Single Parents (TV series)
American sitcom
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Single Parents is an American television sitcom that stars Taran Killam, Leighton Meester, Kimrie Lewis, Brad Garrett, and Jake Choi. It follows a group of adults who must venture through single parenthood with their young kids. The series premiered on ABC on September 26, 2018, and had a full 23-episode first season. ABC renewed the series for a second season, which premiered on September 25, 2019. In May 2020, the series was canceled after two seasons.
- Taran Killam
- Leighton Meester
- Kimrie Lewis
- Jake Choi
- Marlow Barkley
- Tyler Wladis
- Devin Trey Campbell
- Mia Allan
- Ella Allan
- Brad Garrett
- Kevin Kiner
- Sean Kiner
- Deana Kiner
| Single Parents | |
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| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Elizabeth Meriwether & J. J. Philbin |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 45 |
| Production | |
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| Cinematography |
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| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
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| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | September 26, 2018 – May 13, 2020 |
Premise
The series begins when the group meets Will, a divorced man in his 30s who is so focused on raising his daughter that he has lost sight of who he is as a man. When the other single parents see just how invested Will has become with PTA, parenting, and princesses, they band together to get him out in the dating world and make him realize that parenthood does not mean sacrificing everything about one's own identity.[1]
Cast
Main
- Taran Killam as Will Cooper,[2] a 30-something single father with a daughter. He is a local weatherman.
- Leighton Meester as Angie D'Amato,[2] a single mother with a needy son and a love for punk rock music. She is a paralegal.
- Brad Garrett as Dr Douglas Fogerty,[2] an older widowed single father with identical twin daughters who often puts them to work and an adult son.
- Kimrie Lewis as Poppy Banks,[1] a single mother with a son. She owns the winebary - a feminist wine bar and book shop.
- Jake Choi as Miggy Park,[1] a young single father with a baby son named Jack.
- Marlow Barkley as Sophie Cooper,[1] Will's daughter who is very smart and sensible.
- Tyler Wladis as Graham D'Amato,[1] Angie's needy and emotional son, who is named for the craps dealer in Las Vegas who helped Angie when she went into labor. He is known for dating most of his class. He is easily afraid.[3]
- Devin Trey Campbell as Rory Banks,[1] Poppy's son who has a knack for fashion and love for musical theatre.
- Mia and Ella Allan as Emma and Amy Fogerty,[4] Douglas' genius identical twin daughters who have a superb skill for building and home renovation.
Recurring
- Adam Brody as Derek, Angie's ex-boyfriend and Graham's father, who was in a punk rock band.
- Hannah Simone (season 1) as Dr. Monica Dewan, the kids' pediatrician and Will's love interest
- Andy Favreau (season 1) as Owen, Angie's boyfriend
- Vanessa Bayer as Mia, Sophie's mom and Will's ex-wife
- Bashir Salahuddin as Ron, Rory's dad and Poppy's ex-husband
- Jama Williamson as Tracy Freeze, Will's boss and love interest
- Quinta Brunson as Bess, a regular at the winebary
- Rebecca Creskoff as Big Red, Douglas's love interest
- Jackie Seiden (season 1) as Jackie, a mom at the school
- Steve Zissis (season 1) as Mark, dad at the school who briefly dates Poppy, and is an ex-colleague of Douglas'
- Patrick Birkett as Tony, Douglas's butler
- Lamar Woods as Dwayne, Miggy's best friend
- Sarah Yarkin as Homily Pronstroller, the kid's second grade teacher, and part of Miggy's throuple
- Steve Tom as Guy McCormick, Will's weatherman co-worker who is an alcoholic
- Chloe Perrin (season 1) as Zoe/Bunny ears, a kid in the school who briefly dates Graham
- Chris Geere (season 2) as Colin, a new single parent in the school who Angie is romantically interested in
Production
The series initially received a put pilot commitment from ABC in October 2017, written by Liz Meriwether and J.J. Philbin,[5] which later evolved to a series order with Jason Winer directing the pilot.[1][6] In March 2018, Taran Killam, Leighton Meester, and Brad Garrett were announced to star in the series.[2]
The first season premiered on September 26, 2018[7] and a full season was ordered in October, plus an additional episode, for a total of 23 episodes.[8][9] Single Parents was renewed for a second season by ABC[10] which premiered on September 25, 2019.[11] On May 21, 2020, ABC canceled the series after two seasons.[12]
Episodes
Series overview
Season 1 (2018–19)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Pilot" | Jason Winer | Story by : Elizabeth Meriwether & JJ Philbin Teleplay by : JJ Philbin | September 26, 2018 | 1LBR01 | 4.91[13] |
| 2 | 2 | "Sleepover Ready" | Jason Winer | Sarah Tapscott | October 3, 2018 | 1LBR02 | 4.23[14] |
| 3 | 3 | "A Leash Is Not A Guinea Pig" | Erin O'Malley | Kim Rosenstock | October 10, 2018 | 1LBR03 | 3.64[15] |
| 4 | 4 | "Beyoncé Circa Lemonade" | Jason Winer | Alison Bennett | October 17, 2018 | 1LBR04 | 3.48[16] |
| 5 | 5 | "Politician, Freemason, Scientist, Humorist and Diplomat, Ben Franklin" | Jason Winer | Blake McCormick | October 24, 2018 | 1LBR05 | 3.74[17] |
| 6 | 6 | "Lettuce" | Kat Coiro | Bridger Winegar | October 31, 2018 | 1LBR06 | 3.65[18] |
| 7 | 7 | "They Call Me DOCTOR Biscuits!" | Maggie Carey | Berkley Johnson | November 7, 2018 | 1LBR07 | 3.78[19] |
| 8 | 8 | "The Beast" | Josh Greenbaum | Lamar Woods | November 28, 2018 | 1LBR08 | 3.35[20] |
| 9 | 9 | "Ronald Reagan's White House Collectible Pen" | Trent O'Donnell | Ali Kinney | December 5, 2018 | 1LBR09 | 3.31[21] |
| 10 | 10 | "The Magic Box" | Jason Winer | Joe Wengert | December 12, 2018 | 1LBR10 | 3.57[22] |
| 11 | 11 | "That Elusive Zazz" | Jay Chandrasekhar | Kim Rosenstock & Sarah Tapscott | January 9, 2019 | 1LBR11 | 3.04[23] |
| 12 | 12 | "All Aboard The Two-Parent Struggle Bus" | Pete Chatmon | Alison Bennett | January 16, 2019 | 1LBR12 | 2.98[24] |
| 13 | 13 | "Graham D'Amato: Hot Lunch Mentalist" | Erin O'Malley | Blake McCormick | January 23, 2019 | 1LBR13 | 2.75[25] |
| 14 | 14 | "The Shed" | Josh Greenbaum | Joe Wengert | January 30, 2019 | 1LBR14 | 3.28[26] |
| 15 | 15 | "A Cash-Grab Cooked Up By the Crepe Paper Industry" | Kat Coiro | Bridger Winegar | February 13, 2019 | 1LBR15 | 2.60[27] |
| 16 | 16 | "John Freakin' Stamos" | Anya Adams | Lamar Woods | February 20, 2019 | 1LBR16 | 2.68[28] |
| 17 | 17 | "Summer of Miggy" | Trent O'Donnell | Adam Peña | February 27, 2019 | 1LBR17 | 2.85[29] |
| 18 | 18 | "A Radiant Cloak of Sexual Irresistibility" | Erin O'Malley | Ali Kinney | March 13, 2019 | 1LBR20 | 3.32[30] |
| 19 | 19 | "Win a Lunch with KZOP's Will Cooper!" | Kat Coiro | Berkley Johnson | March 20, 2019 | 1LBR18 | 3.05[31] |
| 20 | 20 | "Raining Blood" | Josh Greenbaum | Noah Garfinkel | April 3, 2019 | 1LBR19 | 3.08[32] |
| 21 | 21 | "JOUST!" | Natalia Anderson | Celeste Klaus & Dani Shank | April 10, 2019 | 1LBR21 | 3.16[33] |
| 22 | 22 | "Lance Bass Space Cump" | Erin O'Malley | David Feeney | May 1, 2019 | 1LBR22 | 2.88[34] |
| 23 | 23 | "Ketchup" | Erin O'Malley | JJ Philbin | May 8, 2019 | 1LBR23 | 2.63[35] |
Season 2 (2019–20)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 1 | "Summer of Freedom" | Erin O'Malley | Alison Bennett | September 25, 2019 | 2LBR01 | 2.82[36] |
| 25 | 2 | "Graham Fought the Bones and the Bones Won" | Fred Savage | Berkley Johnson | October 2, 2019 | 2LBR02 | 2.86[37] |
| 26 | 3 | "Derek Sucks" | Natalia Anderson | Kim Rosenstock | October 9, 2019 | 2LBR03 | 2.68[38] |
| 27 | 4 | "Big Widow Wives" | Erin O'Malley | Taylor Cox | October 16, 2019 | 2LBR04 | 2.77[39] |
| 28 | 5 | "Sport" | Erin O'Malley | Ali Kinney | October 23, 2019 | 2LBR05 | 2.46[40] |
| 29 | 6 | "Welcome to Hell, Sickos!" | Jennifer Arnold | Noah Garfinkel | October 30, 2019 | 2LBR06 | 2.66[41] |
| 30 | 7 | "Xander and Camille" | Trent O'Donnell | Matt Fusfeld & Alex Cuthbertson | November 6, 2019 | 2LBR07 | 2.60[42] |
| 31 | 8 | "Every Thursday Should Be Like This" | Satya Bhabha | Mnelik Belilgne | November 20, 2019 | 2LBR08 | 2.57[43] |
| 32 | 9 | "A Place Where Men Can Be Men" | Dean Holland | Kyle Mack | December 4, 2019 | 2LBR09 | 2.54[44] |
| 33 | 10 | "Good Holidays to You" | Bill Purple | Alison Bennett | December 11, 2019 | 2LBR10 | 3.01[45] |
| 34 | 11 | "The Angie-Man" | Jillian Giacomini | Berkley Johnson & Maurin Mwombela | January 8, 2020 | 2LBR11 | 3.33[46] |
| 35 | 12 | "Welcome to Hilltop!" | Daryl Wein | Dani Shank | January 15, 2020 | 2LBR12 | 2.44[47] |
| 36 | 13 | "Chunkies" | Ken Whittingham | Taylor Cox | January 22, 2020 | 2LBR13 | 2.41[48] |
| 37 | 14 | "Yarn and Pebbles" | Michael Schur | Noah Garfinkel | January 29, 2020 | 2LBR14 | 2.38[49] |
| 38 | 15 | "Chez Second Grade" | Jeffrey Blitz | Kyle Mack | February 12, 2020 | 2LBR15 | 2.44[50] |
| 39 | 16 | "Hip$ for Dolores" | Natalia Anderson | Mnelik Belilgne | February 19, 2020 | 2LBR16 | 2.19[51] |
| 40 | 17 | "Untz, Untz, Untz" | Erin O'Malley | Ali Kinney | February 26, 2020 | 2LBR17 | 2.26[52] |
| 41 | 18 | "Oh Dip, She's Having a Baby" | Jason Winer | Kim Rosenstock | April 15, 2020 | 2LBR18 | 2.48[53] |
| 42 | 19 | "A Night in Camarillo" | Anya Adams | Celeste Klaus | April 22, 2020 | 2LBR19 | 2.37[54] |
| 43 | 20 | "Look, This is Obviously a Sexy Situation" | Matt Freund | Matt Fusfeld & Alex Cuthbertson | May 6, 2020 | 2LBR20 | 2.79[55] |
| 44 | 21 | "A Night of Delicate Frenching" | Fred Savage | David Feeney | May 6, 2020 | 2LBR21 | 2.22[55] |
| 45 | 22 | "No. Wait. What? Hold On." | Erin O'Malley | JJ Philbin | May 13, 2020 | 2LBR22 | 2.26[56] |
Reception
Critical response
On review aggregation Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 75% with an average rating of 7.14/10, based on 16 reviews. The site's critic consensus states: "While the jokes can be a little juvenile, Single Parents earns brownie points for a likable cast and a funny focus on parental struggles."[57] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 67 out of 100 based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[58] Giving the show a B+, TVLine called it "hands down the fall's funniest new sitcom."[59] Caroline Framke with Variety says "even when Single Parents stumbles, it's refreshing to see a comedy that acknowledges a different experience than most hangout sitcoms do," and that "hopefully, with a strong cast and writing team behind it, Single Parents can tap into [plenty of material there] and find a specific groove all its own."[60]
In a TV Guide review, Malcolm Venable said the show "has an insightful goofiness about it that's absolutely endearing, and will likely be a balm for exhausted single parents keen to see a show that knows their struggle is real," but added, "It needs just a little more finesse to find its true north in terms of tone, and how to best employ the marquee talents Meester and Garrett, who sometimes feel underused as Killam's adorkable dad thing hogs most of the spotlight." He also noted that "what really makes Single Parents sparkle are the kids who are "legit funny, deft actors who steal pretty much every scene they're in."[61] The Hollywood Reporter said "Single Parents feels like a comedy that goes for simple snark and believes it's a little more clever than it really is, but then had a bunch of network notes stuck to it about softening those right angles," with "a kind of paint-by-numbers approach."[62] Along the same lines, the Los Angeles Times said the show "takes its cues from the network's other family comedies, such as black-ish, but the jokes are too sophomoric to come close to the brilliance and humor of that award-winning show or the Emmy-amassing Modern Family."[63]
Ratings
| Season | Timeslot (ET) | Episodes | First aired | Last aired | TV season | Viewership rank | Avg. viewers (millions) | Avg. 18–49 rating | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Viewers (millions) |
Date | Viewers (millions) | |||||||
| 1 | Wednesday 9:30 p.m. | 23 | September 26, 2018 | 4.91[13] | May 8, 2019 | 2.63[35] | 2018–19 | 116 | 4.03 | 1.2[64] |
| 2 | 22 | September 25, 2019 | 2.82[36] | May 13, 2020 | 2.26[56] | 2019–20 | 91 | 3.63 | 1.0[65] | |
Season 1
| No. | Title | Air date | Rating/share (18–49) | Viewers (millions) | DVR (18–49) | DVR viewers (millions) | Total (18–49) | Total viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | September 26, 2018 | 1.3/6 | 4.91[13] | 0.9 | 2.52 | 2.2 | 7.43[66] |
| 2 | "Sleepover Ready" | October 3, 2018 | 1.1/5 | 4.23[14] | 0.7 | 1.75 | 1.8 | 5.98[67] |
| 3 | "A Leash Is Not A Guinea Pig" | October 10, 2018 | 1.0/4 | 3.64[15] | 0.6 | 1.63 | 1.6 | 5.28[68] |
| 4 | "Beyoncé Circa Lemonade" | October 17, 2018 | 0.9/4 | 3.48[16] | 0.6 | 1.39 | 1.5 | 4.87[69] |
| 5 | "Politician, Freemason, Scientist, Humorist and Diplomat, Ben Franklin" | October 24, 2018 | 1.0/5 | 3.74[17] | 0.6 | 1.42 | 1.6 | 5.16[70] |
| 6 | "Lettuce" | October 31, 2018 | 0.9/4 | 3.65[18] | 0.6 | 1.48 | 1.5 | 5.13[71] |
| 7 | "They Call Me DOCTOR Biscuits!" | November 7, 2018 | 1.0/5 | 3.78[19] | 0.6 | 1.42 | 1.6 | 5.20[72] |
| 8 | "The Beast" | November 28, 2018 | 0.9/4 | 3.35[20] | 0.5 | 1.47 | 1.4 | 4.82[73] |
| 9 | "Ronald Reagan's White House Collectible Pen" | December 5, 2018 | 0.8/3 | 3.31[21] | 0.5 | N/a | 1.3[74] | N/a |
| 10 | "The Magic Box" | December 12, 2018 | 0.9/4 | 3.57[22] | 0.6 | 1.39 | 1.5 | 4.96[75] |
| 11 | "That Elusive Zazz" | January 9, 2019 | 0.8/3 | 3.04[23] | 0.5 | 1.41 | 1.3 | 4.45[76] |
| 12 | "All Aboard The Two-Parent Struggle Bus" | January 16, 2019 | 0.8/4 | 2.98[24] | 0.5 | 1.31 | 1.3 | 4.29[77] |
| 13 | "Graham D'Amato: Hot Lunch Mentalist" | January 23, 2019 | 0.7/3 | 2.75[25] | 0.5 | 1.39 | 1.2 | 4.14[78] |
| 14 | "The Shed" | January 30, 2019 | 0.8/4 | 3.28[26] | 0.5 | 1.25 | 1.3 | 4.53[79] |
| 15 | "A Cash-Grab Cooked Up By the Crepe Paper Industry" | February 13, 2019 | 0.6/3 | 2.60[27] | 0.4 | 1.16 | 1.0 | 3.76[80] |
| 16 | "John Freakin' Stamos" | February 20, 2019 | 0.7/3 | 2.68[28] | 0.5 | 1.21 | 1.2 | 3.89[81] |
| 17 | "Summer of Miggy" | February 27, 2019 | 0.7/3 | 2.85[29] | 0.5 | 1.18 | 1.2 | 4.03[82] |
| 18 | "A Radiant Cloak of Sexual Irresistibility" | March 13, 2019 | 0.8/4 | 3.32[30] | 0.5 | 1.20 | 1.3 | 4.52[83] |
| 19 | "Win a Lunch with KZOP's Will Cooper!" | March 20, 2019 | 0.7/4 | 3.05[31] | 0.5 | 1.15 | 1.2 | 4.20[84] |
| 20 | "Raining Blood" | April 3, 2019 | 0.7/3 | 3.08[32] | 0.5 | 1.14 | 1.2 | 4.22[85] |
| 21 | "Joust!" | April 10, 2019 | 0.8/4 | 3.16[33] | 0.4 | 1.14 | 1.2 | 4.30[86] |
| 22 | "Lance Bass Space Camp" | May 1, 2019 | 0.7/3 | 2.88[34] | 0.4 | N/a | 1.1[87] | N/a |
| 23 | "Ketchup" | May 8, 2019 | 0.7/3 | 2.63[35] | 0.4 | 1.11 | 1.1 | 3.74[88] |
Season 2
| No. | Title | Air date | Rating/share (18–49) | Viewers (millions) | DVR (18–49) | DVR viewers (millions) | Total (18–49) | Total viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Summer of Freedom" | September 25, 2019 | 0.7/4 | 2.82[36] | 0.5 | 1.26 | 1.2 | 4.08[89] |
| 2 | "Graham Fought the Bones and the Bones Won" | October 2, 2019 | 0.7/4 | 2.86[37] | 0.5 | 1.06 | 1.2 | 3.92[90] |
| 3 | "Derek Sucks" | October 9, 2019 | 0.7/4 | 2.68[38] | 0.4 | 1.05 | 1.1 | 3.73[91] |
| 4 | "Big Widow Wives" | October 16, 2019 | 0.7/4 | 2.77[39] | 0.4 | 1.02 | 1.1 | 3.79[92] |
| 5 | "Sport" | October 23, 2019 | 0.6/3 | 2.46[40] | 0.3 | 0.92 | 0.9 | 3.38[93] |
| 6 | "Welcome to Hell, Sickos!" | October 30, 2019 | 0.6/3 | 2.66[41] | 0.5 | 1.04 | 1.1 | 3.71[94] |
| 7 | "Xander and Camille" | November 6, 2019 | 0.6/3 | 2.60[42] | 0.5 | 1.08 | 1.1 | 3.68[95] |
| 8 | "Every Thursday Should Be Like This" | November 20, 2019 | 0.6/3 | 2.57[43] | 0.4 | TBD | 1.0[96] | N/a |
| 9 | "A Place Where Men Can Be Men" | December 4, 2019 | 0.6/3 | 2.54[44] | 0.4 | 1.17 | 1.0 | 3.71[97] |
| 10 | "Good Holidays to You" | December 11, 2019 | 0.6/4 | 3.01[45] | 0.4 | 1.02 | 1.0 | 4.03[98] |
| 11 | "The Angie-Man" | January 8, 2020 | 0.9/5 | 3.33[46] | 0.4 | 1.19 | 1.3 | 4.52[99] |
| 12 | "Welcome to Hilltop!" | January 15, 2020 | 0.6/3 | 2.44[47] | 0.4 | 1.12 | 1.0 | 3.56[100] |
| 13 | "Chunkies" | January 22, 2020 | 0.6/3 | 2.41[48] | 0.4 | 1.06 | 0.9 | 3.47[101] |
| 14 | "Yarn and Pebbles" | January 29, 2020 | 0.5/3 | 2.38[49] | 0.4 | 1.00 | 0.9 | 3.39[102] |
| 15 | "Chez Second Grade" | February 12, 2020 | 0.6 | 2.44[50] | 0.4 | N/a | 1.0[103] | N/a |
| 16 | "Hip$ for Dolores" | February 19, 2020 | 0.6 | 2.19[51] | 0.4 | N/a | 1.0[104] | N/a |
| 17 | "Untz, Untz, Untz" | February 26, 2020 | 0.5 | 2.26[52] | 0.4 | 0.98 | 0.9 | 3.24[105] |
| 18 | "Oh Dip, She's Having a Baby" | April 15, 2020 | 0.5 | 2.48[53] | 0.4 | 1.09 | 0.9 | 3.57[106] |
| 19 | "A Night in Camarillo" | April 22, 2020 | 0.5 | 2.37[54] | 0.3 | 1.05 | 0.8 | 3.42[107] |
| 20 | "Look, This is Obviously a Sexy Situation" | May 6, 2020 | 0.6 | 2.79[55] | 0.3 | 0.90 | 0.9 | 3.69[108] |
| 21 | "A Night of Delicate Frenching" | May 6, 2020 | 0.4 | 2.22[55] | 0.4 | 0.90 | 0.8 | 3.13[108] |
| 22 | "No. Wait. What? Hold On." | May 13, 2020 | 0.5 | 2.26[56] | 0.4 | 1.02 | 0.9 | 3.27[109] |
