Tim Goodman reviewed the pilot of “$#*! My Dad Says” for the San Francisco Gate:
For the record, the original pilot [of $#*! My Dad Says] was reshot. The new version, airing tonight, is much improved. Meaning it went from unspeakable to unwatchable.
I love a good insult, and that’s a good insult. It goes on:
Of course, watching it twice (three times, actually) turned on the lightbulb. Initially the thought was, “What does CBS see in a Twitter sensation about a son and his rambling, crotchety father?” Then it all made sense. You saw this as some kind of Andy Rooney tirade stretched to 22 minutes, didn’t you? That’s how you got your mind around it.
After one episode, the laugh track was grating, the characters were unsympathetic, and the premise was dull. So, pretty standard fare for network television.