Parents' Guide to

Retired at 35

By Kari Croop, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Cheeky sitcom offers jokes about sex and age.

TV TV Land Comedy 2011
Retired at 35 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

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What's the Story?

Fed up with the round-the-clock demands of his big-city job, 35-year-old David Robbins (Johnathan McClain) impulsively ducks out of the corporate rat race and moves in with his mother and father, Elaine (Jessica Walter) and Alan (George Segal). But life at his parents' Florida retirement community is a lot more complicated than he thought it would be, especially when Elaine abandons them both to paint in Portugal, leaving David to deal with his newly single dad and his own awkward run-ins with his high school crush (Ryan Michelle Bathe).

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Packaged as a companion to TV Land's well-received Hot in Cleveland, RETIRED AT 35 shares a lot of the same qualities that make Cleveland work, including a live audience; a "throwback" feel; and a seasoned cast with proven comedic gifts whose median age skews a bit higher than the popular faces on other networks. Newcomer McClain is fine as a soul-searching 30-something, but it's Segal and Walter who really steal the show with priceless looks and zingy one-liners (She: "If you'd stop with the cigars, maybe you'd get some action." He: "Action implies enthusiasm and movement.").

Retired continues Cleveland's trend of bringing some great guest stars back to TV, including Shelley Long, who plays one of Alan's prospective dates, and Christine Ebersole, a respected Broadway actress who may or may not stick around as a long-term love interest. (And that's to say nothing of the joy Arrested Development fans will feel seeing Walter back in the mother-hen saddle.) Either way, it's like seeing old friends.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the reality of a 35-year-old quitting his high-paying job and moving in with his parents. What are the benefits of "unplugging" from the real world and living in a place where there's no Internet connection? How does David's lifestyle change when he's no longer tied to text messages and constant phone calls?

  • How does this show compare with a comedy like $#*! My Dad Says, and which show do you prefer? Why do generational differences make such good source material?

  • What's the intended audience -- parents or kids? Is there something here for both?

TV Details

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