Common Sense Media Review
By Joyce Slaton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Glam NYC reality series has sex jokes, sweet friendships.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Love in the City
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
LOVE IN THE CITY follows a fabulous foursome of female friends, who bicker, kibbitz, and run their upscale businesses in New York City. Kiyah Wright, Bershan Shaw, Chenoa Maxwell, and Tiffany Jones are real-life friends who have known each other for over 10 years. Two of the women are married, two not; all of them have careers and personal lives, and histories with each other that are knotty and deep. Sometimes the women are the best of friends, toasting each other and their successes over a round of cocktails or lunch. And then at other times, the friends find themselves at odds with each other. But there's always plenty going on with this sparkling quartet as they try to balance life, work, and love.
Is It Any Good?
Would they have named it Love in the City if the viewer weren't meant to make the connection between this and Sex in the City? But though this is a show about four friends who lead glam lives and meet for lunch, the difference here is that these are real women, facing real problems. Well, sorta real: The wealth stratosphere these would-be Carries and Samanthas inhabit is so rareified that problems like who promoted whose international charitable trip on whose Facebook page, or who was and wasn't invited to the opening of the art gallery stand in for the problems lesser mortals may face.
Because it's about a cadre of career women-of-color in New York City, Love in the City also seems to beg comparison to Bravo's similarly themed Blood, Sweat, and Heels. And indeed, when the Love women are arguing and gossiping about each other, as they often do, the parallels are clear. But Love has a sweeter vibe than Blood: Though these women fight, as sisters do, they're also there for each other in the crunch, and spend as much time building each other up as knocking each other down. That's why, though this is more of a treat for adults and mature teens who can handle watching women mom's age drink and carouse, it's not a bad choice for those who like reality about lady friendships yet can't handle the insanely-juiced-up antics of a show like Mama Drama.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether Love in the City is a realistic look at friends. Can a reality show ever portray a real friendship? Why or why not?
Do you think the title Love in the City was chosen to reflect back to another show? Ask your parents what they think. How are these two shows similar? How are they different?
How is the viewer supposed to feel towards the women on this show? Are we supposed to like them? To relate to them? To mock them? To fear them? How can you tell?
TV Details
- Premiere date : April 12, 2014
- Cast : Kiyah Wright , Bershan Shaw , Chenoa Maxwell , Tiffany Jones
- Network : OWN
- Genre : Reality TV
- Topics : Friendship
- TV rating :
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate