Parents' Guide to

Mork & Mindy

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 7+

Goofy '70s alien sitcom is fun; expect some innuendo.

TV Syndicated Comedy 1978
Mork & Mindy Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

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age 9+

Based on 2 parent reviews

mrsherby
mrsherby Parent of 10-year-old
May 20, 2022
age 8+

It will be cherished forever. Just silly and fun perfect for a 15 minute laugh.

stagr
stagr Adult
August 14, 2020
age 10+

very silly & fun

It’s is hilarious with Mork behaving super silly in regular settings. It does have some sexual innuendos, mild kissing but no inappropriate sexual scenes. The program is based on a martian, Mork, that lives with a single white women., Mindy. Mindy lets Mork live with her while he is learning about humans. The show usually ends with Mork reporting his lessons learned & observed of humans to his martian leader. No violence, just super silly humor.

This title has:

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What's the Story?

MORK & MINDY was a half-hour television sitcom that aired on ABC from 1978 to 1982 and was a huge smash amongst grade schoolers and tweens. Mork (Robin Williams) is an alien from planet Ork, banished for having a sense of humor on a planet where emotions have been forbidden. He is sent to Earth and commanded to report back mentally to his superior, Orson, on the way human beings function. Mork is taken in by Mindy (Pam Dawber), a Boulder woman who works in her father's music store. She quickly learns Mork is an alien and agrees to let him live in her house, in exchange for him teaching her what life is like on Ork. Each episode centers on Mork learning something new about human behavior, and ends with him explaining what he learned to Orson, which usually drives home some moral lesson.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (3 ):

You watch this show and you know why Robin Williams became an instant mega-star. He is funny, manic, winsome, and adorable, and lost in the world as he is, very easy for kids to relate to. Williams also has terrific chemistry with Dawber that has not faded with time, even as some of the dialogue begs for eye rolls. The special effects are silly but imaginative. Kids love the way Mork drinks with a finger and shakes hands with a cheerful "nanu nanu."

The downside is typical of '70s television. It's just a little too sexy to be worry-free. Mork and Mindy live together, and other characters are always assuming they're romantically involved, which leads to lots of leers and winks. Mork gets jealous of Mindy having dates, and they eventually fall in love. It's pretty innocent, for the most part, and many kids may not tune in to the sexy stuff, but it's there.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the funny things Mork does. Do you ever do things that make people laugh when you're not making a joke? How does that make you feel? Is it fun to watch that happening to someone else on television?

  • Mindy's father doesn't like Mork because he thinks Mork is weird. Is that a good reason to dislike someone? If not, what are good reasons? Can someone be weird, and still nice?

  • Mork's stated purpose is to report back to Ork on life on Earth. If you were to report back to someone on your family, what would you say?

TV Details

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