Parents' Guide to

1600 Penn

By Kari Croop, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

White House comedy with a few mature-ish storylines.

TV NBC Comedy 2012
1600 Penn Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

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age 10+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Big chris
Big chris Adult
January 11, 2013
age 10+

Funny new idea

Two stars wat the crap comon senes I watched this show and thought it was hilarious loved it I really recommend this show to any one :)
speedy1893
speedy1893 Adult
January 11, 2013
age 10+

surprisingly good

As a very conservative pro-life family, I was delighted to see the reaction of adults in the show to the surprise news of unexpected pregnancy. I wish the real world reacted that way. NO BODY even suggested that the pregnancy was unwanted or inconvenient. I KNOW in real life there would be many who would assume that this unwed mother would kill the baby. I hope the show continues to have a pro-life tone.

This title has:

Great messages
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

When accident-prone Skip (Josh Gad) pulls a headline-making stunt at college, his dad -- sitting President Dale Gilchrist (Bill Pullman) -- promptly pulls him out of school and into the family home at 1600 PENN, where he joins siblings Becca (Martha MacIsaac), Marigold (Amara Miller), and Zander (Benjamin Stockham) and polished stepmom Emily Nash-Gilchrist (Jenna Elfman) in the White House. But Skip has a knack for making mistakes wherever he goes.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (2):

Some critics have billed 1600 Penn as NBC's "answer" to Modern Family -- but if that's true, it's hardly a definitive one. For in spite of the presence of typically bankable leads Pullman and Elfman (and Broadway funnyman Gad, who nabbed rave reviews -- and a Tony nomination -- for his work in "The Book of Mormon"), the pilot, at least, is surprisingly short on laughs. That's not to say the show isn't funny. But the writers have a long way to go until 1600 Penn can be a viable candidate in the race for prime time ratings.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how this ficticious First Family compares to real-life White House families, both present and past. How does it compare to other depictions of presidential families on the big and small screens?

  • What do you think it's like to be a kid growing up in the White House? What types of things do you take for granted as a "normal" kid that you might have to give up? (For example, what about your privacy?) Would your mom or dad parent you any differently if he or she was the president?

  • Does 1600 Penn have a political point of view? If so, how can you tell?

TV Details

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