Common Sense Media Review
By Emily Ashby
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Multiples are a handful, but parents take it in stride.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
QUINT-ESSENTIAL follows the daily life of an Illinois family whose size more than quadrupled with the birth of quintuplets. When Jenny and Pete Ferrill learned they were having not one or two but five babies, they knew they had their work cut out for them. But nothing could prepare them for the joy -- and exhaustion -- of raising a handful of tots at the same time. This series follows the Ferrill family's emotional highs and lows from delivery to adjusting to life as a septet.
Is It Any Good?
Very little about this show will surprise any viewer who's either had a baby or watched one of the ubiquitous baby-related reality series already on TV, but there's still something that draws you to a heartwarming human-interest story like the Ferrills'. You can't help but worry along with them over troubling test results or watch in awe as the babies overcome the odds and develop into healthy, thriving infants.
While there's no cause for concern in sharing this series with tweens, don't expect them to feel the same emotional draw that you might, since they've never felt the awesome responsibility of caring for their own newborn (let alone five!). This touching series is best suited for adults who can appreciate the parents' emotional journey.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about raising children. How do you think the task of raising kids is complicated by having multiples? What coping techniques do you think parents of multiples use to handle the extra workload? What responsibilities does each family member have in your house? How does that help things run smoothly? Also, what do you think would be the benefits of being a twin (or triplet!)? And what do you think you might not like about it?
TV Details
- Premiere date : May 21, 2007
- Network : TLC
- Genre : Reality TV
- Topics : Book Characters
- TV rating :
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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