Quintuplets - TV-PG

Five kids + two parents = hectic slapstick.

TV Rating: TV-PG Network: Fox Cast: Andy Richter, April Matson, Rebecca Creskoff Genre: Comedy
Available on: Download

Common Sense Note

Parents need to know that the mom and dad's brand of parenting comes off as gently sarcastic and exasperated. The siblings are a true sitcom concoction, with the two good-looking, "cool" ones ruling over the other three: a weirdo, a goth, and a kid with serious short-man complex. Expect plenty of sexual humor and objectification of women (particularly on the part of the teen boys).

Families can talk about the situations in which girls are treated like things, rather than thinking, feeling people. Is this how guys really act? If so, who taught them to behave like this? And how can girls set them straight? The peer pressure among the gang is pretty noticeable as well. But despite the fact that they're sometimes treated like freaks, the three less-popular siblings are actually the most interesting and entertaining of the quints.

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Joly Herman

QUINTUPLETS is a farce based on modern medicine gone awry. The show plays on a scary situation for any parent: suddenly being responsible for five mouths to feed and five sets of egos to contend with. The audience is spared the early years of the family's life, joining the story when the quintuplets are at the tender age of 15. Hormones are bubbling, and the kids are ganging up on their parents, but Mom (Rebecca Creskoff) and Dad (Andy Richter) are good-naturedly coping without losing their marbles.

Some aspects of this goofy comedy are reminiscent of a self-aware The Brady Bunch. But unlike the innocent conundrums faced by the Brady kids, this contemporary take is riddled with strong sexual innuendo, drug references, and power struggles.

What Quintuplets ultimately does right can't be said for all family comedies -- it doesn't take itself too seriously. The pace is quick and the characters are at times caricatures of stereotypes. There are laughs enough to justify some of the lame jokes. And, there's a kind of checks and balances scheme. For every sexist remark Patton (Ryan Pinkston) makes, his sister Penny (April Matson) cuts him down a notch. Every time Pearce (Johnny Lewis) gets the short end of the stick, he secretly triumphs in the end.

Plus, the parents respect each other as equals, and they treat their kids with the light sarcasm that only parents with five teenagers under one roof can earn. But be on the lookout for the mixed gender signals and inappropriate drug references. Quintuplets can be amusing, but it's not suitable for all audiences.

Fans may want to check out other sitcoms that find humor in parent-kid relationships, including The War at Home, Malcolm in the Middle, and Grounded for Life.

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Content		CS	adults	kids
Content
Sexual Content Teenage boys (Patton, in particular) objectify girls big-time. Girl takes off shirt in one episode to please a boy. Lots of crude sexual humor.
Violence Brothers slug each other, but nothing menacing.
Language "Ass," "damn," "hell," etc.
Message
	Social Behavior Boys should be allowed to treat girls like objects, just because they're boys? Whatever!
	Commercialism
	Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco Drug jokes to explain odd behavior.