Parents' Guide to

Ordinary Joe

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Confusing "what if" drama has mature themes, drinking.

TV NBC Drama 2021
Ordinary Joe 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 2 parent reviews

Bec1326
Bec1326 Adult
January 18, 2022
age 15+

New concept!

This show addresses the question most of us has had at one time or another: How would my life have turned out if I would have chosen another path? Great watch. Loved it.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Centro
Centro Adult
September 24, 2021
age 15+

Absolutely Charming

Whilst it may not be for everyone, it definitely has a set of crowd that will love a series (not at the caliber of This is us) but working it's way based on the pilot. Not quite confusing if people actually watched it without being focused on their phones..etc. Only problem will be renewal considering it's been out on the death slot by NBC. The acting was amazing even with flawed characters, you get swayed easily to start feeling emotions for them. Whilst others may say it's ambition is big for itself, I say not quite, we've barely seen the capabilities of the writers, so why limit them at the very start. Looking for a wholesome, charming drama that scratches the constant of itch of asking yourself what if questions?, then this is the show for you

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

ORDINARY JOE is a drama series that shows us what may, and what may not, happen once you choose a certain path in life. It's graduation day at Syracuse University, and after the ceremony aspiring singer Joe Kimbreau (James Wolk) is choosing between meeting up with his best "friend with benefits" Jenny Banks (Elizabeth Lail), meeting up with his mom (Anne Ramsay) and Uncle Frank (David Worshofsky), an NYPD police officer, for dinner, or spending time with Amy Kindelán (Natalie Martinez), a woman he just met at the ceremony. What Joe doesn't know is that this seemingly insignificant decision will decide the trajectory of his life. But before he decides, viewers get to see the life that each of the choices will lead to.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (1 ):

This well-intentioned but convoluted series shows three versions of a man's life ten years after he makes the decision that will determine its course. Joe Kimbreau's (James Wolk) life unfolds as three parallel universes, in which he is either a nurse raising a disabled son (played by John Gluck), a single NYPD police officer, or the rock star he wanted to be. Each of these narratives offer their own set of weighty, prime-time drama worthy situations, leading to moments when Kimbreau thinks about what his life could have been had he made a different choice a decade prior. But there's a lot that's going on in each episode, and the seamless shifting between his three possible lives is confusing. Meanwhile, thanks to the lackluster writing, Ordinary Joe feels surprisingly predictable from the onset, and leaves you questioning how far the show's overall story world can really go without it becoming silly or boring. It's not an ordinary drama, but doesn't seem to hit its mark.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about making choices. In what ways can choices that we make today impact our lives in the future? Do all the decisions we make now eventually have long-term consequences?

  • Are each of Joe Kimbreau's lives really a result of that single decision he had to make on his graduation day? Why does Ordinary Joe limit his possible lives to three? In real life, does the number of choices we have about something limit the number of ways our lives can be impacted by the decision we ultimately make?

TV Details

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