Parents' Guide to

Sweetbitter

By Martin Brown, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Edgy coming-of-age story nails New York restaurant life.

TV Starz Drama 2018
Sweetbitter Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 18+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Vicky Vale78
Vicky Vale78 Adult
July 22, 2020
age 18+

Sweetbitter is addictive!

Great show for adults, very realistic coming from someone who worked in the restaurant industry for 20 plus years!! Please bring the show back!!!
Cyoung0525
Cyoung0525 Adult
August 20, 2019
age 17+

Modern Show

As with most most modern shows there are implications of sex and sex itself there is breasts along with full frontal at some points along with breast feeding.
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

There are thousands of stories about leaving a small town for the big, bad city, but SWEETBITTER's twist is that the dark underworld of New York takes the form of a seemingly harmless downtown restaurant job. Tess shows up in Manhattan, sells her car, and tries to charm her way into a gig waiting tables. Howard (Paul Sparks), the well-groomed owner of an upscale establishment, sees through her facade but decides to give Tess a chance, despite her lack of experience. When she starts training, Tess is surprised to find that her new co-workers can be edgy and mean; that her charm won't get her as far as she thought; and that restaurant work is more demanding than she could ever have expected. But as she learns the ropes, Tess slowly warms up to her co-workers -- including her brusk trainer, Will (Evan Jonigkeit); haughty waitress Simone (Caitlin FitzGerald); and moody, handsome bartender Jake (Tom Sturridge) -- and finds that waiting tables is a gateway to New York's vibrant after-hours culture of booze, sex, and drugs.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (1):

This series absolutely nails the gritty details of the New York restaurant industry: how it can be soul-crushingly lonely one minute and exhilarating the next. The show smartly uses Tess's learning the ropes as a prism through which to see her acclimation to the city. Though romances and friendships blossom on the show, they're grounded by the fact that Tess is always striving to master every aspect of her job. Each of the supporting characters, down to the hostile sous-chef and the over-it bartender, are incredibly well-defined and add something unique to Tess's growing perspective. All of this gives surprising new life to the age-old premise of the small-town girl moving to the big city, and though it's not hesitant to depict the many rough edges of Manhattan's nightlife, Sweetbitter also captures how quiet and magical the city can feel, even when everything seems to be going terribly wrong.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what it means to leave home for the first time. In Sweetbitter, Tess packs up her car and moves to New York City, without knowing anyone there. Is she in over her head? How does she cope with her new surroundings? How successful is she on her own?

  • Families can talk about adult responsibilities. What are Tess's responsibilities in New York? What are her priorities? What types of things does she have to do for herself that she might not have had to do before moving?

TV Details

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