… He's a low-key charmer, and his ventriloquial skill is so superb that folks talk to his creations as though they were human. …The Washington Post says:
Every so often the inexplicable success of a bad comedy act just cannot be explicked. I mean, you don't have to like Larry the Cable Guy in order to see why his fans do. Same with Dane Cook: Even if his comedy drives you up a wall, you can always stop mid-climb, look back, and at least understand why so many millions are laughing and laughing at his jokes. But Jeff Dunham? Readers, I'm stumped. … Not only is it deadeningly unfunny, it also defies all the known constructs of television criticism. I simply have no idea why it's on. …The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:
I'd never heard of comic/ventriloquist Jeff Dunham before press tour this summer when Comedy Central introduced him to TV critics and he bombed in a flopsweat of hurled invectives. … a weekly dose of Dunham's wooden characters who are all unlikeable and offensive in different ways. … I don't mind offensive when it's genuinely funny or satirical -- "South Park" has been offensive from day one and it's still one of the most cogent, topical shows on TV -- but Dunham's humor didn't make me laugh. And worse: I could see his lips moving.The Boston Globe says:
… As the dummies spout predictable jokes, most of them revolving around racial stereotypes, Dunham stands by looking like a smirking Kiefer Sutherland. …Variety says:
… a talented ventriloquist with a not-particularly-scintillating act … Dunham's main wrinkle appears to be that the dummies have been updated for a red-state audience, from the curmudgeonly Walter -- who gripes "You're on TV. There's a black guy in the White House" as a sign the world's going to hell -- to Achmed the dead terrorist, who gets the audience to chant "I kill you" along with him. …The Hollywood Reporter says:
… What do 6.6 million people love so much? Having watched the pilot of "The Jeff Dunham Show," the answer is, "Heaven knows." … racist caricatures, full of meanness and cliches, ranging from Achmed the Dead Terrorist (a skeleton with the heavily accented catchphrase of "I kill you") to Peanut, the disturbing Muppet-like troll creature who has the hots for guest star Brooke Hogan. … their escapades are at best wretchedly crude (did we need to see a doll on the toilet?) and at worst homophobic. It's all a complete train wreck, but it still is can't-miss comedy because after watching an episode, the rest of television looks better by comparison. Perhaps that's the secret of those 6.6 million: They're not looking to laugh. They're looking for the life-affirming moments that come from the commercials.9 p.m. Thursday. Comedy Central.