Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that there's very little to do with sports in this imported English soap opera. Instead, it's a down-and-dirty look at the life led by superstar footballers (aka "soccer players") and their wives. Life out of the sporting arena is more menacing than anything that unfolds on the field.
Families can talk about how there's more than meets the eye when it comes to the private lives of public people. Though the rich and famous -- or, as in the case of these characters, the rich and infamous -- appear to lead fabulous lives, they by no means lead perfect lives. What are the difficulties of being under the spotlight? Does fame corrupt? Does money solve all problems? Or does it complicate life? Is it realistic to expect that anyone in circumstances like these might behave the way the show's characters do? Why do the writers exaggerate the behavior so extremely?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: S. Jhoanna Robledo
The word "football" may appear in the title of FOOTBALLERS' WIVES, but don't be fooled: No one's sporting at all. Nearly everyone in this nighttime soap (an English import) acts in appalling ways, indulging in anything and everything obnoxious, rude, and downright dirty. It's as if the show wants to make it clear that while football may be thrilling to watch, the real action takes place when the ball's not in play (the soccer ball, that is ...).
Tanya Turner (played with delicious devilry by Zoë Lucker) is lead wife of this uber-competitive group. Tanya is a fighter who's been down and out, riding the rollercoaster of romance and power. It doesn't help that a bevy of beauties is eyeing her throne, including the conniving Amber Gates (played by Laila Rouass), a Bollywood star who's on the wane.
It's fun to watch for a while, but all the backstabbing ultimately leaves viewers feeling like they need a scalding bath. A heavy dose of intrigue sometimes works, but even played for camp, Footballers' Wives is too much of a bad thing. In the end, there's no one else to root for but evil Tanya herself, which just may be the show's best conceit. The nemesis becomes the hero, since everyone else appears either equally conniving or just plain boring in a goody-two-shoes kind of way.
A better but equally glitzy alternative is the BBC's heist series, Hustle (airing on AMC in the United States). For more soap opera fun, try Desperate Housewives.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentIs there anything else? Seduction is the name of the game, as are numerous couplings, lots of risque outfits, and partial nudity. |
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ViolenceBrawls and catfights are common -- as are more insidious, mental battles, such as blackmail. |
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LanguageRacy behavior is accompanied by equally racy language (e.g. "You look like s__t"). Though expletives don't pepper every scene, double entendres do (for example, a woman propositions another by peeking at her breasts and saying, "I've seen worse"). |
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Social BehaviorNo one behaves in this over-the-top drama. A partial list of crimes: Kidnapping, extortion, infidelity. You name it, it's here. |
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CommercialismThis is an affluent world, and the wives parade in only the best clothing and jewelry. Some clearly luxury brands. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoDrinking, Viagra abuse, smoking: Not much is left untouched. |
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