“Sherman-Palladino might have had better luck with "The Return of Jezebel James" - named after a children’s book heroine invented by the sisters - if she’d made it into an hourlong dramedy like "Gilmore Girls." Then she might have been able to flesh out the characters and dump the laugh track. Then, maybe, "Jezebel James" might really have had a chance to return.” (Matthew Gilbert, Boston Globe)
“But the sister act doesn’t work. Slated for a seven-week run, Jezebel James is rife with rapid-fire Gilmore-ish exchanges between the principal characters, but they’ve put fine actresses in the wrong roles. Both leads seem wildly out of place. Posey is far too endearing to play a shrill executive, and Ambrose is too serious to be a hippie.” (Andrew Ryan, Toronto Globe & Mail)
“Her opening scene with a neighbor boy is a good litmus test — either you’ll be hooked or instantly repelled by the wisecracking chatterbox.” (Roger Catlin, Hartford Courant)
“All evidence to the contrary, the show has the potential of being very funny, but only if the writers can choose subtlety over shtick even a quarter of the time.” (Mary McNamara, LA Times)
“Anyone hoping that even some of the charm, warmth and wit of Amy Sherman-Palladino’s Girls has carried over to her Fox sitcom will be disappointed and possibly horrified.” (Robert Bianco, USA Today)
“Jezebel James” does not do for sisters what “Gilmore Girls” did for mothers and daughters. Coco and Sarah are not strong female characters. They are cliches. The show misses the opportunity to explore the very real issue of women and fertility. But even if the show is not judged in comparison to “Gilmore Girls,” it would still be substandard. It’s best to forget about this return of Amy Sherman-Palladino.” (Amy Amatangelo, Boston Herald)
“Viewers can learn a lot from shows they shouldn’t watch. "The Return of Jezebel James" on Fox is a prime example and, as a bonus, it illustrates how networks do business. (Badly.)” (Tim Goodman, San Francisco Chronicle)
“The laughter on the soundtrack — whether real, enhanced or just plain canned — is a big distraction; perhaps after all those years of a comedy-drama like Gilmore Girls getting passed over for Emmys, Sherman-Palladino wanted Emmy voters to know just what genre she’s working in. But Gilmore fans didn’t need to be told when something was funny; it just was, and the dialogue was often the wittiest on television. Conversely, the soundtrack laughter that greets so many of Jezebel James’ lines responds to dialogue that isn’t funny at all.” (Robert Philpot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
