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Parents' Guide to

Almost Family

By Marty Brown, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Unsettling family drama is profoundly ill-conceived.

TV Fox Drama 2019
Almost Family Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 15+

Based on 1 parent review

gracek1234
gracek1234 Adult
February 26, 2020
age 15+

Great TV show

Almost Family is fantastically made for older teenagers and adults. It does a fantastic job at showing different views people have throughout life and the human struggle with ethics. I would not recommend it for younger ages due to sexual content and minor language, however it doesn't hold any offensive content. While it shows things like incest, adultery, and sex, the show is not showing support for people to commit those acts. It is just showing that it is a part of life. I extremely recommend for parents encouraging feminism, and all other feminists. The show does take about two episodes to really get interesting .
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

In ALMOST FAMILY, renowned fertility doctor Leon Bechley (Timothy Hutton) is discovered to be a fraud. Early on in his practice, Bechley used his own semen to impregnate dozens, maybe hundreds, of his patients. All of a sudden, Julia (Brittany Snow), the daughter Dr. Bechley raised as an only child, is directly related to seemingly everyone she knows.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Even beyond the deeply unsettling premise -- which seems to retroactively justify an act that is at the very least a huge ethical violation; at most, it's sexual assault -- Almost Family is unconscionably tone deaf on many things, but especially sex and sexuality. Each of its three female leads are introduced by way of their sexuality: Julia (Brittany Snow) has meaningless flings to help her self-worth; Roxy (Emily Osment) breaks the jaw of someone who tries to touch her inappropriately (and is shamed for it); and Edie (Megalyn Echikunwoke) doesn't enjoy sex with her husband so therefore, according to the show, must be a lesbian. And then there's the sexual relationship that Julia has with her half-brother! If Almost Family wanted to sincerely examine the moral and ethical questions behind Dr. Bechley's actions, it might be intriguing, but the show is more interested in sensationalism and, subsequently, downplaying the ramifications of an abhorrent act.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Dr. Bechley's choices. Do you think most doctors take the "do no harm" code seriously?

  • How do Bechley's actions affect his daughter, Julia? How does her opinion of him change? What does he do to try to influence her?

  • What is the impact of Dr. Bechley's actions on the other characters on Almost Family? What are the different ways in which people react to being a Bechley child?

TV Details

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.

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