Jann
By Joyce Slaton,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Some mature humor in easygoing fame-spoofing sitcom.
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Jann
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What's the Story?
In the 1990s, Jann Arden was a singer-songwriter sensation in her native Canada, with hits including ballads "Insensitive" and "Could I Be Your Girl." But as the eponymous star of JANN, Arden plays herself, slightly gone to seed. She can't get a break in her career or in her romantic life, despite many attempts to change her luck, and generally winds up looking foolish after attempting to put a scheme over. But she's starting to see indications that things are about to change -- will she wind up on top again, or is this one last hurrah before she's confined to the dustbin of pop culture history?
Is It Any Good?
Most Americans have likely never heard of Jann Arden, and as this winsome, loose-limbed comedy proves, that's a shame. Arden has had a venerable Tori Amos-like career in Canada, but her heyday was the 1990s, and Jann begins with her career in precipitous decline. The best gig her hapless manager Todd (Jason Blicker) could get her is middling at a farmers' market just ahead of a father-and-son duck-calling duo, where she gets paid in Parmesan cheese. Her personal life is full of havoc too, with she and ex-girlfriend Cynthia (Sharon Taylor) taking some "space," while Jann's stalwart sister Max (Zoie Palmer) is unhappily pregnant, and firmly demands their elderly mom (Deborah Grover) move in with Jann for a while. But there is one bright spot on the horizon: powerhouse manager Cale (Elena Juatco) sees something in Jann, and wants to help her launch a social media-enabled comeback.
Speaking of comebacks, The Comeback is exactly what Jann will remind you of, with a game star willing to poke fun at her foibles; there's also a whiff of Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, with humor that depends largely on the humiliations a performing career heaps on those who aren't on top of the heap. But Arden is charming and delightful, and the humor is gentle instead of bitter; Arden's relationships with her sister, her mother, her manager and others read as true. You'll root for her, even while watching her fail is so enjoyable.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about fame. What's so appealing about being famous? How far would you go to get attention? Is there a comfortable balance between fame and obscurity? What celebrities do family members admire and why? When you watch this show, do you feel like you're laughing with Arden or at her?
TV shows and movies that display the downsides of success and fame are common. Which can you name? How is Jann like or different from these shows?
Jann Arden plays a version of herself in this show. What other shows do you know of in which the star plays a character based on themselves? Are all these shows comedies? What's the comedic potential in playing yourself?
TV Details
- Premiere date: May 10, 2019
- Cast: Jann Arden , Zoie Palmer , Deborah Grover
- Network: Hulu
- Genre: Comedy
- TV rating: NR
- Last updated: February 28, 2022
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