The series is set in the Billy Barnes Extended Care Unit of the down-and-out Mount Palms Memorial Hospital in Long Beach, California.

[4] In a highly positive review, San Francisco Chronicle contributor David Wiegand said, "There is a brilliant mix of poignancy and hilarity in Getting On, which is why it all works so well.

Club wrote "Getting On captures the drudgery of work and life in this ward, but it also catches glimpses of the beauty, and it’s in those moments that it feels like a series that deserves better than it’s going to get.

"[13] On the more negative side, Mike Lechevallier of Slant Magazine wrote that "the show's setting is such an overwhelmingly depressing environment that much of the offbeat humor ends up flatlining.

The critics' consensus is "Getting On continues to work by poking fun at a typically serious theme and the psychological drama surrounding it, with a dose of laugh-out-loud slapstick injected into a big, sweet heart.

The critics' consensus is "Getting On's penchant for shaping everyday struggles – no matter how banal – into brutal and heartwarming humor concludes the series with hilarious results.

[18] Melissa Maerz of Entertainment Weekly gave it an "A−" grade and wrote, "In its third and final season, the series is still brilliantly droll, elevating the most mundane moments into something that's either hilariously awkward or genuinely moving–or, at its best, both.