The funniest series of recent memory. .... The cast is uniformly first-rate, not just the likes of Mr. Tenney but the lesser knowns. .... While there might be a revival—as in a second season—one hopes not. It couldn’t be this good.

Across the eight-episode series, things move from the ridiculous to the sublime.

American Classic isn’t going to make you laugh out loud, but its excellent cast and warm small-town-and-family feeling will be more than enough to keep you watching.

While it fails to approach the same comedy and writing heights of those aforementioned series [“Only Murders in the Building” and “Schitt’s Creek”], creators Michael Hoffman and Bob Bob Martin’s champagne-bubbly sendup of the stage world earns positive notices mostly due to its cast.

“American Classic” is fairly enjoyable as long as you don’t look at it too closely or ask too much of it. For the most part, the series skims the surface, only occasionally dipping below that surface. The series stars Kevin Kline, who gives a curiously anachronistic performance as Richard Bean.

Kline excels at pomposity, Linney nails exasperation and Tenney holds his own as a warm balm fighting the lunacy around him, but “American Classic” offers little to recommend beyond a generally comfy vibe.

Everything about American Classic feels old-fashioned, if not downright hokey. The plot tropes are familiar, from the vain actor to the quaint village to the show that’s going to save the day, and the predictable ways they play out.