What the jokes were, really, was stupid, boring, and empty: humor that relied less on its own patently sexist, racist, homophobic, etc. content than on admiration for or disgust with the host's willingness to deliver it.

Seth MacFarlane had his moments, and seemed to get better the deeper things went into the night, but he wasn't the right guy for this gig.

It was a clunkily produced, drearily long show, with some truly horrid scripted patter that stranded some talented actors.

Beyond cameos and torture, the ceremony engaged in a political fight involving women, and took the dumber side.

There was nothing notably terrible about the show, and nothing particularly enthralling.

Awash in self-indulgence, neither he [Seth MacFarlane] nor his 3-hour-and-35-minute show ever seemed to hit a comfortable, confident stride, which is a shame, because the broadcast had a lot of entertainment to offer.