Critic Reviews

Judd Apatow, creator of Freaks and Geeks, grows up -- a little -- in this wonderful look at the freshman year ofcollege. Great stuff. So watch. [25 Sept 2001, p.1E]

Cast is uniformly sound and sufficiently distinct without forcing oddballs into the mix. Show's strength in the pilot is its reliance on the ensemble over displaying individual talents but it might well have two secret weapons. One's Rogen, who plays the cool cat who's easily tripped up and has to work on regaining his composure; and Keena, who appears to have a good sense of how to play simple emotions convincingly and might well be on to bigger things. [25 Sept 2001, p.17]

None of Undeclared feels forced, and it helps enormously that the cast looks like it belongs, the actors fitting their environment perfectly. [25 Sept 2001, p.C6]

At times "Freaks and Geeks" tried too hard to create jolts of recognition. Here the frantic characters regularly call one another idiots, yet Undeclared always seems smart and effortless.

Like "Freaks and Geeks," however, Undeclared is considerably smarter, sharper and slicker than your average network series. If at times the comedy strays below the belt, it justifies these moments by appealing to our hearts and minds. [25 Sept 2001, p.E1]

What Judd Apatow failed to accomplish in "Freaks and Geeks," his critically praised but short-lived NBC series about high school, he more than makes up for in Undeclared, a dead-on look at college life that manages to be both hilarious and sweet.

Apatow despises formula. If he didn't, "Freaks and Geeks" might still be on the air, and while Undeclared isn't nearly as pessimistic or painful, it's just as observant - and, at times, even funnier...All I know is that re-watching the first few "Undeclared" episodes in preparation for this review gave me my first good, hearty laughs since Sept. 11. By taking the "Freaks and Geeks" formula and making it shorter, sweeter and mostly wince-free, Apatow has created a great new comedy that could become a major hit, even if Steven himself never gets around to picking a major. [25 Sept 2001, p.23]

My love for Undeclared is unconditional... There are many different kinds of funny, and Apatow aims for one of the hardest kinds -- the humor of rueful recognition. You may not laugh till it hurts, but it'll hurt a little when you laugh, because you may recall your own awkward moments of defeat, embarrassment or disillusion. Undeclared is shrewdly observant and richly detailed, and the fact that it's funny, too, is the icing on the cake. Great cake! [25 Sept 2001, p.C01]

In a recent interview, Apatow said that he cast Undeclared before writing the pilot, which may be a key reason why the show is so cohesive: Apatow and his staff had specific acting rhythms in mind, resulting in a show that, right from the pilot, radiates a sure sense of each character's quirks.

Jay Baruchel is fabulous as the geeky Steven Karp whose dad (Wainwright) is hipper. [25 Sept 2001, p.48]