Critic Reviews

If you ever longed for the Roadrunner to be turned into Purina Coyote Chow or those little Family Circus kids to be sold to a Honduran sweatshop, The Mick might be for you.

The Mick prizes laughter above all—the petty sniping between kids and adults inspiring chuckles, the more elaborate and destructive set pieces going for gasps and belly laughs. When a sitcom knows its voice and sense of humor this early, growth and development can come along later.

Like "The Simpsons," "Married with Children," "Malcolm in the Middle" and other Fox sitcoms, the ridiculous reach is what makes "The Mick" work.

Olson does a great job as the title character, willing to go for anything if it lands a laugh. (Most times it does.)

You may not laugh until it hurts, but there are some laughs to be had. Particularly for those who also swear by Family Guy.

Between Olson and her talented cast-mates, there’s certainly enough here to merit future sampling, but this wannabe-badass sitcom could really earn its stripes by shedding its leash (somehow).

The first episode is not as edgy (or, quite frankly, as funny) as it thinks it is. Olson is a gifted physical actress but the woman-behaving-badly shtick starts off a bit toothless. The second episode is sharper.

After four episodes ... The Mick has already settled into that frustrating spot of being a comedy designed for cable but forced to play by network rules, too soft and squishy and indecisive but nonetheless consistently elevated by Olson.

Clearly this isn’t the comedy of the "Leave It to Beaver" era, but there are some laughs to be found in "The Mick," which is made tolerable thanks to Ms. Olson’s charm in spite of the character she plays.

There's only so much mileage the show can get from focusing on "everyone on this show is awful" gags. But with sharp performances and total commitment to the hedonistic material, The Mick still finds a couple new places to explore.