Parents' Guide to

Burning Love

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Delicious parody of dating shows full of innuendo, drinking.

TV E! , Yahoo Comedy 2013
Burning Love Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

See all

There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

What's the Story?

Even if you've never watched dating shows like The Bachelor, BURNING LOVE's delirious takeoff of televised dating games will likely strike your funnybone. On the first season, virile hunky fireman Mark Orlando (Ken Marino) looks for love from a cast of female contestants; on the second, Julie Grisselwhite (June Diane Raphael) does the same with a bunch of gents. On each episode, contestants go on ridiculous dates such as making puppets and putting on a puppet show, guzzle booze, participate in one-on-one interviews with avuncular host Chris Harrison (Michael Ian Black), and hope that they'll make the cut and stick around next week.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

If you've watched Party Down, Wet Hot American Summer, The State, Veronica Mars or Children's Hospital, you will recognize many familiar faces on this absolutely hysterical series. The Burning Love cast apparently likes to work with the same people over and over and we're the happy beneficiaries who get to see much-beloved comedic actors like Paul Rudd, Adam Scott and Martin Starr working together again.

The subject being parodied -- televised dating competitions -- are ripe for mockery, and the Burning Love cast finds it, from hilariously dead-on contestant interviews with candles burning in the background to rejection ceremonies in which a woman kisses a South Asian man and says in surprise "You kiss normal! That's nice!" If you're not laughing at the many absurdities delivered by some of the funniest people alive, you must be either dead, or asleep. As for teens, if they enjoy poking fun at reality TV and can handle the edgy stuff, they'll find just as many laughs as parents.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Have you seen any of the shows that Burning Love is parodying, such as The Bachelor or The Bachelorette? Must you have watched these shows to appreciate Burning Love?

  • Watch The Bachelor and then watch Burning Love. How closely does Burning Love parody various aspects of The Bachelor, such as the candles burning during one-on-one interviews?

  • Why are dating shows so popular on television? Why do viewers enjoy watching singles find potential matches? What about this concept is appealing or interesting to viewers? Would it be as interesting if the contestants were unattractive?

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.

See all recommended tv lists

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