Critic Reviews

The interplay between Arnett and Applegate has an instant crackle to it, especially when they argue about which one of them got the least sleep during Amy's latest tearful night. Just as one's interest in Up All Night's domestic cliches may flag, "SNL" alum and "Bridesmaids" co-star Maya Rudolph is here to lift the show up several notches as Reagan's boss.

This is not a show that wants to be analyzed. Rather, it demands that you enjoy it. And there is plenty of humor to mine in the premise.

The show can be, in odd passing moments, unexpectedly, almost nervily touching.

There's a sweet, good-hearted minuteness of observation to the show, which manages to work in middle-of-the-night wakings and diaper changes without going for obvious gags.

A well-rounded, nicely mature comedy.

It's by no means a flawless show, and there's no certainty that even a trio as strong as this one can float the series by sheer force of will, but if the last 10 minutes are any indication, Up All Night may just find itself the most elusive trophy of all: an audience.

Spivey gives her stars so much better material stemming from the parents' self-doubt about everything from doing right by their daughter to still rocking a tight skirt (Reagan) to buying the right cheese at the overwhelmingly huge supermarket (Chris).

Christina Applegate and Will Arnett have nice chemistry as rookie parents struggling to scale back on their hardworking, hard-partying ways in Up All Night, a largely fresh, irreverent look at child rearing.

The changes enhance the comic balance between the reality-based humor of a young couple coping with their new baby and their evaporating youth, and the "SNL"-sketch-like satire of a powerful and powerfully self-involved talk show hostess.

What Up All Night has over other baby-rearing shows is a refreshing irreverence.