No Shame November! We're going to look into the pop culture that society tells us we shouldn't be in.
You'll find yourself rooting for a show's success before you watch a single episode. Maybe you place trust in the creators or writers, or maybe the cast is too tempting to doubt. When I heard that New Girl creator Elizabeth Meriwether had a new comedy called Single Parents on the way, I felt like I was in a movie.
The cast of New Girl was joined by Saturday Night Live's Taran Killam, Gossip Girl's Leighton Meester, and Everybody Loves Raymond's Brad Garrett. The series follows five single parents who are trying to raise their kids while looking for love and maintaining their sense of self. The adult protagonists lean on one another for everything from care to relationship advice. In time, what started as a pack of strangers who were close to each other becomes a close-knit family.
The single parents are now presented. Scott Everett White is a correspondent for ABC.
The pilot finds single moms and single dads teaming up with each other. The four set out to help newcomer Will Cooper (Killam) get back on the dating scene, a man who wears zip-off cargo pants and has bean bag chairs in his living room. It's an episode filled with over-the-top shenanigans, motivational pep talks, and a Moana sing-along. It's because it is.
Single Parents thrive on the good times. It's a quintessential easy-watch because they are part of it. You don't turn on Single Parents if you want to watch a lot of drama, heavy emotions, and stress. It provides a break from all those things and offers a tender escape from reality. I was gutted when ABC canceled it after Season 2 due to poor ratings.
I'm aware that a show about parenthood isn't revolutionary. In addition to showcasing romantically unattached parents, the series sets itself apart by portraying adults as vulnerable and irresponsible and kids as level-headed and conscientious. The first graders on the show have the gift of sarcasm, college-level vocabulary, and the personality of senior citizens. Single Parents isn't the show for you if you want to see 7-year-olds act like normal kids. You're in for a real treat if you want to be kept on your toes and be able to embrace wildly unrelatable children who engage in stimulating back and forths.
The kids of single parents are dressing up. Burn. Scott Everett White is a correspondent for ABC.
It's easy to think that the show's greatest asset is its diverse cast of characters. The writers' ability to constantly mix and match the characters, and to throw in different combinations of adults and kids every episode to keep plot lines fresh, is the real secret weapon of the show.
The series is packed with comedy, but it also has some mature references, including SNL's D'Arcy Carden, You're the Worst's Chris Geere, and members of the Bachelor franchise. Lance Bass is running a space camp that teaches kids about space and the performing arts, and I would shout out a delightful unhinged storyline about it. Where else can you get that?
A show about a bunch of single adults would be nothing without steamy romances, sexual tension, and will-they-won't-they relationships. Writers convince viewers to ship a pair as seemingly incompatible as a Black woman who owns a feminist bookstore and a white man raising two twin daughters. The series also features a number of romantic prospects. The series ends with a romantic cliff-hanging that won't be resolved due to cancellation. The open-ended storyline gave fans the freedom to imagine their own ending, but they still deserved to see it on screen.
The half-hour sitcom deserved more than 45 episodes. It was a wholesome, feel-good show that showcased sharp writing that shined in silly moments and created depth when appropriate.
Single Parents is on the streaming service.
