Parents' Guide to

Save Me

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Comedy about redemption too weighed down in ugly behavior.

TV NBC Comedy 2013
Save Me Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

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age 8+

Based on 1 parent review

orafla
orafla Parent
June 8, 2013
age 8+

HIGHLY RECOMMEND AS A FAMILY SHOW!

I love this show. Joyce Slaton obviously hasn't gotten the meaning behind the show. Mom is a recovering alcoholic. Good and bad comparisons from before and after. Funny as heck. Husband had a relationship while separated from wife and ended it after they reunited. He is very supportive if his wife. Daughter is realizing that her mom isn't so bad now that she "hears" God talking to her. There are excellent messages in the episodes for all family members. I love it and watch it with my 11 yr old granddaughter. I hope it gets renewed!

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What's the Story?

At the beginning of NBC sitcom SAVE ME, Beth Harper (Anne Heche) had turned into, as she puts it, an "angry drunken bitch" due to life's disappointments. Chief among them is her husband Tom (Michael Landes), who's getting ready to tell Beth what she already knows: He's been cheating on her and is about to leave her for his mistress. But when a late-night snack turns into a near-death experience for Beth, she suddenly begins believing she's been touched by God and is a prophet. Now she's on a mission to save her marriage, make her sneering teen daughter love her, and make the world around her a better place.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Anyone who knows anything about the background of lead actor Anne Heche will find it a bit uncomfortably on the nose when she starts ranting about being "touched by God." No doubt the actor's personal history was meant to be a postmodern touch of irony. Instead, it just adds extra discomfort to the full load already onscreen. The Harpers are not nice people. They snipe at each other and ignore their daughter, who fills the affection gap with "booty calls" from a horny neighbor.

The people who fill their world are not nice, either. Neighbors gossip endlessly about Beth and avoid her, though Beth manages to bridge the gap a little by giving one neighbor advice to give her husband more oral sex. Magically, that solves all the couple's marital problems, and the husband raves to his friends how awesome his life is now. Ugh, ugh, and more ugh. If all this were funnier, we could forgive the crudity and meanness; if it were sweeter, we could forgive the lack of laughs. Instead, what we have her is sitcom fakery of the worst kind: People acting unlike real people for laughs that never arrive. What a waste of a talented cast.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the storyline. Are we supposed to take the goings on on Save Me seriously? Is the plot realistic? How? How is it over the top? What reaction are we supposed to have to these people's lives?

  • Read up on the personal life of Save Me's lead, Anne Heche. Why do you think this actor was chosen to play this role? Did her personal history play into the decision?

  • Turn down the sound on your set and watch a scene of Save Me. Who is the main character in the scene? What can you learn about what's going on by how the characters are dressed, lighted, and filmed?

TV Details

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