Parents' Guide to

The Neighbors

By Kari Croop, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

Broad comedy mostly family friendly, but some innuendo.

TV ABC Comedy 2012
The Neighbors 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 10+

Based on 2 parent reviews

onaxhemali
onaxhemali Adult
January 27, 2022
age 18+

Do not allow your children to watch this show!

I enjoyed it as an adult due to the overall family comedy format, but there were some very disturbing jokes the writers had written in for the 10-year-old characters, and it occurred on many occasions. The lines I mention borderline child p***graphy. Also, many s***ual lines written for the adult and teen characters. Does the FCC have any standards anymore?

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
GoodParent11
GoodParent11 Parent
February 15, 2013
age 2+

NO

Tsk Tsk, don't think it's great.

This title has:

Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

When Marty Weaver (Lenny Venito) moves his wife, Debbie (Jami Gertz), and their three children (Clara Mamet, Isabella Cramp, and Max Charles) from the city to a gated community in suburban New Jersey, he prays that THE NEIGHBORS turn out to be normal. But the welcome wagon is more than a little weird -- it's packed with aliens from a faraway planet. Can they learn to live together in spite of their differences?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (12):

While the tone, at times, borders on ridiculous and the premise is, well, downright stupid, there's something about The Neighbors that works, almost in spite of itself. (And it isn't just the fact that the resident aliens have adopted the names of well-known American athletes like Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Dick Butkus. Although that definitely helps.) The comedy's so broad it's practically a barn door, but both kids and parents will find something to laugh at.

Of course, the concept of aliens living among humans is hardly unique to TV -- and for some reason, sitcom aliens seem to prefer suburbia (see also: Mork & Mindy, ALF, or 3rd Rock from the Sun). We doubt these Neighbors will make their mark beside Mork, but the writers certainly could take them to some interesting places.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about aliens and the possibility of life beyond planet Earth. Why do humans find outer space so fascinating? How has curiosity about the universe and its inhabitants influenced art, science, and other forms of popular culture?

  • How does The Neighbors compare to other TV series and movies about aliens? Are alien characters better suited for comedies or dramas?

  • Does the show have a message, or is it merely meant to be funny? What do the aliens' assumptions about the human world really say about us?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

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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