 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
No Ordinary Family
Common Sense Media says
Superpowers bring family closer; fun for teens and up.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this fantasy drama focuses on a fairly typical family -- overworked parents and busy teens who sometimes seem to have little time for each other -- who begin to develop superpowers. Yes, there’s some crimefighting, but the main thrust of the show is how this incredible event can bring them all closer together. There’s some mild swearing (including words like "whore" and "dumbass"), violence (including guns and shooting), and several references to sex -- notably from the teen daughter and her friends, who talk about who's a virgin and who isn't.
What's the story?
Jim Powell (Michael Chiklis) is starting to feel like his family is drifting apart. His wife is a high-powered biotech executive, and his teenage son and daughter always seem to be busy with homework, extracurricular activities, and texting. He misses the togetherness they once had and can’t find a way to bring them all together. Then, after a freak accident during a family vacation, they all start to develop amazing new powers. Jim becomes super strong, while his workaholic wife, Stephanie (Julie Benz), acquires super speed. Their daughter, Daphne (Kay Panabaker), can now read minds, and son JJ (Jimmy Bennett) has become a super genius. While figuring out how to live with these powers isn't as easy as it seems, it might help bring the Powells closer.
Is it any good?
NO ORDINARY FAMILY is certainly no ordinary superhero series. Yes, there’s some crime-fighting -- can you imagine a show about super-powered people who don’t capture bad guys? But the focus here is more on how an average family tries to adapt to a very unusual situation. Besides criminals, there are dramas at school and conflicts at work with and spats at home -- you know, real life. These characters seem just like anyone else, except for their new abilities.
Chiklis is in familiar territory. He already looks larger than life, and he’s already played a super strong hero, the Thing, in the movie version of Fantastic Four. But the look of wonder that comes over his face as Jim starts to grasp his new capabilities is pure fun. Panabaker also stands out as a mind-reading teen who quickly learns that hearing her classmates' inner thoughts is both enlightening and painful. Jim thinks his family is drifting apart -- and he hopes he can use his super strength to pull everyone back together. It’s an intriguing premise -- and an insightful perspective on the busy modern family.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about superhero stories. How does this series compare to standard superhero tales? What do the Powells get out of their powers?
Do you think the family seems realistic? Does the show do a good job of portraying high school life?
Do you think it’s common for busy families to suddenly realize that they don’t actually spend much time together? What contributes to that feeling? Is your family ever like that?
What role does technology play in today's family life?
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- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
DISAPPOINTING!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sooooooo disappointing! I was hoping for a show the whole family could watch together. Why all the sexual comments from a teenage girl? Could have been so much better. Too bad there are no family shows out there. We'll just continue to keep it turned OFF!
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Kid, 12 years old
April 5, 2011
AGE
My favorite show
They have a few swears but this show is my favorite. They come up with great people ( I like Joshua and Katie) and though it can be intense it seems like they always have new ideas! Just as a warning: they never made a second season.
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AGE
Alot of Violence, Horror, Language, and Sexual Content
I never get scared, weather it's a horror movie or a creepy story. Until the scenario can really happen, that's what's the problem with this show. I love this show, my favorite show actually. Bank Robbers, Muderers, Wedding Crashers, Car Jackers. A ton of shotting, horror, and overall, a violent TV show. But there is alot of Sci-Fi Violence which has alot of special affects. Superpowers from strengh to shapeshifting, to being able to kill someone without touching them. Sexual Refrences and Situations. Some innapropriate language, and in the end not a family show, 12 and up at the least. 14 and up is good. But not a kids show and kind of scared me, which is suprising.
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AGE
Fun, Creative, and Exciting!
This show is very fun, and I would let kids all ages watch it when I have kids in a few years. It has shooting, fighting, crashes. There is some sex scenes, many episodes referring to sex. Stephanie gets drunk at one scene, and they use medium level language. I watch this show every Tuesday and love it. It is fun, exciting, sweet, romantic, and just plain awesome!
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AGE
Clean and positive messages galore.
I was pleasantly surprised at how clean this show is. The violence is incredibly mild, and it's a fun show overall. The biggest concern would be the brief discussions teenagers have on sex, however, sex while a teen is not promoted, in fact staying a virgin is shown to be a worthy goal by the daughter and is refreshing to see. If your child knows about sex, then this will most likely be positive reinforcement, but you may want to preview the episode first to see if your child will handle it well. The last concern would be a few swear words. Again, depends on your kids. Bearing in mind that most kids hear worse in school every day. I love how the family really cares about one another, and are "dysfunctional" in the mildest sense. Being too busy and not always getting along are about as bad as it gets. The whole show is about the family wanting to get closer and working at it. With super powers! Making it fun and enjoyable.
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AGE
When did "mild swearing" include "Whore." How about "strong swearing?" This was hard to watch with a tween. And with the premise being superheros, it's too bad they couldn't include a larger audience.
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AGE
Not a winner.
I wanted to love this show -- there are so few network shows that we can watch as a family -- but it fell short. I enjoyed the portrayal of a family so into their iPhones that they ignore one another -- a good message there -- but felt that the extreme violence and focus on teen sex made the show inappropriate for my kids, ages 10 and 12. Bullets at point-blank range? Kids calling each other "whore"? Perhaps my real issue is with lazy screenwriters who take shortcuts rather than work to establish characters the old-fashioned way. Maybe No Ordinary Family will improve with time, but I don't know that I'll watch it again.
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AGE
So I thought this would be a family show we could all watch together: mom, dad, 10 and almost 8 year old with the baby in bed. Sounds like a family show, looks like a family show, but not really a family show. They gotta tone down the language and the sex talk. "Dumb @$$" in the first few minutes of the show - not necessary. W*ore and b#@ch - not necessary. I had to be on my toes every time the daughter opened her mouth. Thought it was entertaining. Most of it was ok. But the parts that weren't will keep us from watching as a family and that's a shame.
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AGE
No "Incredibles" Here
This is not family entertainment. How do I explain to my 7 year-old about virginity and why the young girl is upset about not having done "it" yet? Also, the mother calling the daughter's best friend a "b" because she was sleeping with her daughter's boyfriend? Just not necessary. Again this perpetuates the idea that "everyone" is having sex-- and the girl didn't look older than 15. Also, the gun scene with the father catching bullets-- it really made guns look like toys (who in their right mind would consent to fire one at his best friend?). Not happy at all with how this show was billed as the next "Incredibles." We will not be watching.
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| TV rating: | TV-PG |
| Network: | ABC |
| Cast: | Julie Benz, Kay Panabaker, Michael Chiklis |
| Genre: | Drama |
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