One on One

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Silly sitcom feels fake, but teens might enjoy.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that although this series deals with teens on their own for the first time, it's relatively tame when it comes to drinking, adult language, and sexual activity. But it does contain a good deal of sexual innuendo and relationship drama that may not be appropriate for younger viewers. And some of the messages about those topics are confusing or potentially destructive (like when a character pushes up her breasts before going to meet a man she likes, saying "rise and shine, girls, we've got work to do").

  • Mixed messages -- characters lead generally moral, straight-laced lives, but gold-digging and other stereotypically female behavior is used for laughs without being critically examined.
  • Some jokey talk about beating up a woman of whom the main character is jealous.
  • One character in particular makes many sexual comments. One show deals with main characters' decision to have sex. Frequent innuendoes.

What's the story?

Long-running sitcom ONE ON ONE has shifted from a family setting to focus on a group of college-age friends who are navigating the tricky terrain of early adulthood. These friends are also roommates, and they argue over household chores, help each other study for exams, party together, and find ways to make money. The main relationship is between Breanna Barnes (Kyla Pratt), a smart, outspoken young woman, and her on-again / off-again boyfriend, Arnaz Ballard (Robert Ri'chard).


Is it any good?

 

As with many sitcoms, the show's storylines are somewhat predictable and the conflicts over-dramatized. One on One feels particularly forced -- almost as if you were watching the show from the stage below as the actors shouted their lines into the audience and walked in carefully choreographed steps across the set. Nothing feels real, from the dialogue to the relationships. And while the series' overall messages are positive -- it promotes friendship, doing well in school, and successful independence -- the humor too often relies on destructive stereotypes.

While the show keeps it pretty clean overall -- the characters drink soda at parties and usually say "darn" when they're upset -- sexual language and innuendo play a heavy role. One of the friends, Darrell "D-Money" McGinty (Ray J. Norwood, brother to singer Brandy) has a crush on Breanna, and as she works to get over her relationship with Arnaz, D-Money makes constant sexual remarks to her, referring to "sexual healing" and "lying in bed together naked."


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about what it would be like for teens to be on their own for the first time. What choices would you have to make? What kind of mistakes would you expect to pop up? How would you solve unexpected problems? They can also talk about stereotypes. How are the different women on the show portrayed? Do they act the way your friends act? Is that good or bad?


This review was written by Sierra Filucci
Adult
April 9, 2008
 

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 

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Teen, 16 years old
April 9, 2008
 
This show is accually really good! I love Kyla Pratt, and she is so funny in this show! The idea is fun, and they carried it though great! Wonderful show for kids ages 11 and up!

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Kid, 13 years old
September 19, 2010
 

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Teen, 14 years old
August 7, 2010
 
cool show
I really love this show! It has some things that I was surprised about though

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Kid, 12 years old
March 11, 2010
 
good for all ages but too much bad language. it's TV-PG-D for suggestive content about N*C*I*S

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Teen, 14 years old
March 11, 2010
 
good for all ages but too much bad language. it's TV-PG-D for suggestive content about N*C*I*S

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Kid, 11 years old
March 11, 2010
 
good for all ages but too much bad language. it's TV-PG-D for suggestive content about N*C*I*S

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Teen, 14 years old
September 4, 2010
 
The main thing to be concerned over when it comes to this show is that it has very racist humor--the show focuses on African-Americans basically using their own kind of (dumb) humor against themselves...another major concern is that the show's very boring and pretty stupid.

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This review was written by Sierra Filucci
TV rating:TV-PG
Networks:Syndicated, TeenNick
Cast:Flex Alexander, Kelly Perine, Kyla Pratt
Genre:Comedy

This review was written by Sierra Filucci
 

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About our rating system
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.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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