Cousins for Life

The show focuses on a Black family and avoids clichés. Stuart and Ivy have friends from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, who appear throughout the season. The show is gender balanced, with Stuart and Ivy getting equal screen time and subplots. Ivy and her female friends are given agency and often present the male characters with practical, intelligent solutions to the issues in each episode.

Abundant slapstick humor that might seem dangerous in nature but always has harmless results. A haunted house subplot, but nothing extreme in terms of scares/violence. Throughout the season, Stuart talks about his mother being stationed overseas, which leads to moments of sadness. Nothing scary in terms of horror, but the children often deal with decision-making that might lead to consequences like loss and eventual grief.

Flirtation between children of the same ages. Lewis and Charlotte celebrate their anniversary in one episode, but their relationship is filtered through romance rather than sex.

Parents need to know that Cousins for Life is a sweet family sitcom about a Black family embracing differences and learning about the importance of compromise and respecting other people's space and boundaries in order to maintain a healthy living situation. The stories are fairly predictable -- pragmatic Ivy is frustrated by her cousin Stuart's pie-in-the-sky plans, mayhem ensues, and the tweens must concoct a creative way to reduce the calamity -- but the reminders about connecting with family members (even the wild ones!) are hard to miss. Expect a lot of preposterous but harmless antics that the kids keep from their parents but otherwise lighthearted comedy that's suitable for families.