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Parents' Guide to

The Unicorn

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Mild language and innuendo in ensemble dramedy.

TV CBS Comedy 2019
The Unicorn Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

age 13+

Based on 1 parent review

age 13+

A show with traditional values, good people.

I was surprised to see a 3 star rating, then saw the users rated it 4.5 stars, but the “expert” rated it 3. Show 2 different ratings, not just the expert. I am 64. I was a strict parent. My wife and I dedicated our lives to our children, and now our grandchildren. I dislike most entertainment because most of it ridicules people like us, and most of the shows have a leftist agenda. This show is funny, all the characters are realistic, and are dedicated parents. Yes there is a lot of talk about sex and drinking. The main character is a widower with two daughters. He starts dating and has some casual sex. But he stops it because he is a good person and can’t have sex without caring. Watch with your kids and discuss this. I binge watched the show in one day. Check it out on Netflix.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (5 ):

It's not this sitcom is bad, exactly -- it's not without its charms -- as much as it feels cobbled together from the guts of other shows. It has a group of adults that spend suspiciously large amounts of non-work time together a la Friends. It has sweet soft-focus scenes of a family enjoying time together set to gauzy musical cues like you might see on Freaks and Geeks or Modern Family. And it has a parade of glossy women improbably throwing themselves at a man in a manner similar to shows like Seinfeld and Two and a Half Men.

Thankfully, it also has Goggins playing sweet -- not toothily bitter as you may have last seen him on Vice Principals -- and the offbeat line readings of Watkins and Corddry. This is a particular treat when the lines are choice, as they frequently are. In the show's pilot episode, when Watkins' Delia finds Grace, Natalie, and Wade subsisting off frozen food from the dishes neighbors brought by after Mrs. Felton's death, she quips "This is the Disney Channel version of Grey Gardens." However, other moments are painfully sitcommy, like when Wade's first romance-app date cuts it short after he refuses an offer to head back to her house but leaves the door open for later, inquiring what type of car he drives. The Unicorn could have used one more edit, but if the premise or cast appeals, it's worth a look.

TV Details

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