Single Parents

Single Parents (TV series)




Single Parents

Genre: Comedy


Created by

Elizabeth Meriwether
J. J. Philbin


Starring

Taran Killam
Leighton Meester
Kimrie Lewis
Jake Choi
Marlow Barkley
Tyler Wladis
Devin Trey Campbell
Mia Allan
Ella Allan
Brad Garrett

Composer(s): Kevin Kiner

Country of origin: United States

Original language(s): English

No. of seasons: 1

No. of episodes: 7


Production

Executive producer(s) 

Elizabeth Meriwether
Katherine Pope
J. J. Philbin
Jason Winer


Production location(s) : Los Angeles, California

Cinematography: Blake McClure

Editor(s): Matthew Freund

Camera setup: Single-camera

Running time: 22 minutes


Production company(s)

Elizabeth Meriwether Pictures
JJ Philbin Productions
ABC Studios
20th Century Fox Television


Distributor:20th Television


Release

Original network: ABC

Original release: September 26, 2018 – present

Single Parents is an American sitcom television series that premiered on September 26, 2018 on ABC. It stars Taran Killam, Leighton Meester, Kimrie Lewis, Brad Garrett, Jake Choi, Marlow Barkley, Tyler Wladis, Devin Trey Campbell, Mia Allan, and Ella Allan, and follows a group of adults who must venture through single parenthood with their young kids. On October 17, 2018, the show was picked for a full season of 22 episodes.


Plot

The series begins when the group meets Will, a divorced man in his 30's 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.


Cast

Taran Killam as Will Cooper, a 30-something single father with a daughter

Leighton Meester as Angie D'Amato, a single mother with a needy son

Brad Garrett as Douglas Fogerty, an older widowed single father with identical twin daughters who often puts them to work

Kimrie Lewis as Poppy Banks, a single mother with a son

Jake Choi as Miggy Park, a young single father with a baby son named Jack

Marlow Barkley as Sophie Cooper, Will's daughter

Tyler Wladis as Graham D'Amato, Angie's needy son

Devin Trey Campbell as Rory Banks, Poppy's son who has a knack in fashion

Mia Allan as Emma Fogerty, Douglas' daughter and Amy's identical twin

Ella Allan as Amy Fogerty, Douglas' daughter and Emma's identical twin


Episodes

No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date Prod.
code U.S. viewers
(millions)

1 "Pilot" Jason Winer Story by : Elizabeth Meriwether & J.J. Philbin
Teleplay by : J.J. Philbin September 26, 2018 1LBR01 4.91

A group of single parents - Douglas (with twin daughters, Emma and Amy), Angie (with her son, Graham), Poppy (with son, Rory), and Miggy (with son, Jack) lean on each other to help raise their 7-year-old kids and maintain some kind of personal life outside of parenthood. The group meets Will, a 30-something guy who's been so focused on raising his daughter, Sophie, that he's lost sight of just how far down the rabbit hole PTA, parenting and princesses Will has gone. They band together to get him out in the world and make him realize that being a great parent doesn't mean sacrificing everything about your own identity.

2 "Sleepover Ready" Jason Winer Sarah Tapscott October 3, 2018 1LBR02 4.23

Douglas is stuck hosting the kids' Saturday sleepover, and Will uses this as an opportunity to try to bond with Douglas, something he has not been able to do before. Angie and Graham both struggle with their own fear of sleepovers - Graham is worried to stay the night without his mom and not in his own house, and Angie is worried to sleep over with her man friend, Owen. Meanwhile, Poppy helps Miggy come up with potential job ideas in order to help him become more responsible.

3 "A Leash Is Not A Guinea Pig" Erin O’Malley Kim Rosenstock October 10, 2018 1LBR03 3.64

After seeing the way Douglas and the twins are barely affected by the death of their guinea pig, Pickle, Poppy encourages Douglas to stop repressing his and twins' feelings. After seeing how close Graham and Will are becoming, Angie gets jealous when Graham asks Will to go get a colonoscopy to check on his health. Angie then decides to go get a colonoscopy herself.

4 "Beyoncé Circa Lemonade" Jason Winer Alison Bennett October 17, 2018 1LBR04 3.48

After scolding Miggy for not being able to sleep-train Jack, Angie and Douglas engage in a competition to see who can sleep-train the baby in one night. While Angie and Douglas have the baby, Miggy takes over babysitting Graham, Rory, Sophie, Emma and Amy, which results in an impromptu kids' party. Meanwhile, Poppy teaches Will how to take out his anger on the volleyball court.

5 "Politician, Freemason, Scientist, Humorist and Diplomat, Ben Franklin" Jason Winer Blake McCormick October 24, 2018 1LBR05 3.74

Will is crushed when Sophie wants to tone down Halloween and invites a boy over. Poppy and the twins attempt to convince a reluctant Douglas to wear a silly costume. After Douglas finally puts it on, he meets the woman of his dreams, who he is now sure will not take him seriously. Meanwhile, Angie struggles to tell her boss that she needs to leave work to be with her son on Halloween, leaving Graham's costume in limbo.

6 "Lettuce" Kat Coiro Bridger Winegar October 31, 2018 1LBR06 3.65

Will hits it off with Angie and Graham's pediatrician, Dr. Dewan, but Angie worries he'll ruin Graham's chances of getting on the Mist List for the flu vaccine. Miggy tries to help Will navigate how to handle his situation with Dr. Dewan by giving dating advice. Meanwhile, Douglas get sick and, while delirious with a fever, he accidentally reveals to Rory that he likes Poppy.

7 "They Call Me DOCTOR Biscuits!" Maggie Carey Berkley Johnson November 7, 2018 1LBR07 3.78

When Graham and Rory are cast in their school's production of "Grease", with Graham as the lead and Rory as the lesser known part, Poppy and Angie get involved and try to appeal to the drama teacher, Dr. Biscuits, to make changes. Meanwhile, Will is not ready to tell Sophie that he's seeing Dr. Dewan. Against his better judgment, he takes Douglas' advice and lies to Sophie.

8 "The Beast" Josh Greenbaum Lamar Woods November 28, 2018 1LBR08 TBD

9 "Ronald Reagan’s White House Collectible Pen" Trent O'Donnell Ali Kinney December 5, 2018 1LBR09 TBD

10 "The Magic Box" TBA TBA December 12, 2018 1LBR10 TBD


Reception

Critical response

On review aggregation Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 77% with an average rating of 6.8/10, based on 13 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." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 67 out of 100 based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."