![SUBURGATORY Review: Fall TV 2011 [Worth Watching?]](https://fierceandnerdy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Suburgatory-TV-Poster.jpg)
SUBURGATORY Review: Fall TV 2011 [Worth Watching?]
Being a big fan of the movie, EASY A, I was really looking forward to this new ABC sitcom, which many critics have been comparing to the acclaimed movie. Did it live up to its hype? Let’s discuss.
Overview: After a single father (Jeremy Sisto) discovers a pack of condoms in his daughter, Tessa’s dresser drawer, he panics and moves them to the suburbs. Alan Tudyk (FIREFLY) also stars as an old college friend of the father’s, who acts as their guide.
What I Liked: Jane Levy is wonderful in the role of Tessa. And I see can see why everyone is calling her the next Emma Stone. She has excellent timing and comedic chops.
What I Didn’t Like: Well, despite really wanting to love this series going in, it managed to hit quite a few of my hot buttons:
1) The premise for their move to the suburb sucks, and really makes me dislike the father from the start — even if he is played by Jeremy Sisto (who loved in SIX FEET UNDER) — for not communicating with his daughter about sex, and for doing something so extreme.
2) As someone who hates the suburbs, this felt more like a horror movie, than a cute “fish out of water” sitcom — seriously, I just couldn’t believe the father would disrupt his daughter’s life this way. Manhattan is so much better — even when they try to convince us that it isn’t, it’s so much better.
3) Absolutely no high schoolers of color in the entire show, save one, solitary black diversity student who only says, “Hi” when introduced as such. I kept wondering how any place could make a list of five best cities to raise kids as they keep claiming throughout the show, without having any diversity.
4) The main go-to joke is calling Tessa a lesbian, because get it, she dresses and acts differently, so she must be a lesbian — which is such an insult. As the show pressed on, I seriously became concerned for the feelings of any high-school-aged lesbians that might be watching this.
Diversity Report
People of Color? 1 Rex Lee (ENTOURAGE) plays a silly Asian guidance counselor. He wasn’t given much to do in the pilot, but supposedly he’ll be appearing regularly.
Report Card
Show C Diversity D-
Worth Watching?
They would have had me for at least a few episodes with my nerd-crush, Alan Tudyk, but the lack of diversity, the slut-shaming, and the lesbian jokes were a huge turn-off. If I had a high school-aged daughter, I wouldn’t want her to watch this show.
I thought that the lone african american student was their joke of “the token black guy”.I guess I got that wrong.
But I have to say, now when I watch shows, I actually do look to see how ethnically/gender diverse it is. Thank you Ernessa for opening my eyes!
No, it totally was a joke, you got that right. I’m pointing out that instead of casting a show with the racial make up of a suburban high school, they made the same old tired “token black guy” joke that television shows have been making since the 90s, even though most high schools really don’t look like this — especially ones that get named to Best of lists — at least they haven’t since the 90s, when this joke first started making the circuit. I was like really? No, Asian parents or students? No Latinas? Where could they possibly be living?
It was far too cliche, I hope they spice things up or they won’t be on very long. I completely agree with you on all of this@67fbb4b998d96edb0ab42beaa1820a07:disqus
But they did get good ratings this week. It will be interesting to see what happens next week.