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Common Sense Note

Parents need to know that, at first glance, this sitcom may look like the average family-oriented show, but its humor pushes the boundaries of typical primetime family fare. The main character is a 32-year-old man with the emotional maturity of a young teenager. Jokes about masturbation, molestation, herpes, pornography, race, and religion pepper each episode, and language sometimes pushes the limits of what viewers have come to expect from a sitcom, with words like "bitch," "sucks," "bastard," "crapper," and "vagina" used freely.

Families can talk about late bloomers. Is or was anyone in your family a late bloomer? What challenges face someone who takes longer than average to mature? Are there any advantages? What about the late-bloomer concept makes this show funny? Is there anything about the show that makes you uncomfortable? If so, why? How realistic do you think Glen and Josh's friendship is? Also, do you notice the show's laugh track? Why do some sitcoms have them while others don't? Which do you prefer?

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Sierra Filucci

Comedian Rob Corddry -- best known for his work as a correspondent on The Daily Show -- stars in THE WINNER, a sitcom set in upstate New York. Corddry plays Glen Abbott, a neurotic man-child who lives with his parents and lusts after his neighbor/childhood crush Alison Miller (Erinn Hayes). Glen's best friend is Alison's 13-year-old son Josh (Keir Gilchrist), a fellow neurotic and Glen's emotional equal.

Told from the perspective of present-day Glen, now married with three kids and the richest man in Buffalo, The Winner looks back on Glen's "formative" years -- starting in 1994, when he was a late-blooming 32. Pop culture references to O.J. Simpson and Nancy Kerrigan spice up the flashback comedic setup.

Despite its forceful laugh track and by now old-fashioned, stationary-camera three-wall set, The Winner feels fresh. Corddry's comic persona -- an eager, awkward, rather conservative dork -- carries the bulk of the show, while Gilchrist's Josh is a refreshingly different take on the typical sitcom kid. Even the show's stereotypical sitcom elements (like scenes on a living room couch facing the camera) feel like they're part of a postmodern tweak. It's as if, in order to look back to 1994, we have to do so through the popular TV format of the day.

While The Winner's set looks like a traditional sitcom, its plots and dialogue are quite a bit more risqué than, say, The Cosby Show (or even According to Jim).

In one episode, for example, Glen and Josh travel to Albany for a spelling bee where they take on alternate personas in order to attract females. Glen wears a toupee and pretends to be a pilot, while Josh acts much more self-assured than he really is, telling a girl that he succeeds at spelling bees by making the words his "bitch." Later Glen and a woman come close to having sex in a hotel room. Though eager for the experience, Glen's anxiety overwhelms him, and he asks God for a sign that he shouldn't go through with it. When he finds herpes medication in the woman's bathroom, he takes that as the divine intervention he needs to call it quits.

With its frequent references to sexuality and occasional foul language, parents may want younger kids to avoid The Winner. But mature teens and parents may very well enjoy the show's unique humor, despite (or because of) its edgier elements.

Fans might also like Arrested Development, The Colbert Report, Family Guy, and The Office.

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Content
		CS	adults	kids
Sexual Content Frequent jokes about sex and dating, including discussion of masturbation, pornography, pedophilia, sexually transmitted disease, and more. Because the main adult character's best friend is 13, he talks frankly with the teenager about his quests for sex. While both adult and teen talk about sex frequently, they're not very successful in their dating quests. In one scene, a woman appears wearing sexy underwear and acting provocatively.
Violence Glen's dad yells a lot, sometimes at his meek wife.
Language Frequent uses of words like "bitch" (said by teen boy as well as adults), "crap," "sucks," and pseudo curses like "holy mother of God."
Message
	Social Behavior Though Glen is sometimes deceitful, his intentions are largely good. His emotional immaturity may confuse younger kids who see an adult acting like a kid. Some edgy, infrequent racial and religious humor and jokes made at the expense of the disabled.
	Commercialism Mention of Burger King, Dominos, and Black & Decker, but no tangible/visual product placement.
	Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco

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