Difficult People, a comedy executive produced by Amy Poehler, premieres on Hulu Wednesday. The eight-episode, half-hour sitcom is created by Julie Klausner and stars Klausner and Billy Eichner as 30-something aspiring comics in New York City. The following are reviews from TV critics around the web, compiled by B&C.
“And yes, they are self-absorbed, hypercritical people who you would and should hate. But the reason the show works is that, very subtly, it’s mocking them. Julie and Billy are all about self-loathing, and they invite you to loathe right along with them.”
— Neil Genzlinger, The New York Times
“TV has reveled in such self-absorbed characters, but these two are so perfectly loathsome and oblivious to the feelings of others, it’s almost hard not to root for them. Consider it a half-hour that proves bad company, TV-wise, can be good fun.”
— Brian Lowry, Variety
“Hulu is the perfect place for a comedy like Difficult People. Its world is not expansive enough to be a traditional sitcom, although that may be because Difficult People is on Hulu, not despite it.”
— Molly Eichel, A.V. Club
“It’s easy to see why the series, created by Klausner, has the imprimatur of executive producer Amy Poehler, whose own shtick often trades on a bug-eyed tartness that Klausner and Eichner, with their relatively lower profiles, can take to more boundary-pushing extremes.”
— Keith Uhlich, The Hollywood Reporter
“So why is a show about obnoxious people so funny? Well, the writing is hilariously great, as are the performances. But, mostly, it all works because Billy and Julie are so clueless.”
— David Wiegand, San Francisco Chronicle
“But at a time when the world is overrun with Twitter-infatuated part-time comedians, this portrait of fame-thirsty New Yorkers is spot-on, and often very funny. They could be this generation’s Will and Grace.”
— Melissa Maerz, Entertainment Weekly
