On My Block
Parents say
Based on 28 reviews
Kids say
Based on 93 reviews
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On My Block
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that On My Block is a series about four friends growing up in Freeridge, a fictional area in South Central Los Angeles. The friends are loving and supportive of one another and their flaws, but their surroundings are challenging: Several scenes show men being "jumped in" to gangs by being beaten and kicked as teens walk by; gunfire is so frequent that friends make a game of guessing a bullet's caliber; and important characters die by gun violence. Crucially, the series humanizes its Black and Latino characters, no doubt aided by the almost all Black and Latino writers who developed them. Sex is referred to as "hitting it" and "hooking up" and is commonly referenced along with masturbation and "blue balls." In later seasons, main characters become more sexually active. Passionate kissing, loud sex that's heard but not seen, and other hormonal situations are often exaggerated and played for comedy. A boy talks about a girl wanting to "sit on" his face. Men catcall a young girl and talk about her breasts; she crosses her arms and looks uncomfortable. Teens frequently smoke pot and drink from red Solo cups and beer cans; two friends drink something from brown bags to pretend they're having beer (it's really Gatorade). Language includes "hell," "damn," "goddammit," and the word "bitch" used both affectionately and as an insult. Content matures across the series' four seasons, with subplots about deaths, trauma, grief, pregnancy, drugs, cancer, and suicide. But such heavy themes are more than offset by the show's wacky sense of humor and obvious love between friends and family members.
Community Reviews
Great for everybody
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Please watch it with your kids! Great show
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What's the Story?
Set in gritty South Central Los Angeles, ON MY BLOCK follows the lives of four loyal friends: Monse (Sierra Capri), Jamal (Brett Gray), Ruby (Jason Genao), and Caesar (Diego Tinoco). Since childhood, they've been able to rely on each other. But as high school looms, they fear both for their own adult future and the survival of the friendship. Raised in a neighborhood where chaos reigns and few escape a life of poverty and/or crime, big dreams have a way of fizzling out. But if the four of them are going to survive and thrive, they're going to have to find a way to get through it -- hopefully together.
Is It Any Good?
Delicate, deeply felt, and painfully realistic, this look at a group of four friends from a rough Los Angeles neighborhood is a bittersweet delight. Ruby, Cesar, Monse, and Jamal don't exactly have it easy in On My Block. Gunfire is so common in their South Central stomping grounds that the friends have made a game out of trying to figure out the caliber of the gun just from the sound. Friends and family members die by gun violence or suicide, and loved ones are left to grapple with the trauma. Still, the four friends have found tenderness between them, and they've relied on each other since childhood.
But now things are changing, and each of the four has big problems. Cesar's brother Oscar (Julio Macias) is out of jail, and he's pressuring his baby brother to join the gang. Jamal doesn't want to play football like his sports-legend father expects. Ruby's grandmother's apartment gets flooded, and she has to share Ruby's bedroom. Monse's writing talent might not be enough to help her get to college and make some kind of future for herself. Maybe even tougher: The friends are starting high school, where they have to stick together to survive. That's not easy, either. But in the world they live in, a friend who stands by you when times are tough may be the only thing these lovable, street-smart teens can rely on.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about On My Block's violence. Does it seem believable? Scary? Do different types of movie violence have different effects on kids? Is it unusual to see this level of violence in a show about teens? What part do you think these teens' neighborhood plays in the violence that surrounds them?
Why do you think drinking, smoking, and drugs are so prevalent in this series? Are they glamorized? How much of a role do substances play in this story? Is this show's depiction of drinking, smoking, and drugs realistic?
How do Ruby, Monse, Jamal, and Caesar demonstrate empathy and teamwork in their lives? Why are these important character strengths?
TV Details
- Premiere date: March 16, 2018
- Cast: Diego Tinoco, Julian Lerma, Sierra Capri, Brett Gray
- Network: Netflix
- Genre: Drama
- Character Strengths: Empathy, Teamwork
- TV rating: TV-14
- Award: Common Sense Selection
- Last updated: February 27, 2022
Our Editors Recommend
For kids who love teen comedy
Character Strengths
Find more tv shows that help kids build character.
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