Parents' Guide to

Mad About You

By Sierra Filucci, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Domestic humor fine for young teens and up.

TV NBC , Spectrum Comedy 1992
Mad About You Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

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age 15+

Based on 3 parent reviews

Gabriel G.
Gabriel G. Parent of 10-year-old
December 20, 2019
age 15+

Seriado bom

O Seriado é muito bom, mas é sobre um casal recém casados, envolvendo conversas sexuais, e temas mais para adultos.

This title has:

Great messages
Too much sex
Mary Shell ..
Mary Shell .. Adult
October 19, 2017
age 18+

Great show about a young, newly wed couple, and all that entails.

This is a terrific show for adults, but children & teens are not the target market. The subject matter is adult in nature, and, while it is not terribly explicit or gratuitous, it really isn't appropriate for children.

This title has:

Too much sex
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

MAD ABOUT YOU was a long-running 1990s sitcom that followed the lives of New York City marrieds Paul (Paul Reiser) and Jamie Buchman (Helen Hunt). The Buchmans live a comfortable life in Manhattan. Paul is a documentary filmmaker, and Jamie works in public relations. The show is based around the pair having to work out trivial domestic disputes -- with the occasional bigger issue popping up. On the periphery of Paul and Jamie's lives are their quirky family members and friends. Jamie's sister Lisa (Anne Ramsay) is crabby and forever in therapy dealing with her eating disorder, her jealousy of Jamie, and other myriad issues related to her and Jamie's parents (their mother is played by Carol Burnett). Ira Buchman (John Pankow) is Paul's cousin from Brooklyn who keeps him connected to his roots and sometimes reminds him what single life was like, for better or worse.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (3 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

While Mad About You is certainly aimed at adults, parents will find very little to worry about if teens choose to watch (though chances are most younger folks will be bored by the adult shenanigans). The Buchmans often model passive-aggressive communication, and Paul plays the childlike half of the couple to Jamie's tsk-tsking grown-up, but otherwise the series' humor is innocuous and charming.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about relationships. What makes a healthy relationship? What kind of good and bad dynamics do teens and adults see in the main characters' relationship? Do any of these dynamics seem familiar? What creates chemistry between couples? Are the main characters people you would like to hang out with -- why or why not?

TV Details

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