Review Roundup - New CBS Comedy SUPERIOR DONUTS, Based on Tracy Letts Play

The CBS Television Network's SUPERIOR DONUTS, starring Judd Hirsch and Jermaine Fowler, will debut with a special preview tonight, Feb. 2 (8:30-9:00 PM, ET/PT). The series is based on the play by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winner Tracy Letts. The new comedy then moves to its regular Monday, 9:00-9:30 PM, ET/PT time period on Feb. 6. (Watch the trailer below!)

SUPERIOR DONUTS is a comedy about the owner of a small donut shop that's located in a quickly gentrifying Chicago neighborhood. Arthur is a gruff, to the point Chicagoan who refuses to sell newfangled cronuts and macchiatos or renovate his dated shop that hasn't changed since it opened in 1969. That all changes when enterprising go-getter Franco fast talks his way into Arthur's life as his new (and only) employee, and convinces him that he can bring the shop - and Arthur - into the 21st century.

Let's see what the critics have to say:

Neil Genzlinger, New York Times: The staging is suffocatingly old-school: Stand up, deliver laugh line, walk to other side of shop for no reason other than to make room for the next character to stand and deliver. That's not to say that the material isn't moderately amusing.

Robert Rorke, New York Post: The breakout here is Fowler, a sketch comedy performer whose charisma and rapid-fire delivery go a long way to enhancing the witty script by Bob Daily, Garrett Donovan and Neil Goldman and brightening the flat backdrop. The show's acerbic remarks about gentrification will register with urban viewers who've seen enough neighborhoods fall victim both to upscale chains and snooty connoisseurs of the soy macchiato.

Maureen Ryan, Variety: A bigger problem for "Superior Donuts" is that its humor feels as tired as Arthur appears to be. The comedy is based on a play by the talented writer and actor Tracy Letts, but at times, the watered-down "Donuts" feels as though it was dredged up from a comedy vault that closed decades ago.

Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune: Fowler is a charismatic performer; the show just needs to give Franco a worldview that exists outside of servicing these people in the doughnut shop. As for Hirsch - well, it's Hirsch. You can't beat that. Just give the guy a rag to wipe down the counter and tee up a few punchlines to the peanut gallery around him. If he and Fowler aren't forced to shoulder so much as a pair, there's real potential for something more relaxed and ensemble-based to develop.

Verne Gay, Newsday: Fowler's an energetic and appealing screen presence, for example, or the cast is a surprisingly diverse one, or the donuts actually look pretty good... Otherwise, most roads lead to sad, which is probably not the best place for a sitcom to end up.

Robert Bianco, USA Today: Odds are this won't be a show that gets much attention from critics, but it may find an audience on CBS, and that's fine. Superior, it isn't, but it's pleasant, well-acted, and spreads a few worthy messages about cooperation and inclusion.

Shirley Li, EW: Turns out the small-screen take, directed by James Burrows of Cheers fame, shares enough traits with its titular pastry that it ultimately cooks up something formulaic enough to fit on the Eye Network. It's sweet: Arthur (Judd Hirsch at his Judd Hirsch-iest) and eager young Franco (an energetic Jermaine Fowler) have a warm, odd-couple rapport that doesn't come off as overly cloying or sentimental, but simply honest.

Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS

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