Parents' Guide to

I Ship It

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Fandom-inspired musical comedy has innuendo, drinking.

TV CW Comedy 2019
I Ship It Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

  • I Ship It TV Series: Ella and Tim.
  • I Ship It TV Series: Ella discovers something on line.
  • I Ship It TV Series: Ella's ex-boyfriend.

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What's the Story?

Based on a 2014 digital short of the same name, I SHIP IT is a musical comedy series about a young woman who uses her fangirl fantasies to pursue her dreams. After being dumped by her boyfriend, fangirl and aspiring writer Ella (Helen Highfield) is looking for ways to create meaningful work. Her always supportive roommate and best friend Tim (Riley Neldam) agrees to start a band with her in order to participate in a battle of the bands, and compete against her now ex-boyfriend. Joined by interns Sasha (Yasmine Al-Bustami) and Denver (Jacqui Calloway), the gang engages in some musical creativity. But soon the relationships (aka "ships") she builds in her fan art have some interesting consequences, and sometimes collide with real-life ones.

Is It Any Good?

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

This lighthearted and upbeat show offers an entertaining look at fandom, which has inspired people to write stories based on popular fictional universes, and create unique relationships within them. This culture is a backdrop to the romantic comedy story world that's also presented here. Highlighting these "ships" (a term made popular on Tumblr ​​​​​) in musical form is a little quirky, but each 30-minute episode is written tightly enough to keep the plot going without allowing the singing to bog it down. As a result, I Ship It is a fun, breezy series that teens might appreciate.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how the meaning of the word "ship" evolved into a popular term about creating relationships. Where is this term used the most?

  • What does I Ship It show us about the role that fan fiction and fan art play in popular culture today? Can you think of popular shows or movies that evolved from fan-inspired work?

TV Details

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