On Sunday, Fox unveiled the latest addition to its powerhouse animated-comedy block which includes The Simpsons and Family Guy. The new show, Allen Gregory, stars Jonah Hill (Superbad, Moneyball) as the titular 7-year-old, a pretentious sophisticate who carries a briefcase, boasts of his friendship with Sandra Bullock, and swills Pinot Grigio at the lunch table while blustering about Charlie Rose. After Sunday's premiere, critics are bemoaning the series' failure to fulfill its potential. What went wrong?
The main character is unlikable: "If you've ever encountered a snotty 7-year-old, you're probably wondering why anybody would make a TV show about one," says Glenn Garvin at The Kansas City Star. That's the problem with Allen Gregory. Family Guy's Stewie Griffin is witty. South Park's Eric Cartman is "an amusing incarnation of the human id." But Allen is just a "smug, pretentious little twit" with no redeeming qualities. Whether he's sneering at other students or fantasizing disturbingly about his "largish, 60ish female principal," the character — and this show — "is not remotely entertaining."
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