This Is the Only Time That Siskel and Ebert Reviewed a TV Comedy

Legendary film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert were known for their passionate discussions about movies, whether they were raving about arthouse offerings like My Dinner with Andre or fiercely debating the artistic merits of Home Alone 3.

But what about TV? 

Well, apart from that time that they reviewed an episode of Saturday Night Live during the episode, the famous duo didn’t really discuss TV shows. But that all changed thanks to one very special animated series: The Critic. Al Jean and Mike Reiss’ underrated primetime cartoon chronicled the life of a portly New York film critic and TV host Jay Sherman (voiced by Jon Lovitz) who routinely trashed Hollywood blockbusters such as Scent of a Wolfman and Dennis the Menace II Society.

So, naturally, Siskel and Ebert took note of The Critic. They then took the highly unusual step of reviewing it on a 1994 episode of their show, following reviews of Reality Bites and the re-release of Midnight Cowboy. 

Despite the fact that The Critic was all about the world of TV film criticism, Siskel and Ebert somehow weren’t big fans. Siskel complained that the show didn’t feature “as many memorable characters” as The Simpsons, the other cartoon that Reiss and Jean had worked on. Ebert suggested that The Critic should focus less on Jay Sherman’s personal life, and more on the movie-skewering media satire. 

At the time of their review, only a handful of episodes of The Critic had actually aired, meaning that their opinions were arguably only partially informed. Ebert expressed more warmth towardsthe show in his written review. Of Jay Sherman, Ebert wrote, “It is impossible not to like this guy,” also noting that Executive Producer James L. Brooks “has put together a writing and animating team that brings a lot of humor and showbiz savvy to the program.”

And clearly Siskel and Ebert liked the show enough to later guest star as themselves in the second episode of Season Two. In “Siskel & Ebert & Jay & Alice,” one of the very best episodes of the show (if not the best), the critics split up and go their separate ways. But then they end up competing with one another to recruit Jay as a new partner. And it gets kind of creepy. To put it in movie lover terms, Gene goes full Vertigo on Jay.

As Jean once told Cracked’s own Brian VanHooker, during the recording session, after each take Siskel and Ebert would ask, “Who was better?”

When Siskel passed away in 1999, Ebert hosted a tribute show celebrating his late partner’s life and career, singling out The Critic as a key moment in their shared history. Ebert claimed that they had rejected a number of invitations to appear in movie and TV cameos, believing that they would constitute a conflict of interest. But The Critic was the one show they just “couldn’t turn down,” partly because it gave them the opportunity to “sing their own duet on screen.”

Sadly, we never got to hear cartoon Siskel and Ebert’s opinion on Man Getting Hit by Football.