The Critic (animation): Difference between revisions

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''The Critic'' was a short-lived prime time animated series that featured Jon Lovitz as the voice of the titular critic. It was created by Al Jean and Mike Reiss, who were also writers for ''[[The Simpsons]]''. The show is notable for being picked up by four different networks. It was launched on [[ABC]] in 1994, where it was cancelled after a month, but brought back in the summer to air the remaining season. It was picked up by [[FOX]] the following year and ran it for a full second season before dropping it. After this it was aired on [[Comedy Central]]. It was later picked up by [[UPN]], who never actually aired episodes of the show. In Latin America, this show was aired on Locomotion before turning into [[Animax]]. Ten short flash cartoons ([[Webisode|webisodeswebisode]]s) based on the series appeared on the internet over 2000-01. The DVD box set was released in 2004, which includes all the TV episodes and has the webisodes as extras. During the late 2000s, the show has aired in syndication. In September 2006, IGN ranked the show 9th in their list of the ''Top 25 Primetime Animated Series of All Time''. In January 2009, they also ranked the show 26th in their other list of the ''Top 100 Best Animated TV Series''. In December 2011, Complex ranked the show 6th in their own list of ''The 25 Most Underrated Animated TV Shows Of All Time''.

In the second season, after FOX picked up the show, the character of Jay was [[Retool|retooledretool]]ed. He was given a rounder face, bigger eyes, a warmer personality, and a long-term girlfriend in personal assistant Alice Tompkins. Like Jay, Alice has a child from her own failed marriage, her young daughter Penny.

=== This show uses the tropes: ===

* [[Celebrity Paradox]]: Avoided with regard to Jon Lovitz, who exists in this show's universe -- butuniverse—but he came to prominence on ''[[Saturday Night Live|Yesterday Night Live]]''. Jay's a big fan, but when he suggests by phone to a movie studio that in the wake of the remake ''Rebel Without a [Bill] Cosby'' they should make ''[[Dr. Strangelove|Dr. Strangelovitz]]'', he has to explain who Lovitz is: "He's a character actor! ...No, I don't think he died!"

* [[Crossover]]: With ''[[The Simpsons (animation)|The Simpsons]]'', on that show's season six episode "A Star is Burns," the only episode not to have Matt Groening's name in the opening or closing credits (as Groening -- andGroening—and a lot of ''Simpsons'' fans -- feltfans—felt the crossover was an excuse to have the episode be little more than a 22-minute advertisement for a [[Dueling Shows|dueling show]]).

** This is lampshaded -- justlampshaded—just before Jay walks into the Simpsons' living room, Bart is watching ''[[The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones]]'', and says he "smells another cheap cartoon cross-over."

* [[Floating Advice Reminder]]: Played with in "Marty's First Date", in which the balloon containing Jay's head gets popped by a skier's poles -- andpoles—and goes flying around afterward.

* [[GASP]]: Jay does this in the pilot episode. After giving actress Valerie Fox (who was also his girlfriend at the time) a negative performance review on ''Coming Attractions'', he returns home hoping that she will still be there. It turns out she is -- onlyis—only for her to slap him multiple times, telling him "You're short, you're fat, and even for a ''film critic'' you're ugly," and leaving him. Jay lets out a long shocked gasp after this.

* [[Straw Critic]]: Jay. In a minor subversion, however, he's essentially a decent guy; in his defense, most of the movies he has to review ''are'' horrible. Still, he does attack some noteworthy films and/or performers -- heperformers—he once sucker-punched [[Mister Rogers' Neighborhood|Mister Rogers]]! -- and this is one reason he's so unpopular with the public.

* [[:Category:Yandere|Yandere (disambiguation)]]: Jay's #1 fan from "Miserable."