Sunnyside
By Marty Brown,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Ambitious immigration comedy has charm, diverse cast.
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Sunnyside
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What's the Story?
In SUNNYSIDE, Garrett Modi, a disgraced former city councilman from Queens, becomes the mentor of a group of aspiring American citizens that includes Griselda, who holds down a seemingly endless number of jobs; Brady, who has lived in America since he was two; Hakim, a surgeon from Ethiopia who drives a New York taxi; and Jun Ho and Mei Lo, the wealthy children of an Asian criminal whose actual country of origin is left intentionally ambiguous. With the help of his surgeon sister, Mallory, Garrett helps the group prepare for their citizenship exams while navigating obstacles such as the looming threat of deportation.
Is It Any Good?
It's exciting to see a network comedy earnestly engaging with current issues -- in this case, immigration and what it means to be an American citizen -- but this doesn't do a lot to make good on its premise out of the gate. The diverse cast is slotted into fairly stereotypical roles based on their countries of origin and tend to only riff on the same obvious punchlines throughout. For example, the defining characteristic of Griselda (Diana-Maria Riva) is that she works numerous jobs, and constantly happens to be working wherever the group is meeting. Ensemble sitcoms have a tendency to grow into themselves; the hope here is that Sunnyside can evolve from obvious jokes to actual character development.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about American citizenship. What is the difference between being an American citizen and living in America without citizenship? What do the characters on Sunnyside need to do to become citizens?
How do each of the characters feel about America? Why do they want to become citizens?
What are the obstacles in the way of the characters becoming citizens? How do they deal with these obstacles? How much do you think Sunnyside reflects the experience of real life immigrants?
TV Details
- Premiere date: September 26, 2019
- Cast: Kal Penn , Joel Kim Booster , Diana-Maria Riva
- Network: NBC
- Genre: Comedy
- Topics: Activism , Brothers and Sisters
- TV rating: TV-14
- Last updated: October 13, 2022
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Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
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