The critics' consensus states: "It could stand to dig deeper, but The Reagans is a sturdy primer on a controversial first family that acts as a staunch reminder of the long-term impacts of drastic policy changes.

[9] Writing for IndieWire, Steve Greene gave the series a grade of B, saying that it "has effectively made the case that Ronald Reagan was something of an alchemist for American conservative thought, being wholly shaped by his movement's predecessors and then becoming a decades-long standard-bearer".

"[10] Dorothy Rabinowitz of The Wall Street Journal said that "The testimony—from journalists, academics, sociologists, historians—is steeped in acid, especially about matters like the Reagan administration's passion for cutting social services."

"[11] Brad Newsome, writing for The Sydney Morning Herald, said that the series "provides plenty of fascinating insights into how the Republican Party – and by extension the entire United States – has come to be how it is today.

She concluded: "It's a shame that four hours of "The Reagans" doesn't do a better job of helping us to better understand what his part in reshaping America back then implies about our future.

"[13] Inkoo Kang, writing for The Hollywood Reporter, said that Tyrnauer "succeeds in illustrating familiar concepts like the Southern strategy and racial dogwhistles, but his criticisms of Reagan's presidency never quite cohere into definitive (let alone fresh) "take" on the conservative icon.

Kang concluded: "Tyrnauer lets his interviewees make provocative assertions about the marriage — that Reagan wouldn't have become the politician that he was without his Lady Macbeth, and that she had more influence over policy after the onset of his dementia — without the elaboration needed to flesh out those believable but detail-demanding claims.

"[14] Alvin S. Felzenberg, writing for the conservative magazine National Review, said that the series "is neither objective history nor a fair-minded attempt to review past controversies through the perspective of the present", and wrote: "Instead of hearing from people offering more than a point of view and allowing them to debate issues, the series’ creators rely on commentary from familiar regulars on MSNBC, who offer similar commentaries as they do regularly elsewhere.