I am – Hercules!!
A very, very “Meet The Parents”-ish sitcom about a guy who repeatedly fails to impress his future in-laws, CBS’ “Worst Week” is based on a BBC series, Americanized by “Scrubs” writer Matt Tarses. If “Parents” walked a very tricky tightrope “Worst Week” can’t quite manage, fans of “That ‘70s Show” should still enjoy Kurtwood Smith as the cranky dad. Reviews for the sitcom, which run fair to good, were actually a little harder to Google than most, thanks to what just happened to the stock market! USA Today give it three stars (out of four) and says:

… for all the cleverness of its compound disasters, the key to Worst Week is the good-guy appeal of its soon-to-be star, Kyle Bornheimer. …

Entertainment Weekly gives it an “B-plus” and says:

… Best known for clever Stanley and T-Mobile TV commercials, Bornheimer makes an excruciating premise quite palatable … Unlike Ben Stiller's wired energy, which made Parents more tense than funny, Bornheimer absorbs every setback with such a beaten-puppy air that each fresh misery feels ludicrous, rather than merely annoying. Will it work, (worst) week after (worst) week? With Bornheimer, it's strangely possible. His is a feathery touch on wrecking-ball comedy. …

The New York Times says:

… so deeply indebted to the Ben Stiller comedy “Meet the Parents” that it may disappoint many viewers. …

The Los Angeles Times says:

… This is a comedy of frustration -- yours, viewer. There were times I wanted to reach through the screen, shake Sam by the shoulders and say, "Tell the truth now," or "Look before you leap," or "For goodness sake, man, relax." Although it is basic to the DNA of all sitcoms, such haplessness has the potential to grow irritating with repetition; the challenge will be to keep that fresh through a 22-episode American-length season. … But it's all handled very well. The show moves fast without seeming to rush you. The timing, on the part of actors and editors alike, is excellent -- both Bornheimer and Smith are good physical comedians -- so that even while you can set your watch by the Next Bad Thing About to Happen, tension is created, suspense maintained. It's comedic suspense -- not the fear that things will go wrong, but the hope that, against all expectation, they might not.

The Chicago Tribune says:

… Misunderstandings are common on sitcoms, but this sitcom features only predictable misunderstandings and botched attempts at good deeds. Hilarity does not ensue. …

The Chicago Sun-Times says:

… a luke-warm sitcom … expect the one-joke concept to wear out its welcome quickly.

The Washington Post says:

… Sam Briggs, the loco focus of "Worst Week," seems nothing more complex than an imbecilic lummox who is forever blundering into calamity. He is supposed to be testing the patience of his fiancee and her parents, but he tests the patience of viewers, too. This viewer came quickly to the conclusion that there is no point in suffering the insufferable. …

The San Francisco Chronicle says:

… Now, this isn't exactly new ground for comedy. "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (and, for that matter, "Seinfeld"), plus "The Office," have mined this territory for gold. And there's the "Meet the Parents" movies. But CBS' "Worst Week" is both sweeter and more reliant on slapstick. It's a likable mix and presented in a way - single camera, no laugh track - that demands your attention so that the humor can come honestly. It's like rolling a rock up a small hill and down a very steep back side. It might seem like tedium at the start, then it all pays off in an entertaining reward. …

The Boston Globe gives it a C-plus and says:

… Predictable and familiar, it will probably be running on comedic fumes by episode 2. …

Variety says:

… certainly funny enough to capitalize on its "Two and a Half Men" lead-in; how many good weeks will follow remains the tricky part. … CBS' very good "Week" is still an accomplishment worth celebrating.

The Hollywood Reporter says:

… I've watched "Worst Week" three times, and I've laughed through each viewing. That makes me nervous. Can any show that cleverly plotted, written, directed and performed -- and especially one adapted from the Brits -- sustain that high a level of humor week after week? …

9:30 p.m. Monday. CBS.

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