Parents' Guide to First Wives Club

TV Netflix Comedy 2019
First Wives Club TV show poster: Michelle Buteau, Jill Scott, and Ryan Michelle Bathe stand together wearing white against black background.

Common Sense Media Review

Melissa Camacho By Melissa Camacho , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 15+

Adaptation of 1996 movie is steamy, soapy, mature.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 15+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

What's the Story?

Inspired by the 1996 movie of the same name, FIRST WIVES CLUB is a comedy about three women who rekindle their close friendship after their marriages fall apart. Ari Montgomery (Ryan Michelle Bathe), Bree Washington (Michelle Buteau), and Hazel Rachelle (Jill Scott) were once close college sorority sisters, but have grown apart over the years. But Ari is privately unhappy about giving up her law career to support her politician husband David (Mark Tallman), and Bree, a surgeon, is unsure about her separation from husband Gary (RonReaco Lee). Meanwhile Hazel, a once-superstar hoping to reboot her singing career with a new album, is going through a very public breakup after someone leaked security camera footage of her confronting her husband and record label owner Derek (Malik Yoruba) about his relationship with an up-and-coming singer. Soon the women reunite, and find the support they need in each other to restart their lives and seek a little revenge.

Is It Any Good?

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

This TV adaptation is equal parts soap opera and sitcom, with ongoing narratives, dramatic moments, and surprising twists and turns. As the women of First Wives Club find support in their rekindled relationship, they rediscover who they once were, and how they want their lives to move forward. They eventually offer this group support to other women, like attorney Jayla Wright (Michelle Mitchenor), another sorority sister who needs a solid support system to stay true to who she is. But this version of First Wives Club features some steamier moments as the women negotiate their sexual needs and new relationships. It's an entertaining and bingeable series, and one that many women will be able to relate to.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about some of the personal and professional challenges the women deal with throughout the series. Is the way they deal with their broken marriages always appropriate?

  • Are the themes presented in First Wives Club universal? How similar are they similar to those present in the original movie?

TV Details

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First Wives Club TV show poster: Michelle Buteau, Jill Scott, and Ryan Michelle Bathe stand together wearing white against black background.

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