Most critics like it, and the praise settles on the cast. Nearly every review names Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara as the reason the comedy works, with O’Hara’s deadpan singled out more than once, while The AV Club argues that Annie Murphy and Daniel Levy do much of the carrying. Reviews written later in the run go further, describing a series that keeps its standards up across six seasons and balances the jokes against real warmth for the Rose family without turning preachy.
The dissent is narrow but sharp. Variety finds it a tired reunion of SCTV alumni built around a juvenile pun, with the leads adrift, and is the only clearly negative notice. The Guardian, otherwise warm, notes that some situations feel familiar. The early reviews are mostly promising rather than glowing; the strongest praise comes from critics writing once the series had several seasons behind it.