Parents' Guide to

Connected

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

New Yorkers film their own lives in thoughtful docudrama.

TV AOL Reality TV 2015
Connected Poster Image

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What's the Story?

CONNECTED is an AOL digital docudrama series that features six 30 and 40-something professionals living in New York recording themselves with camcorders for six months. It stars Jonathan Bricklin, a writer and club owner who's trying to deal with girlfriend Susan Sarandon's celebrity status, up-and-coming comedian Derek Gaines (cohost of MTV's Broke A$$ Game Show), interior designer and former HGTV Design Star contestant Nina Ferrer-Mannino, who's trying to get pregnant, and Lori Levine, whose high-powered job as a talent-booking CEO hasn't prepared her for becoming a stepmother. Rounding out the cast is Rosie Noesi, a local radio/TV personality facing an unexpected crossroads, and Ido and Eli Bendet-Taicher, married high-tech execs who are committed to their children. As they go through their personal highs and lows, their individual experiences create a picture that represents how the people of the city all are linked in some way.

Is It Any Good?

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

The reality show, which is based on the critically acclaimed Israeli series Mehubarim, is meant to show how the individual human experience forms part of a larger, unified social existence within a larger community. Each of the six narratives is presented in a way that highlights the universal experiences we all go through, including love, loss, fear, ambition, and frustration, regardless of whether we're single, married, wealthy, broke, or career-oriented.

As with most reality whos, it's pretty heavily edited, and the idea of keeping a daily video diary isn't completely original, either. Though appearances by Susan Sarandon and most of the cast's media entertainment-oriented goals make the show interesting, it also takes a bit away from the authenticity of the message. Nonetheless, the overall context in which these human stories is presented offers some food for thought.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the series' overall message. Do you think we're all connected in some way? How? Is this series successful in demonstrating this?

  • What is the difference between a docudrama and a reality show? Is there really a difference? Why?

  • Why is this program being offered as an online series rather than a TV show? Would the content be any different?

TV Details

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