Common Sense Media Review
By Joyce Slaton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Reality series lets friends give advice anonymously.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Letter
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
On each episode of THE LETTER, a group of four friends picks another friend at random and then writes that friend a letter telling her how to improve her life. We first see the participants in their normal lives, then they read the letters onscreen. During the next week, each friend must undertake new experiences/steps outlined by their letter, such as taking a meditation course, traveling to a new city to get out of their comfort zone, or taking on a new job. After the week of "tough love" is over, the friends come back together to talk about their week, reflect on what they've learned, and find out who wrote their letter and why.
Is It Any Good?
Riveting and emotional, this show pushes change and redemption, but the assumption that "tough love" is always positive may be hard for some to swallow. It's difficult to listen to (and definitely even more difficult for the participants to read) things like "you are the definition of a small-town bumpkin" and "you're the laziest person I've ever met." It's even harder to watch long-time friends argue over long-held grudges. Participants sometimes devolve into shouting and tears; they hug at the end, but it's hard to shake the notion that these women are shaken in ways both positive and negative. Yes, they may have tried and learned new things during the course of the show, but it's clear that they're often terribly wounded by what they've read, and that friendships are damaged.
Given that, it's hard not to view this show as exploitative, though it's reaching for redemptive. The Letter congratulates on fomenting change and growth, but at what cost? Teen viewers will likely be interested to watch; parents may want to watch too, at least at first, to point out that writing a friend an anonymous letter is a risky way to ask her for changes or point out her faults -- and that anonymous letters in general are looked down on by most people, for very good reasons.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the premise of this show. Is "tough love" a good way to relate to those around you? Does it help others with their faults? Is it kind?
Why are the participants on this show always female? Would this same process work as well on a group of male friends, or a group of male and female friends?
TV Details
- Premiere date : October 11, 2016
- Network : Freeform
- Genre : Reality TV
- TV rating :
- Last updated : September 20, 2019
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