Clive Barnes of "The New York Times" dubbed "The Real Inspector Hound" "a perfect joy. Intellectually stimulating and civilized to just short of a fault, [...] The results are hilarious enough, but the froth leaves an oddly provocative aftertaste." Todd Everett of "Los Angeles Times" billed it as "a timeless farce" in 1992. A "Chicago Reader" reviewer wrote in 2010 that Stoppard's script "out beyond satire to express the strange elation, identification, and even erotic fascination any audience member can feel in the dark." "The Telegraph"'s Charles Spencer said that "The Real Inspector Hound" "brilliantly nails the clichés of the reviewer's craft and the bitter jealousies of this grubby profession". Spencer said the play "[sends up hackneyed thrillers and terrible acting with a winning mixture of sly humour and palpable affection."