Parents' Guide to

Single Parents

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Lively, sometimes cheesy sitcom has some sexy stuff.

TV ABC Comedy 2018
Single Parents Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

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age 14+

Based on 3 parent reviews

CST88
CST88 Adult
April 15, 2020
age 16+

Insightful to single parents' struggles, but fair share of inappropriate innuendos

Disclamer: I am being objective in my review. Some of my comments may seem biased, but I am just going by observations of the show. You interpret as you see fit and decide if it's appropriate for you and your children. The show addresses the challenges many single parents face and follows a group of single parents of various backgrounds try to make ends meet. At times, the children seem to be more mature than their own parents. On the downside, sex is trivialized and drinking is a bit of a recurring theme too. Also, the male characters' (adults and children) negative aspects are strongly highlighted: Will, is depicted as immature; Douglas IMO is a satire at machismo; Miggy is flat-out dumb; Graham is ditzy and needy and Rory might be a closet homosexual. All in all, it's an interesting show, but is has some questionable stuff.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much sex
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
Meredith95
Meredith95 Adult
November 14, 2018
age 14+

Who are the parents again?

So I liked this show based on episode one. It had some good humor and all the parents are doing the best that they can for their kids. It was sweet, but super corny and not the best acting. I chose to overlook some of the cheesiness because of the cute moments. I have continued watching it, but I feel like every new episode becomes less and less family friendly. There are multiple cases shown where the single parents lie about having people over when the kids come home. The kids teach their parents more than the parents teach their children. After a certain point I was like “who are the parents again?” Also sex is treated very casually. You would think that a show that showcases some of the hardships of single parents might not want to treat sex so casually. There have been so many comments, throughout the first few episodes, about all of these single parents active sex lives. A lot of times, they don’t seem to care if it is someone who would be good in their child’s life because they hide what they have been doing from their child. One very sad comment that stuck out to me was “Wow, casual sex is great. You guys were right! I don’t even know her last name and she doesn’t know mine. And she is sexting me!” This line was said from the most moral character who had abstained for 10 years since his wife left him, and all the other single parents told him that he needed to have sex - even if it was meaningless. I dunno, but those are not messages I agree with and not a show I would wanna watch with kids. Also there is some language, and one character was married to a stip club girl (just talked about), a child identifies as gay (main character whose mom is very supportive ), and in the sex scenes we usually only see characters (generally men) in their undergarments before it cuts away. Those are the other possible problems I can see some people having or wanting to know about before watching this show.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

SINGLE PARENTS is a comedy series about a group of single parents who support each other through thick and thin. When Angie D'Amato (Leighton Meester), Poppy Banks (Kimrie Lewis), Miggy Park (Jake Choi), and Douglas Fogerty (Brad Garrett) meet classroom parent Will Cooper (Taran Killam) at their kids' school, they realize that he is falling down the "parental vortex," a place where he is so consumed by being a dad to daughter Sophie (Marlow Barkley) that he doesn't know who he is anymore. They commit themselves to helping Will pull himself together, rediscover who he is, and still be a good parent.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (4 ):

This lively series offers some sharp wit as its group of parents offer their very candid thoughts about being single, raising their kids, and somehow remaining sane. From dating and having sex to accepting the fact that their former spouse or partner isn't coming back, it uses quick banter filled with one-liners to drive the points home.

Single Parents features a fun ensemble cast, and you can't help but laugh at some of the jokes. But the cheesy, over-the-top moments make it feel more silly than thoughtful at times. Nonetheless, if you're a parent, especially a single one, it's likely that you'll find some laughs here.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about being a single parent. What are the challenges that come with raising children alone?

  • Does Single Parents offer a realistic view of what single parenthood is really like? What messages does it send about what single parents (and their children) are like?

TV Details

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