Episode 1
Pilot
Film critic Jay Sherman falls in love with actress Valerie Fox. Jay's family and friends worry that Valerie is using him to get a good movie review. Does she truly care for him?
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TV series
The Critic
1994TV-PG2 seasons7.3 / 10
It stinks!
Jay Sherman is a TV movie critic who is forced to review the most pathetic films which he always rates as "It stinks." In addition to the film parodies, the show also deals with his personal life: working for a tyrannical media mogul boss, his lovelife and his family.
Streaming, rental and purchase options
Where to watch in United States
Checked Jul 22, 2026
The Critic is available to stream on Plex, The Roku Channel, and Tubi in United States. Use the direct links below to open the provider.
Synopsis
Jay Sherman is a TV movie critic who is forced to review the most pathetic films which he always rates as "It stinks." In addition to the film parodies, the show also deals with his personal life: working for a tyrannical media mogul boss, his lovelife and his family.
Season 1 episodes
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Episode 2
Marty's First Date
Marty invites his Jay to career day at his school where Marty develops a crush on a Cuban girl named Carmen. They go on a date but when Carmen decides to fly back to Cuba, Marty follows her and Jay must get his son back.
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Episode 3
Dial 'M' For Mother
Jay is considered to be one of the most unpopular men on Earth (ranking even worse than Adolph Hitler) so Duke attempts to spruce up the show to get more people interested. When this doesn't work, Jay decides to soften his image by going on the "Geraldo Show" with his mother but Jay gets an even worse reputation when his mother embarrasses him to the point where he tells her to "shut up".
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Episode 4
Miserable
Jay, noticing everyone in New York has a fiancee except him, begins to feel unloved. Things change when he goes to review the movie, Indecent Proposal II, and falls in love with the projectionist screening the movie. They arrange a date at her house where she is revealed to have an obsession with Jay to the point where she kidnaps him and ties him to a bed holding him hostage.
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Episode 5
A Little Deb Will Do You
Eleanor is determined to have her daughter, Margo, attend the annual debutantes ball as it is a tradition in her family. When Margo is reluctantly forced into it, Jay decides to accompany her. Meanwhile, Jay competes in his time slot against children's idol Humphrey the Hippo.
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Episode 6
Eyes on the Prize
Jay celebrates his 1000th episode but the episode is less than successful. Ratings get worse so Jay seeks image consultant, Adolph Hitmaker, for advice. The advice is unsuccessful and Jay is fired. Jay gets a new job on a show which teaches English for cab drivers but Jay is unhappy so he decides to win himself another Pulitzer Prize.
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Episode 7
Every Doris Has Her Day
Jay befriends his make-up lady Doris after they attend a musical adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and thinks that she may be the mother who gave him up for adoption years ago.
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Episode 8
Marathon Mensch
When the studio catches fire during Jay's show, he collapses and must be rescued from the fire by Doris. When the news reports Jay's being rescued, he gets a reputation as being a wimp so he tries to prove his manliness by running in the New York marathon which tends to be more tiresome than it seems.
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Episode 9
L.A. Jay
Jay is offered to write the screenplay for a new movie, Ghostchasers III, so he takes a break from his show to go to L.A. to write the new movie and experience Hollywood life but the movie producer isn't satisfied with Jay's script.
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Episode 10
Dr. Jay
Jay's boss, Duke, has just made a new invention, "Phillips-o-Vision" which alters movies to make them more "like-able". Jay is disgusted with Duke's invention but when Duke is discovered to have a fatal disease, Jay must find a cure for Duke's ailment.
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Episode 11
A Day at the Races and a Night at the Opera
After Marty fails to win an event at his school field day, he is feeling very low so Jay tries to improve his self-confidence by getting him interested in playing guitar and putting him in the school talent show. Meanwhile, Them Magazine names Jay "the wittiest man alive" so Duke offers to pay everyone who doesn't laugh at Jay's show $100 which doesn't go over very well.
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Episode 12
Uneasy Rider
After refusing to plug chewing tobacco on his show, Jay quits his job and becomes a truck driver.
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Episode 13
A Pig Boy and His Dog
"A Pig-Boy and His Dog" is the 13th episode of The Critic. This was the final episode to air on ABC.
Where to watch The CriticEpisode information updated Jul 22, 2026
More about The Critic
Cast
Jon LovitzJay Sherman (voice)
Christine CavanaughMarty Sherman (voice)
Park OverallAlice Tompkins (voice)
Russi TaylorPenny Tompkins (voice)
Charles NapierDuke Phillips (voice)
Judith IveyEleanor Sherman (voice)
Gerrit GrahamFranklin Sherman (voice)
Nancy CartwrightMargo Sherman (voice)Credits
- Created by
- Mike Reiss, Al Jean
- Written by
- Mike Reiss, Al Jean, Steve Tompkins, Jon Vitti, Tom Brady, Ken Keeler, Patric M. Verrone, Jennifer Ventimilia, Joshua Sternin, Steven Levitan, Richard Doctorow, Judd Apatow, Nell Scovell, Tom Gammill, Max Pross, Richard Doctorow, Judd Apatow
Production details
- Status
- Ended
- Series type
- Scripted
- Episodes
- 23
- Original language
- English
Networks & production
ABCUnited States
FOXUnited States
Gracie FilmsUnited States
Film RomanUnited States
Columbia Pictures TelevisionUnited States
Themes
adult animation
