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Parents' Guide to

Impastor

By Jenny Nixon, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Bad guy goes undercover in satirical small-town comedy.

TV TV Land Comedy 2015
Impastor Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 1 parent review

dustinr1
dustinr1 Adult
November 22, 2015
age 14+

You can't review something based on the commercials

I had to write a review since the only review was based on seeing commercials for the show. I think common sense is accurate in it's assessment of 14+. I find the show very funny and refreshing. It shows how devoutly religious people have their faults/ weaknesses, and how careless criminals still have values and a conscious. In between there is a lot of good satirical humor. With a man pretending to be gay there are jus too many sexual references, and too much questionable language for kids under 14.
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

Lowlife ne'erdowell Buddy Dobbs owes big money to a loan shark, who sends his goons to collect the loot by any means necessary (ie: by throwing him into big piles of garbage and threatening to remove important body parts). Unable to interest his bartender girlfriend in joining him for a life on the lam -- she dumps him -- Buddy decides life isn't worth living and tries to off himself. But before he can leap to his death from a bridge, a chance encounter with a kind stranger results in Buddy assuming a whole new identity: that of a gay pastor in what must be the most open-minded small town on earth.

Is It Any Good?

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

TV Land is definitely flirting with edgier material than usual with Impastor, and it's mostly a swing and a hit -- with just a few misses. Michael Rosenbaum, Smallville's Lex Luthor, goes Lutheran in this dark comedy. He's clearly relishing the chance to flex his comedic muscles and do something unexpected and it's no wonder: the man spent a decade playing a supervillain. He's a solid talent with a smarmy yet likable charm, but the show does him a disservice at times with humor that's just a little too on-the-nose. Things work best when Impastor backs off the intrusive narration and tacky musical cues and just lets Rosenbaum do his thing. The cast, which also includes Sara Rue (Less Than Perfect, Rules of Engagement, Mircea Monroe (Hart of Dixie), Aimee Garcia (Dexter), and David Rasche (Sledgehammer, Veep) has good chemistry, even if some of the plotlines they get entagled in are a bit over the top.

There's a lot of potential here, as the lead character seems to have an innate talent at helping people in spite of himself, making you root for him even though you should really be repulsed at his often-terrible life choices. If the show can drop some of the more formulaic overtones and let the subversive stuff shine through a bit more, Impastor has the potential to stay afloat just like Noah's Ark.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how religion is portrayed on TV, on reality shows as well as sitcoms and dramas.

  • Families can also talk about why many stories revolve around someone posing as someone else. What makes this a good premise?

TV Details

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 suggesting a diversity update.

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