It stinks is the signature catchphrase of Jay Sherman, the New York film critic at the centre of the animated sitcom The Critic, which aired in the mid-1990s. Voiced by Jon Lovitz, Sherman used the line to dismiss films he hated, and its blunt simplicity made it easy to remember and repeat. Long after the show ended, the phrase survived through reruns, clips and reaction videos, where creators reuse it as shorthand for instant disapproval of movies, games and online trends.