Parents' Guide to

FAM

By Mark Dolan, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Tired comedy full of drug references, teen stereotypes.

TV CBS Comedy 2019
FAM Poster Image

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What's the Story?

FAM tells the story of Clem (The Vampire Diaries' Nina Dobrev) and Nick (Tone Bell), a recently engaged young couple whose life gets thrown a curveball when Clem's teenaged half-sister, Shannon, re-enters her life after running away from her mother's care. Shannon is a sassy, streetwise high school dropout who comes to Clem only as a last resort. Clem, a former wild child herself, has since gotten her life together and lives with Nick, a cool communications professor who has a great relationship with his parents. Meanwhile, Clem's and Shannon's father is a macho cop who's completely unapologetic about his bad parenting and has no problem refusing Clem's plea to take in Shannon. In an expression of sisterly love, Clem graciously tells Shannon that she can live with her and Nick.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (1):

A good cast is wasted in this tired, tone-deaf comedy. Teen Shannon is an ungrateful know-it-all whose wisecracks about older people, meaning anyone over 25, are unimaginative, ignorant, and often mean-spirited. And while other characters call her out on behavior, the punchline, and last word, usually goes to Shannon.

Besides the clichéd rebellious teenager schtick, much of the other comedy in FAM comes from jokes about parental neglect and fathers not being capable of raising kids. Humor that relies on these kinds of stereotypes was tired in the '80s, but now it just comes off as irresponsible and lacking any understanding of the current social climate.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the depiction of teenagers in sitcoms. Does Shannon seem like a real teen? Why or why not?

  • Families can talk about nontraditional families. How does the arrival of a half-sister change the family dynamic in FAM?

TV Details

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