Writing in "The New York Times", Goodman said, "The writers try everything, including some business involving raiders of a lost orb, without much of a payoff." "Entertainment Weekly"s Ken Tucker enjoyed the "nervy attempt to do something different with the TV Western" in the pilot and said that "Brisco County is less a satire of the Western's cliches than a revitalization of them." Writing in the "Toronto Star", Greg Quill said that the pilot introduced "Brisco" as "a western in the loosest use of the term". Quill noted that the pilot includes "every cliche in the western movie arsenal", but that "everything, from characters to plot turns, is skewed away from the norm", and that the pilot episode rose above the level of western spoof to become an "outrageously confident tribute to... the best of the genre". During the broadcast run of "The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.", "TV Guide" featured a positive review of the show in its Couch Critic column and wrote, "It's as funny as it is exciting, which is not an easy combo to pull off... it's fresh and funny and different, and that's why we like it." The magazine twice listed "Brisco" as a family-friendly TV program: "Back when some of us grew up, Westerns were synonymous with great family entertainment, but – let's be honest – some of them were dull as dust. Not this one. "Brisco" is a Western with a sense of humor, filled with impish action for kids and adults." "The Wall Street Journal" reviewed a host of Westerns from 1992 and 1993 and said that "Brisco" was "the most sheer fun of the bunch", calling it "a period piece with slick production values and a mix of drama and humor, fast pace and high camp". In an article on the 1993 television season, the "Toronto Star"s Greg Quill wrote that "Brisco" was a program that represented "American TV craft at the top of its form". In contrast, Elvis Mitchell of "Spin" magazine gave "Brisco" a scathing review, calling the show's premise a "tedious... rickety gimmick". Mitchell acknowledged the show's "quick reflexes", but said the humor was "uncomfortable" with a "cynical quickness". He added, ""Brisco County" relieves us of the burden of laughing.