ABC premieres romantic comedy Manhattan Love Story—starring Analeigh Tipton and Jake McDorman—on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 8:30 p.m. The following are reviews from TV critics around the web, compiled by B&C.
“Among its many mistakes, Love Story introduces its might-be couple in a way that instantly makes us hate them — an extremely bad idea, unless your only goal is to convince us they deserve each other.”
—Robert Bianco, USA Today
“As with any ‘will they or won’t they?’ story, this one could face a crisis once it has answered that question and needs somewhere else to go. At the moment, though, what matters is that it’s enjoyable enough to follow to that point.”
—David Hinckley, New York Daily News
“Granted, the show’s central device — getting to hear the innermost thoughts of the central guy and gal — is straight out of the subtitled feeling-out exchange in Annie Hall, but at least the show’s leads are reasonably appealing. Clearly, though, the whole Venus and Mars thing, explored via internal monologue, is not only a slim conceit, but risks becoming quickly tedious.”
—Brian Lowry,Variety
“If there’s hope for the show beyond its leads, it’s in the stylistic flourishes that pop up too infrequently in the first two episodes: An inspired blocking of McDorman and Tipton here, a well-chosen New York location there.”
—Erik Adams, A.V. Club
"Manhattan Love Story was at one point titled My Thoughts Exactly, inspired by the gimmick that allows us to hear the inner thoughts of hero Peter (Jake McDornan) and heroine Dana (Analeigh Tipton). And what incredible insight to do we learn about either the difference between the sexes in general or between these two particular representatives of them? Mainly that men are obsessed with breasts, and women with purses. I am not exaggerating. That is literally what the first scene of the show is about.”
—Alan Sepinwall,HitFix
