Kitchen Confidential

VarietyPhil Gallo

One of the sharpest-looking comedy pilots in recent years.

Detroit Free PressMike Duffy

One tasty comic treat.

Hollywood ReporterRay Richmond

It embodies many of the same elements that made Star's HBO half-hour a winner. That means an energetic blend of sex, sophistication, outlandishness and rat-a-tat-tat dialogue spilling from the mouths of effortlessly attractive characters in a sleek setting.

Kansas City StarAaron Barnhart

This is one smart, funny comedy that deserves better than the anemic time slot it’s getting.

PopMattersSamantha Bornemann

So no, the jokes aren't as haute as the cuisine. But presentation, on the plate or on television, goes a long way, and Confidential has the look of a winner.

San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa TimesCharlie McCollum

The writing is sharp and sophisticated, avoiding the predictable sitcom cliches.

NewsdayVerne Gay

Anyone who wants to take a walk on the wild side and lose an appetite in the process, your show has arrived.

Entertainment WeeklyGillian Flynn

Only a few scenes capture the swagger and passion that made Bourdain's memoir so enthralling.

Chicago Sun-TimesDoug Elfman

"Kitchen Confidential" holds more potential than tonight's decent if imperfect start, given Star's track record and casting.

New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley

The antics, though, are standard sitcom - and, refreshingly, many actually are funny.

Boston GlobeMatthew Gilbert

'Kitchen Confidential" is the kind of new TV show that fits perfectly beside the adjective ''promising." Pilots sometimes strain to set up the entire series, and tonight's episode of ''Confidential" has its share of forced material.

Miami HeraldGlenn Garvin

Cooper and Somerville... keep things moving.

Chicago TribuneMaureen Ryan

The biggest problem with Fox's "Kitchen Confidential" is that star Bradley Cooper... is far too appealing to play a bad-boy chef.

Orlando SentinelHal Boedeker

The cast is attractive, the show's look is sleek, the pace is frantic, but Kitchen Confidential isn't especially funny.

The Onion A.V. Club

All the elements of a first-rate show are in place.... So why isn't it funnier?

Seattle Post-IntelligencerMelanie McFarland

It isn't a laugh-a-minute free-for-all.

The New York TimesFrank Bruni

[Cooper's] presence [is] almost engaging enough to redeem an overstuffed, overbaked first episode.

USA TodayRobert Bianco

The writers seem to assume that life backstage at a glamorous New York restaurant is so inherently enticing, we'll just fall into the story on our own. Maybe, but a few sympathetic characters or amusing lines couldn't have hurt.

Philadelphia InquirerJonathan Storm

Confidential is a comedy hash - lots of heat, little taste.

Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob Owen

Backstage antics are what's supposed to make "Kitchen Confidential" hilarious, but instead the characters just come off as juvenile.