TV Review: ABC's 'Suburgatory'

ABC premieres its new comedy, Suburgatory on Sept. 28 at 8:30 p.m. ET. The following are reviews from TV critics around the web, compiled by B&C.

“Yes, satirizing the suburbs is an age-old theme in entertainment, but Suburgatory feels like it’s thought through what specifically there is to say about the burbs of 2011. And so far, I like the way it says it.” — James Poniewozik, TIME

“Yet it’s hard to imagine older teenagers watching Suburgatory either, because if there’s one thing kids in that age group are good at, it’s spotting phoniness. They should be quick to peg this as a series made by people who don’t know much about how teenagers really live.” — Neil Genzlinger, New York Times

“Everyone seems to want the next Emma Stone. Levy isn’t there yet, but given time she might grow into a solid comic actress. Red Bull is featured so prominently, the producers should just list the energy drink as a co-star in the opening credits.” — Mark A. Perigard, Boston Herald

“Any show that mocks suburbia warrants at least one viewing. Suburgatory wrings so many laughs from the oft-maligned wasteland you’re likely to come back for more.” — Curt Wagner, Chicago Tribune

“It is one of the few comedy pilots I can remember where I laughed more the second time I watched it than the first. The comedy of surprise is (relatively) easy; comedy where you already know what the joke is but find it funny anyway because of the confidence and shape of the delivery is much harder, and much more likely to yield good results in the long term.” — Alan Sepinwall, Hitfix