--- title: "Who Is America?: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/who-is-america/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/tv/who-is-america" critics_score: 57 critics_reviews: 9 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Who Is America? (2018): what the critics said Critics' score 57 from 9 reviews: 4 positive, 2 mixed, 3 negative. The reviews split almost down the middle, and the critics’ score lands accordingly. Where most agree is on the high point: the gun-safety sketch, in which prominent figures are talked into endorsing the arming of small children, is picked out again and again as the sharpest and most revealing stretch. There is wide respect for Baron Cohen’s discipline in staying in character and for how readily his disguised interviews draw candid remarks from powerful people. IndieWire and The AV Club see something politically consequential in that. The reservations cluster on the jokes. Several critics find the humour inconsistent, juvenile or simply not funny enough, with segments running long. The firmer dissent comes from The Hollywood Reporter, NME and The Guardian, who argue the deception rarely shocks because its targets already say these things openly, leaving the satire little to expose. The spread is wide, from warm to flatly disappointed. ## IndieWire — Ben Travers Rating B. 15 July 2018. Travers finds the series ambitious and potentially consequential, but its jokes are inconsistent and it is often not very entertaining. He praises Cohen’s ability to stay in character and draw startlingly revealing behavior from prominent subjects. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/shows/who-is-america-showtime-review-sacha-baron-cohen-1201983850/) ## The AV Club — Randall Colburn Rating B. 15 July 2018. Colburn finds the premiere politically incisive, though it could be funnier and some segments drag. He singles out the Kinderguardians gun-safety satire for exposing how readily political figures embrace absurd claims that advance their agenda. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/who-is-america-could-be-funnier-but-its-framing-polit-1827608529) ## The i Paper — Miranda Bryant Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 16 July 2018. The review finds the series timely and its satire more sophisticated than Baron Cohen’s earlier work. It praises the way his disguised characters expose the real people they encounter, while noting that some material becomes disturbing. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/who-is-america-sacha-baron-cohen-review-channel-4-177279) ## Variety — Daniel D'Addario Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 15 July 2018. D’Addario finds the series a rich, timely comedy, though its contempt can sometimes irritate more than enlighten. He singles out the Kinder-Guardians segment as its creative high point, while criticizing some sketches as overlong and less engaging. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2018/tv/reviews/sacha-baron-cohen-who-is-america-review-showtime-1202872783/) ## Vulture — Jen Chaney Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 27 August 2018. Chaney finds the season flawed but mostly entertaining, with occasional flashes of near-genius. She singles out the Kinder-Guardians segment as the show’s most incisive and blistering achievement, while criticizing its repetitive and juvenile humor. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2018/08/who-is-america-finale-review.html) ## The Guardian — Euan Ferguson Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 22 July 2018. The critic finds the satire uneven and less edgy than Baron Cohen’s earlier work. The preschool-gun segment is singled out as the sharpest, though the review argues that political extremism leaves little room for satire to land. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/jul/22/unforgotten-who-is-america-mark-kermode-secrets-cinema-prison-review) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Daniel Fienberg Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 14 July 2018. The critic finds the series disappointing, arguing its deception rarely feels outrageous or genuinely funny in a world where its targets already air their views openly. He praises Cohen’s sketch-comedy skills and some scripted jokes, but says the characters grow less amusing with more screen time. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/who-is-america-review-1127051/) ## The Ringer — Alison Herman Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 27 August 2018. Herman finds the series uneven, with its satire sometimes exposing its targets and sometimes falling flat. She singles out Erran Morad’s ability to draw candid, revealing remarks from like-minded subjects as the show’s strongest work. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2018/08/27/tv/who-is-america-finale-sacha-baron-cohen) ## NME — Jordan Bassett Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 17 July 2018. The critic finds the show dated and less shocking than the political reality it tries to expose. The Gunimals segment is singled out as the episode’s one moment that successfully hits its target. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/who-is-america-more-like-what-was-the-point-why-sacha-baron-cohens-new-show-missed-the-mark-2355518) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/tv/who-is-america.md