Parents' Guide to

In Case of Emergency

By Sierra Filucci, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

High school pals reunite as pathetic adults.

TV ABC Comedy 2007
In Case of Emergency Poster Image

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What's the Story?

Los Angeles-set sitcom IN CASE OF EMERGENCY follows a group of old high school acquaintances as they reconnect during a dark period in their lives. Harry Kennison (an over-the-top Jonathan Silverman) is a depressed, divorced greeting card writer who reconnects with former high school valedictorian Kelly Lee (Kelly Hu) who's now working at a Korean massage parlor. Due to a series of outrageous events, Harry and Kelly also end up reunited with Jason Ventress (David Arquette, who's remarkably not over-the-top) and Sherman Yablonsky (Greg Germann), who are also both in the midst of dramatic personal and professional downslides. Through a mixture of pratfall humor and increasingly ridiculous scenarios, the four central characters try to turn their pathetic lives -- which are filled with rather dark demons (eating disorder, white collar crime, prostitution, sociopathic issues) -- back into the hope-filled ones they were when they graduated high school.

Is It Any Good?

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

Older teens might find the physical humor and the twisted comedy appealing, but parents will want younger kids to steer clear. The humor in In Case of Emergency is very male-oriented and includes a handful of potentially offensive elements involving women (hints of domestic violence, incidents of prostitution, general absence of women), while simultaneously painting men in a pretty clueless light.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how people change after high school. How have parents changed? What changes are they happy about? Not so happy about? Where do teens see themselves in 10 or 15 years? What could stand in the way of teens meeting their goals for the future? The media often presents unrealistic visions of high school life; do you think this version of post-high school life is any more accurate?

TV Details

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