A sitcom about a human family that accidentally moves into a gated community otherwise populated by stranded and disguised extraterrestrials, “The Neighbors” comes to us from screenwriter Dan Fogelman, whose big-screen credits include “Cars,” “Fred Claus,” “Bolt,” “Tangled,” “Cars 2” and “Crazy Stupid Love.”
This is a very silly show, sillier even than “My Favorite Martian,” “Mork & Mindy,” “ALF” and “Third Rock From The Sun.”
Lenny Venito, who portrayed Squatch Squacieri on “Knights of Prosperity” and Murmur Zancone on “The Sopranos,” plays the head of human family, Marty Weaver, and his timing cracks me up.
… particularly junky, not merely relying on lowest-common-denominator humor but doing it clumsily. …
... enjoyable if not impressive — not bad, and almost good. The jokes won't knock you off your feet, but the players do some nice things around them. …
The San Francisco Chronicle says:
... one of the new season's biggest surprises. That isn't to say it's good, because it isn't. What's surprising about it is that something like this could be an ABC show, the network that gave us "The Middle" and "Modern Family," to name two of the best sitcoms on TV these days. …
... what redeems“The Neighbors” is that it’s not confused about what it wants to be — or the sort of fun it wants to have. …
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:
... Although “The Neighbors” won’t be mistaken for the next great American sitcom, it’s entertaining enough to warrant a neighborly welcome to prime time. …
… Grade: B. … In its goofiest moments, the show has a gentle Tim Burton vibe. It’s sure to build a cult following, but it seems more suited to a cable network such as TBS or Syfy.
... ABC's The Neighbors is this season's awful sitcom, the one that defies all kind of sense.…
... Nothing in The Neighbors rises above mediocrity, and too much falls beneath it. …
If only "The Neighbors," ABC's stab at an aliens-among-us comedy, were a bit more like "Galaxy Quest," and less like an extended "Coneheads" sketch. …
9:30 p.m. Wednesday. ABC.
