Parents' Guide to

The Kids Are Alright

By Mark Dolan, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

Warm, funny sitcom looks at a big family in the 1970s.

TV ABC Comedy 2018
The Kids Are Alright 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 14+

Based on 4 parent reviews

marty99
marty99 Adult
May 9, 2022
age 18+

Obscene Masturbation Jokes

So much for being a clean family show. The episode Timmy's New Hobby dealt with out of control, rampant masturbation (the hobby in the title). This activity by a young boy resulted in endless jokes about a subject most families find vulgar in the extreme. The parents found the Sears catalog in Timmy's room with several pages in the women's dept. stuck together along with mysterious stains on his sheets. The boy's older brother told him he was proud of him for his new hobby and not to be afraid to let stuff fly when he felt the urge and handed him a box of Kleenex to clean up after himself. It all climaxed when Timmy told his brother Lawrence how he did it with his 10 year old brother watching in the children's section of the public library! Gross, obscene, vulgar and immoral behavior does not a clean-cut family series make. Incidentally it was cancelled shortly after this episode ran. Coincidence or moral outrage by parents?

This title has:

Too much sex
1 person found this helpful.
AFishFam
AFishFam Parent of 11 and 15-year-old
July 15, 2019
age 10+

Fun family comedy with retro appeal

Set in the 1970's a large Catholic family full of boys who all have unique personalities get into hijinks that remind me of the Brady Bunch. As a child of the 70's I get a kick out of the cultural references and nostalgia. My kids think the show is hilarious and love the way the brothers torture each other/love each other. It's also fun to see the way parenting of the 70's is portrayed - it's the opposite of helicopter parenting of today. Overall, a family-friendly show that's fun week after week.
See all 4 parent reviews

What's the Story?

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT takes us back to 1972 in a Southern California suburb and that's where we meet the Cleary family: Mike (Michael Cudlitz), Peggy (Mary McCormack), and their eight sons ranging in age from 20 down to a year old. Middle son Timmy serves as the entry point and it's his nostalgic, adult voiceover that introduces the viewer to the sprawling family. Devout Catholics, Mike and Peggy are proudest of their older son, Lawrence who has just come home to visit from his first year at the seminary. Even though he wears his hair long and has a beard, Lawrence is given a pass by his conservative parents because they're just so excited at the prospects of having a priest in the family. However when Lawrence decides to leave the seminary to go find himself and Timmy decides he wants to be in show business, the Cleary's hectic household is going to have to learn to adjust with the times.

Is It Any Good?

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

Nostalgic and good-hearted, this series uses the familiar convention of an adult narrator looking back and commenting on his quirky childhood. While it may be a little derivative, The Kids Are Alright more than makes up for it in well-done period detail and strong acting from Cudlitiz and McCormack. The challenge may be in giving each of the sons enough screen time to make the breadth of the family worthwhile from a story perspective, but it's a fun premise with lots of potential.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about different styles of parenting. How do Mike and Peggy use their position as parents to guide their kids into the roles they think they should be in? Does The Kids Are Alright portray this as positive? Negative? Both?

  • What do you think it's like to be in a really big family? Would it be fun? Stressful?

TV Details

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