Parents' Guide to

The Real World Homecoming: New York

By Ashley Moulton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Original NY cast reunites with language, drinking, drama.

TV Paramount+ Reality TV 2021
The Real World Homecoming: New York Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

See all

There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

What's the Story?

In The Real World Homecoming: New York, the original cast of the 1992 New York season reunites for a week in the same NYC loft. Almost 30 years ago, the cast were young adults participating in the very first reality show experiment. They come back older and grayer to catch up, hash out old arguments, and reflect on the cultural legacy of their show. The format is ostensibly the same as the original, where seven diverse people are put in a house together and their every move is filmed. This time around, the 2020 house footage is also intercut with archival footage from the original 1992 season. The cast mates reflect on how their lives have changed, how the world has changed, and how their views on topics like race have evolved as they've grown up.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Overall this reunion show is just OK. There are parts about it that are enjoyable but other parts that come off as a somewhat desperate attempt to extend the Real World franchise one more time. Later iterations of The Real World's 33 seasons got more and more tawdry and contrived, but early seasons were fairly honest portrayals of young people and the issues they were dealing with in their lives. This reunion focuses on one of those real-er seasons, so it has more substance. For example, the cast mates talk about how Kevin, who at the time was pigeonholed into the "angry Black man" cliché, may have been understood by his White counterparts completely differently in a post-Black Lives Matter era. It's definitely interesting to reflect on The Real World's cultural legacy, but there's an awful lot of navel gazing (and cast members deliberately trying to improve their image). Mostly, it's fairly boring as reality shows go, since the Homecoming stars video-chat with their kids back home and generally seem like responsible grown-ups most of the time.

Adults that grew up watching will enjoy this trip down memory lane, but today's teenagers won't find much relevance (with the exception of the excellent early '90s fashion). However, some young people who are into pop culture and history may enjoy this look back at the very first reality show and how it portrayed young people's lives in the '90s.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how this cast's original Real World season was the very first reality TV show. Can you imagine what TV would be like today without reality TV?

  • When The Real World first aired, it was the first time a lot of viewers saw people talk frankly about race, sexual orientation, HIV status, and other important issues on television. Do you think any of today's reality shows serve a larger purpose?

  • Do you think any of these cast mates' lives turned out the way they thought they would? What do you think your life will be like in 30 years? Do you think you'll still have any of the same friends?

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.

See all recommended tv lists

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate