Chicago Party Aunt
By Joyce Slaton,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Gag-heavy animated series has mature content, heart.

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Chicago Party Aunt
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Based on 3 parent reviews
this show rulessssssss
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Awful and absolutely cringeworthy
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What's the Story?
CHICAGO PARTY AUNT Diane Dunbrowski (Lauren Ash) has been partying for decades, but as she slides into the second half of her life, things are starting to look a little less sparkling. The down-home hair salon she works at has been bought by urbane New Yorker Gideon (RuPaul Charles), who's turned it into an upscale barber shop. Her husband Kurt (Chris Witaske) leaves her once the partying has gotten old, and Diane's more responsible sister Bonnie (Jill Talley) keeps threatening to sell the condo Diane lives in. But the sisters find a new purpose when Bonnie's son Daniel (Rory O'Malley) decides to take off some time after high school to figure out what he really wants in life, and moves in with his aunt to work it out. If Diane can't provide him with an example (at least cautionary) of how to live life, who can?
Is It Any Good?
With a wisecrack-heavy style that leans into adult humor, this animated sitcom is easy to mistake for another Family Guy knockoff, but it has more heart than that. Based on the Twitter account of the same name created by former Chicagoan Chris Witsake, Chicago Party Aunt is at its core a good-natured satire of Chicago natives and adults who refuse to grow up. With respect to the former, get ready for a slew of Chi-town references, from Oprah to Uno Pizzeria to Mancow's Morning Madhouse. On the latter tip, creators Witsake, Ike Barinholtz (who also plays Diane's easily squicked out brother-in-law, Mark), and Katie Rich (who also plays Diane's coworker Zuzana) keep the vibe soft-n-cuddly by emphasizing the bonds between Diane and her family.
The central relationship is between Diane and nephew Daniel, who's getting an eyeful of a different kind of life once he moves in with his aunt: deep dish pizza and weeknight parties instead of quiet family dinners and lots of studying. It's a shift that could be ugly in a different show; a young man breaking bad instead of heading towards a bright future. Instead, Daniel's explorations are painted as self-actualizing. Diane's a profane wild woman out of control, true, but she's also deeply supportive of her nephew. "You're going to be aces, no matter where you end up," she tells him lovingly. Her lifestyle is unconventional, but Diane fully inhabits her life and enjoys every aspect of it, from work to friends to family. Despite her penchant for ragers and sailor talk, there are worse role models, and improbably, Chicago Party Aunt is rather sweet because of her.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about when jokes are helpful and when they can be harmful. Do you find this show's humor funny or offensive? Why do different people have different reactions to over-the-top humor?
What is the purpose of satire? Is this type of comedy all in good fun, or does it attempt to sway viewers' impressions of a particular cause or circumstance? Does this show have anything good to say about American society? What can we learn about a society through its media?
Families can also discuss why this show is animated. Does the animation help in the delivery of the comedy? How might its messages be interpreted differently if it was a live-action show? Does the animated style risk drawing viewers who are too young for its content? What steps are taken so that this doesn't happen?
TV Details
- Premiere date: September 17, 2021
- Cast: Katie Rich, Michael Patrick Thornton, Lauren Ash
- Network: Netflix
- Genre: Comedy
- TV rating: TV-MA
- Last updated: February 18, 2023
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