 IGN contributor Robert Canning opined that " Cutbacks " was " solid " , as it " included all the major players in familiar roles and provided some great laughs . " Canning complimented Roger Bart 's performance noting that he played the part " very straight until the very end . " In regards to the Tracy , Jenna , and Kenneth plot , he said that the overall ending was " a bit weak " but " the majority of the story worked well . " In conclusion , Canning gave the episode an 8 @.@ 3 out of 10 rating . Leonard Pierce of The A.V. Club noted that this episode was " broad as hell , with three incredibly <unk> plot threads all driven by one of the most venerable office sitcom tropes ( budget cuts ) , but it was redeemed not only by being funny as hell at its best , but by letting the <unk> of some of the main characters – sometimes inadvertent , sometimes not , provide some of the strongest laughs in ' Cutbacks ' . " Entertainment Weekly ’ s Margaret Lyons said that despite this episode not being " one of the show 's most sophisticated [ ones ] " she still enjoyed it , citing that it had " some pretty fantastic lines – and some really cute moments between Liz and Jack . " 
