Common Sense Media Review
By Emily Ashby
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Star-studded singing contest is pretty family friendly.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 9+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
What's the Story?
Singing superstars Robin Thicke, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Nettles (Sugarland), and John Legend take amateurs under wing and perform with them onstage in the reality competition DUETS. Each celebrity scours the nation to find two budding artists with whom to compete, facing a panel of the other three stars, whose anonymous scores tally to rank the contestant on a leader board. Each week a contestant is eliminated, culminating in the crowning of the Duets champion, who wins a recording contract from Hollywood Records.
Is It Any Good?
Musical competitions in every form are a mainstay in the TV lineup, and Duets attempts to get a piece of the pie by giving its megastars more camera time than do its TV peers. Fortunately, the format isn't as tacky as it could be, and while the celebs clearly enjoy their time in the limelight, they don't seem to want to withhold it from their amateur teammates. The focus is on the duet partners' ability to complement each other vocally, and some of the performances are so good, you forget to be star-struck and just delight in reality TV's ability to give a voice to some pretty amazing undiscovered talent.
That said, this is a seasonal filler show, so despite its significant star power, it's not up to the overall presentation value set by the likes of Idol and The Voice. There's less flash and a much more hurried pace to the series, which will bother viewers who like to take in to the whole package of a show. The good news, of course, is that this quick pace leaves little time for dwelling on the negative (like embarrassing auditions or emotional exits), which helps keep the content OK for tweens.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about competition. What does competing against others teach you about yourself? Is there any value to losing? What does it feel like to win?
Tweens: What constitutes "constructive criticism?" How does learning how to take this kind of feedback help you to improve? What is the role of a mentor in your path to achieving your dreams?
How does Duets compare to other musical competition shows you've seen? Do you think it has staying power? Why or why not?
TV Details
- Premiere date : May 24, 2012
- Cast : John Legend , Kelly Clarkson , Robin Thicke
- Network : ABC
- Genre : Reality TV
- Topics : Arts ( Music and Sing-Along )
- TV rating :
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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
Suggest an Update
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