Melissa & Joey

The constant "Mel can't live without alcohol" jokes point to an issue with this main character that is simply inappropriate for a family comedy. Fellow parents, please, just because a show is "cleaner" than most of the smut on TV right now doesn't mean you should keep lowering the bar and allowing kids to watch stuff like this. It may be "cleaner" in comparison to other shows, but that doesn't make it good either.

This show is incredibly cheesy and tries too hard to be funny. I really have no idea how it is still on the air. The jokes are very lame (e.g., the son uses the expression "Oh shirt!" in place of "Oh sh*t!" when he realizes he bought his girlfriend a top that she already has). The scenarios in every episode are repetitive and simply glossed over to **appear** different. The same themes are explored in a tired manner; themes such as sex, dating, teenage drug use, affairs, self-image, bullying. There's a surprising amount of sexual innuendo in the show, with sneaky references to masturbation, sexual role-play, and more. One episode has a lengthy bedroom scene between Melissa and Joey which, although is meant to be humorous, clearly contains some heavy sexual material. In the show, teenagers sneak out, get involved with the wrong crowd, there is discussion of teenage sex, etc. The language, however, is mild, but there are still a number of basic insults thrown around, such as "moron" and "idiot." Expect to roll your eyes multiple times while watching an episode. This show just does not deliver anything valuable or fresh to the already full sitcom bandwagon. Overall, skip this one. It's not worth your time, and it is definitely not family-friendly either.

I am truly shocked at this show, season 1 and 2 were ok, after that (seasons 3 and 4) were over the top. If you are looking for a show for your families, this is not the one. The female lead drinks continually, teen sex with multiple partners for both of the kids with a "way to go" from both of the lead characters. As we progress to season 4 Melissa and Joey are married, and I am pretty sure there is not an episode that does not show them running to the bedroom. Sex, and drinking are talked about a lot. Now all of this might be fine if the show was on the CW, but it is on ABC Family, I am so happy I did not introduce this to my kids before really watching it first. I write this review. Just to warn other parents about this show, there are lots of reviews stating this is a great family show. I do not believe this to be true, please watch before introducing your kids and make your own judgement.

I watched it with my 10 and 13 year old daughter's. It is a very entertaining show. It shows a lot of struggles that teenagers have in a very humorous way. We enjoyed every minute of it. At times though my 10 year old may have been too young for the content. They mostly innuendo's that she hopefully never even understood. I found that season four became a bit more sex orientated. With Mel and Joe as a married couple, as well as the two kids sexual encounters. Who are obviously much older teenagers. Sometimes felt a bit uncomfortable to watch with my girls. But over all I really enjoyed the show and was disappointed that there were no more seasons.

I will admit that the first half of the first season was a little rocky but after that I think the show started to get its groove. This goes to prove that you can't judge a show by the first episode. It is a working progress. Melissa and Joey have great chemistry and you never known when they are going to box each others ears off or if they are just going to kiss each other. There are so few good family sitcoms anymore that last more than a season. I really hope that Melissa and Joey lasts for as long as it can.

My daughter and I can't get enough of this series. I have it on DVR and have seen the first nine episodes twice- they can't make them fast enough for us. While I wish they would tone down the language- it's just not necessary to make these scripts shine- it's not a deal breaker (we do not use any "language" in my home, so even the light stuff stands out). The other thing I hope to see go soon is Mel's references to her sordid past. While it is true that people can change for the better, and this is a good message, Mel isn't all THAT better yet. At some point, she needs to move on and quit bringing up how bad she was and concentrate on how she should be- so she can set the right standard for her niece and nephew. It seems her style of guardianship is "at least you didn't do this", which is a parental cop-out. Joe does a better job of directing the family, but he's not perfect either. Despite its shortcomings in some areas, this is a spectacular sitcom that I hope will run for awhile. This is the only ABC Family show I allow in my house- the rest is trash that is not age or family appropriate at all. This one is a gem that I highly recommend for high schoolers.