Rules Of Engagement

Los Angeles TimesRobert Lloyd

It may be seen as a kinder, gentler, funnier cousin to Fox's bitter " 'Til Death."

Orlando SentinelHal Boedeker

Uneven.

VarietyBrian Lowry

Two of the first three episodes [reveal] an assured, risque, semi-cynical air that should dovetail nicely with "Two and a Half Men."

San Francisco ChronicleTim Goodman

You might not remember to record it every week, but if you stumble upon it, you might stay.

Christian Science Monitor

Pity Patrick Warburton whose dour delivery is the brightest spot in this half hour. He clearly feels trapped, but not by his marriage.

Entertainment WeeklyGillian Flynn

Rules is similar to Fox's grimly unamusing comedy 'Til Death, but it has one major advantage: deadpan, rubbery Patrick Warburton.

Chicago TribuneMaureen Ryan

At no point will you feel like scratching your own eyes out rather than sitting through an episode. So there’s that.

The New York TimesAlessandra Stanley

It’s not a groundbreaking new series by any means, but it has some redeeming virtues.

USA TodayRobert Bianco

Rules is one of those sitcoms that makes people who hate sitcoms hate sitcoms.

Newark Star-LedgerAlan Sepinwall

Having two nearly identical, equally mediocre sitcoms on the air at the same time isn't exactly a crime, but it seems an awful waste of someone's time and energy.

TV GuideMatt Roush

Rules would be more engaging if it weren't so familiar, but there is at least one consistently hilarious performance: Patrick Warburton.

New York MagazineJohn Leonard

When it isn’t slamming bedroom doors in a high-rise apartment house in ostensible Manhattan (just like Mad About You except without the charm) or meeting for heavy innuendos at the corner diner (just like Seinfeld except without the writers), Rules reiterates Til Death’s take on marriage.

Chicago Sun-TimesDoug Elfman

"Rules" and "'Til Death" bear exactly the same ups and downs. The ups: essentially a good cast, plus sporadic funny lines. The downs: many un-funny lines, plus rehashed storylines from a thousand episodes of married-life sitcoms dating all the way back to "The Honeymooners."

Detroit Free PressMike Duffy

A ho-hum traditional sitcom filled with formula banter and cliched cuteness.

People WeeklyTom Gliatto

Everything has the familiar mechanical deadness of a sitcom assembled from old ideas. [12 Feb 2007, p.39]

San Jose Mercury NewsCharlie McCollum

There isn't a single new comedy idea in any of the upcoming episodes, and in some scenes, you practically can yell out the punch line before the characters get to it.

Seattle Post-IntelligencerMelanie McFarland

Besides making every aspect of dating and mating look depressing, it's hard to come up with a reason to spend time with any of these characters.

NewsdayDiane Werts

This one isn't David Spade's fault. Really it isn't.

Baltimore SunDavid Zurawik

Let's hope Rules is just a misguided piece of fluff that disappears after a dozen episodes - and not a bellwether series trying to tell us something about how our lives have changed for the worse.

LA WeeklyRobert Abele

The series quickly begins to resemble one of those fake sitcoms you’d see in a snide movie that likes to take easy potshots at low culture.

New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley

"Rules of Engagement" is no more believable than it is amusing, and it's never amusing.

Philadelphia Daily NewsEllen Gray

Painful-to-watch.

Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob Owen

Besides being uninspired, "Rules" isn't all that funny.

SalonHeather Havrilesky

The story lines are every bit as insufferable as the punch lines.

Washington PostTom Shales

No one in the cast is likely to be your new favorite actor.

Boston GlobeMatthew Gilbert

While TV comedy is getting good again, the network has decided it's time to resurrect the groan-inducing cliches of stinky sitcoms to remind us of just how truly rancid the genre can get.

New York PostLinda Stasi

Everyone involved in creating this show should be forced to immediately seek other forms of employment. This business is not - repeat, not - for you.