Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Post-divorce sitcom has positive messages, weak humor.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 9+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Extended Family
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
EXTENDED FAMILY is a situation comedy about a family adjusting to life after divorce. After 17 years of marriage and two children, Jim Kearney (Jon Cryer) and Julia Mariano (Abigail Spencer) celebrated an amicable divorce. A year later, they alternate weeks living in the family's luxury Boston apartment with daughter Grace (Sofia Capanna) and Jimmy Jr. (Finn Sweeney). The exes are still close, but Julia is in a committed relationship with Trey Taylor (Donald Faison), the (fictional) owner of the Boston Celtics, who's also spending a lot time in the apartment with the kids while she is there. Jim's dad Bobby (Lenny Clarke) is always popping in, too. But Jim and Julia are still connected, especially when it comes to the kids, which can sometimes leads to some complicated dynamics. Nonetheless, in the end, they are all family.
Is It Any Good?
Based loosely on the lives of the show's co-executive producers George Geyer and Emilia Fazzalari, and Boston Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck, this formulaic series puts a positive spin on post-divorce life. Extended Family showcases exes who manage to make things work after their marriage ended, while highlighting some of the trials that come with splitting up, like adjusting to new partners in order to support a healthy family dynamic. While this challenges some common cliches about divorce, Exended Family lacks the sharp writing necessary to deliver well-crafted punch lines, which keeps the series from reaching its full potential. As sitcoms go, it's not very funny, but some may find value in its approach to marital breakups.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the way families change when parents get divorced. Why is it important to talk about how we feel about it?
Is the way Exended Family depicts divorce believable? How does the way it represents divorce compare to other media representations of it in the United States?
TV Details
- Premiere date : December 23, 2023
- Cast : Jon Cryer , Abigail Spencer , Donald Faison
- Network : NBC
- Genre : Comedy
- TV rating :
- Last updated : November 4, 2024
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