Mammals
Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
Mammals
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Mammals is a drama about a married couple whose life is rocked when the husband makes a discovery about his wife. The tone of the story is realistic; characters are flawed, and make many mistakes. Sexual infidelity plays a part in this drama; we hear graphic texts read aloud that refers to orgasms and body parts; we also see a couple kissing passionately. Violent/scary moments are rare, but there's a scene in which a pregnant woman is rushed to a hospital and into an operating room on a gurney. Cursing is casual and frequent: "f--k," "s--t," as well as English slang like "bollocks." Characters drink, including at dinners and pubs, but no one acts drunk.
Community Reviews
There aren't any reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What's the Story?
Everything's going great for MAMMALS' Jamie (James Corden) as this drama starts: He's a successful chef with his own restaurant, and a loving family that includes wife Amandine (Melia Kreiling), sister Lue (Sally Hawkins), and a baby on the way. But when he makes a terrible discovery on a weekend away with Amandine (and when fate intervenes to send their family on a different trajectory), things start to slowly fall apart…and so does he.
Is It Any Good?
If you're mainly familiar with James Corden as a showboating karaoke singer on video clips, or an uncanny valley feline from Cats, his subtle, moving performance in this drama is a shock. As a man betrayed by those closest to him, whose life has suddenly swung from enviable to unmoored, he's relatably fragile and edgy, his pain revealed in small moments: a beer left undrunk in front of him at a pub, a vacant stare when everyone around him is laughing and chatting. Indeed, Mammals is a drama that makes a meal out of small moments, whether they're tragic (the phone calls Jamie makes to his family to let them know of a loss) or comic.
English viewers familiar with the stage works of British playwright and film writer/director Jez Butterworth know to expect deft characterizations and layered nuance; those who haven't seen Butterworth's productions may know his voice through his best-known movies: 2014's Edge of Tomorrow and 2015's Spectre, both genre pictures that were much better than expected. Here, Butterworth's writing is unnerving, surprising; characters are disconsolate one moment, full of rage the next, in ways that ring true. You'll want to know what happens to these characters, both in the moments we see played out, and the life it feels like they'll go on living now that this beautiful, emotionally involving TV show is complete.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how sex tends to be portrayed in the media. Do you think many real people are as sexually active as many movie and TV show characters?
How does Mammals communicate how Jamie and Amandine feel about their marriage? What information does the show give you besides what the characters literally say to each other? How is the inner life of characters revealed without it being literally said aloud?
Are we supposed to like all of these characters? Or just certain characters? How can you tell?
TV Details
- Premiere date: November 11, 2022
- Cast: James Corden, Sally Hawkins, Melia Kreiling
- Network: Amazon Prime Video
- Genre: Drama
- Character Strengths: Compassion, Perseverance
- TV rating: TV-MA
- Last updated: December 1, 2022
Our Editors Recommend
-
Wanderlust
Lots of sex, frank talk in beautiful, mature drama.
-
Big Love
For adults only, and for good reasons.
-
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
Sex, nudity, and empathy in profound, intimate drama.
For kids who love British TV
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate