FXX’s Man Seeking Woman—created by Simon Rich—premieres Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. The comedy stars Jay Baruchel as a man entering the dating scene. The following are reviews from TV critics around the web, compiled by B&C.
“Mashing up Terry Gilliam-like fantasy with early Woody Allen, Man Seeking Woman uses the tagline ‘Love is strange,’ and as created by Simon Rich based on his short stories, this FXX comedy is indeed that.”
—Brian Lowry, Variety
“Nevertheless, the result is something refreshingly new, and bafflingly different. It can be very funny, but also tedious — not quite sure how to end the joke, or how far to extend it. But for the most part, the trick works well. Kafka would be either amused, or appalled. He wouldn't be bored, and you won't either.”
—Verne Gay, Newsday
“Man Seeking Woman has a firm grip on its own sense of absurdity. The sketches within the overall story are hilarious but somehow subtle enough as to not be overblown. When Josh goes to a party at his ex-girlfriend’s apartment, he is astonished to learn that she is now seeing Adolf Hitler (Bill Hader, with much makeup), who is 125 years old and gets around in a grandpa scooter.”
—Hank Stuever, The Washington Post
“It remains to be seen if this show fits on FXX (luckily it follows It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), but if you're up for something a little different and less annoyingly hip, definitely seek it out.”
—Tim Goodman, The Hollywood Reporter
“It’s doubtful that the new FXX show Man Seeking Woman would work as well as it does without Baruchel at its center, shrugging meekly.”
—Noel Murray, A.V. Club
“Mr. Baruchel, best known as the voice of Hiccup in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, gives Josh an appealing blend of desperation, gallantry and squirming calculation. He’s carrying all the weight, though: The cast includes Eric Andre as Josh’s pick-up-artist best friend, Britt Lower as his sister and Maya Erskine as his ex, but none of their characters are more than foils.”
—Mike Hale, New York Times
