Common Sense Media Review
By Monique Jones
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Bland rom-com fails at tackling racial themes.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Partner Track
What's the Story?
PARTNER TRACK is a romantic comedy series about Ingrid Yun (Arden Cho), a woman who hopes to make partner at her law firm. But as she navigates the boys club that is her place of employment, she also faces the choppy waters of love as she has two suitors vying for her attention.
Is It Any Good?
This rom-com is passable at best, and forgettable at worst. It's most annoying quality is how Partner Track wants to be a frothy, breezy rom-com in the vein of the best Meg Ryan movie and make a sincere statement about people of color in predominately White spaces, but fails at both. A meaningful storyline about how certain professions in America function as a White man's club would be spectacular, even more so if it could exist in a genre that people might not take seriously. But the series isn't interested in the nuances of such a conversation. Instead of it stays on the very top of the surface, focusing more on played-out, 1990s-esque fashion montages than a serious discussion about racial politics.
Even more troubling is that Ingrid (Arden Cho) is in an extremely White version of Manhattan. She and her friend Tyler (Bradley Gibson) are seemingly the only people of color aside from the Latina janitors at the law firm. To top it off, Ingrid appears to date only White men, with another friend (Alexandra Turshen) even making a joke that she has dated more Asian men than Ingrid. The statement, plus the optics, takes a ton of wind out of Partner Track's message. Of course, you don't need to date within your race to be considered down with your race, but it's strange when the main character seemingly wants to live in a fantasy of the White gaze and engage in racial politics only when it's relevant to her success.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about achieving your goals. What positive qualities does Ingrid possess? How can these qualities help her achieve her dream of becoming partner?
How the series engage with racial and gender politics at work?
How is race in general portrayed in the series? How were you affected?
How does Ingrid's struggle at work help you empathize with her?
How did the series' portrayal of romance affect you?
TV Details
- Premiere date : August 26, 2022
- Cast : Arden Cho , Alexandra Turshen , Bradley Gibson , Dominic Sherwood , Rob Heaps
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Friendship
- TV rating :
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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