Four Kings

SlateDana Stevens

It's neither wildly innovative nor sidesplittingly funny, but it has a warm, cozy group vibe and no flagrant casting mishaps.

The New York TimesAlessandra Stanley

"Four Kings" is better than a lot of similar sitcoms, but it's not different enough to stand out in what NBC hopes will be a renaissance of must-see television.

Seattle Post-IntelligencerMelanie McFarland

A touch of "Friends" with "Odd Couple" undertones.

Entertainment WeeklyGillian Flynn

A not unwelcome addition to the genre, but not that essential, either. [27 Jan 2006, p.74]

USA TodayRobert Bianco

In short, it's a good thing they've been friends since childhood, because nothing in their personalities would lead you to believe they'd even be civil to each other if they met as adults. That's a problem for a sitcom about friendship.

Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob Owen

There's nothing revolutionary about this story of four friends.

Chicago Sun-TimesDoug Elfman

"Four Kings" is a strange thing. The first episode of the new NBC comedy reeks. But there are moments in the next two episodes that make it seem as if it has the potential to be a male version of "Sex and the City," minus the naughty stuff HBO could show that NBC can't.

Chicago TribuneSid Smith

Though miles behind the sophistication of the earlier NYC-set "Seinfeld" or "Friends," "Kings" sometimes boasts laugh lines funnier than those, say, on "How I Met Your Mother," the CBS venture essentially after the same audience.

VarietyBrian Lowry

Given how familiar the premise is, the show's modest appeal hinges entirely on the cast's marginal chemistry and the rapid-fire jokes, making for at best a hit-miss proposition.

Boston GlobeMatthew Gilbert

OK, ''Four Kings" isn't the worst of its type, in that some of the jokes hit their mark.

TV GuideMatt Roush

[A] generic dud.

Los Angeles TimesPaul Brownfield

What can I tell you about "Four Kings" that you won't already know? It premieres tonight at 8:30 on NBC. By 8:46, or thereabouts, you will understand everything.

New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley

NBC has reestablished another Thursday night tradition: sticking another unfunny, almost unwatchable sitcom at 8:30.

New York PostLinda Stasi

"Kings" is a self-conscious attempt to reel in the 20- to 30-something male demographic that TV is so desperate to capture. But, unfortunately, it isn't edgy, especially funny or believable.

San Francisco ChronicleTim Goodman

The premise is only a small part of the problem in "Four Kings." The writing is labored, adolescent and unfunny.

Washington PostTom Shales

"Four Kings" isn't just tediously sitcommy, it's painfully sitcrummy.

PopMattersBill Gibron

While the show has little going for it, it does have Seth Green.

NewsdayVerne Gay

Dreadful.