Parents' Guide to

Mixology

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Disturbing messages about sex wrapped up in comedy.

TV ABC Comedy 2014
Mixology Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

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What's the Story?

One night. One bar. A bunch of single people, looking for love. That's the high-concept setup for MIXOLOGY, the new comedy by the creators of The Hangover. In one unnamed New York City bar, recently dumped Tom (Blake Lee) is looking to dive back into the dating pool with the encouragement of his college buddies, handsome player Cal (Craig Frank) and smart-alecky ginger Bruce (Andrew Santino). At the same time, beautiful but blunt attorney Maya (Ginger Gozanga) is trying to convince Liv (Kate Simses) to dump her boring fiance, which is getting easier due to the temptations of failed dot-com entrepreneur Ron (Adam Campbell). Presiding over the whole scene is darkly handsome, enigmatic bartender Dominic (Adan Canto) and bubbly waitress Kacey (Vanessa Lengies). Which one of these characters will find each other as the night wears on? You'll have to watch and see.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (2 ):

As Mixology's creators proved in the hilarious The Hangover, they can write a good quip. "You're a Viking," Tom's pals tell him in an attempt to get him to "man up" enough to approach a beautiful woman at the bar. "You rape and pillage and take what's yours." Then he pauses. "Well, obviously, you don't rape." Ha! Unexpected, and pretty clever. Just as viewers are wincing over the hideously politically incorrect and potentially illegal advice, the show circles around and subverts it with a laugh. Nicely done. If only all the jokes were as fresh or, better yet, delivered by characters who seem to be actual characters, not types delivering quips.

All the raunchy sex talk is a bit of a turnoff as well. Not because it's blue, but because it's tired. Listening to a bunch of horny guys scheming to get sex was last hilarious in approximately 1982, when Porky's came out. These days, it's an embarrassment. Having the female characters similarly looking for love, or what passes for it for one night, doesn't really help, because the women, too, come off as one-note, unrealistic, and trope-ish. Teenagers are the only ones likely to find any of this funny, but parents won't want them to watch, no, ma'am, no, sir. So who is this show aimed at? The slim audience segment that enjoyed The Hangover Part III, perhaps?

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how realistic the show is. Do the characters come off as real people? Do they talk like real people? Parents: Does Mixology reflect your experiences?

  • Most of the characters on Mixology look to be in their late twenties or earlier thirties, and most are physically attractive. Why would this be? If you look around at a nightspot, do the people you see there look like the people on Mixology?

  • What audience do you think Mixology is trying to attract? Men, women? Seniors, teenagers, thirtysomethings? Would it surprise you to learn that the show was created and written by a pair of male writers? Does it seem like the show is attempting to appeal more to male viewers?

TV Details

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