale to speak to the general experiences of growing up.

Boston Globe Matthew Gilbert

If Rock and co-creator Ali LeRoi can continue to bring depth to the characters without succumbing to cliche or sentiment, they will be on a promising path.

Los Angeles Times Paul Brownfield

The show thus far feels more observational than story-driven; it relies on our desire to listen to Rock talk. And we do want to listen, because Rock is hilarious.

The New York Times Alessandra Stanley

"Everybody Hates Chris" is the first show in a long time centered on a teenager whose main problem is not adolescent angst, but real life. And Mr. Rock makes it funny, not maudlin or mean.

The New Yorker Nancy Franklin

Rock is able to find humor in every aspect of his childhood.

LA Weekly Robert Abele

So far, Everybody Hates Chris has felt like a textbook example of how you fold a comedian’s sensibility into a familiar TV genre.

Philadelphia Inquirer Jonathan Storm

Let's get this straight. Everybody Hates Chris is not the Second Coming. But it is one of the season's best new series.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Rob Owen

Should appeal to fans of Rock and to viewers who long for a family comedy reminiscent of "The Cosby Show" (albeit with a sharper edge).

New York Post Linda Stasi

What's missing here are the big laughs, despite Rock's clever narration.

The average user rating for this tv show is 8.1 (out of 10) based on 129 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Matan C gave it a9:
Everybody Hates Chris is a unique sitcom. It doesn't deliver the big rolling laughs every 25 seconds, like Friends or Seinfeld, because the comic situations are not as sharp or, well, comic. The show is just about this boy's life, who happens to be really amusing- the show won't use absurd situations for the laughs, or poison-smart dialouges for conversations- it's real life. and it was never so funny. Chris Rock's graciously snide remarks are intelligent, Tichina Arnold as Rochelle excels as the all-controlling-mama-of-the-house but still manages to not fall for stereotypes of the character, and the magnificent row of neighborhood sidekicks (and Chris's teacher) is the best part of the show. Tyler James Williams leads the show with confidence, and for a change, we would like to see him ending an episode as anything but a loser (seriously, if anyone had this troubled childhood...). Highly recommended.

Saara S gave it a10:
This show is the best show in the whole world I love it to bits!!!!!!!!!!!

Selexa B gave it a10:
Everybody Hates Chris is a funny Tv show. Its something me and my family can watch together and laugh together on. If this was a movie it would get 2 thumbs up from me!!!

Tyler B gave it a0:
Terrible.......

Linda P gave it a10:
Most original and refreshing show I've seen in a long time!

I. R. gave it an8:
Everybody hates Chris is a great show, wraping up the childhood of Chris Rock and making it funny at the same time!

William N gave it a9:
Progressive show that is much needed.

Everybody Hates Chris SERIES: UPN, Thursday 8:00p (30 minutes)

Everybody Hates Chris
SERIES: UPN, Thursday 8:00p (30 minutes)