Crime
The Lowdown
FX’s show ‘The Lowdown’ features an all-star cast, but its all-problems content makes it unapproachable for families.
Sisters Callie and Mariana have had … interesting … lives.
For starters, they aren’t biological sisters. They’re the adopted daughters of moms Lena and Stef from ABC’s The Fosters.
I could say their family dynamics have also been interesting, but let’s be honest: That’d be an understatement. Their family has had more drama than a Kardashian wedding.
Callie once had sex with her then-foster brother Brandon. Mariana nearly got pregnant after losing her virginity to Callie’s drunken ex-boyfriend. And their brothers have dealt with physical abuse, statutory rape and abortion.
But now the girls are grown. They’re living together at the Coterie in Los Angeles (a community home for young professionals). Callie is rising through the ranks in her law career, and Mariana is finding her niche in the tech industry.
Unfortunately, “grown” doesn’t mean “mature.” Because while these young ladies have more or less recovered from the trauma of their childhoods, they’re still making decisions that will haunt them the rest of their lives.
Since neither Callie nor Mariana had a happy romantic ending when The Fosters went off-air, this series aims to give them (and audiences obsessed with them) a second chance at that.
Unfortunately for us, that means lots of drama—usually revolving around premarital sex and LGBT plot twists.
Nobody respects the sanctity of marriage here, or even the sanctity of monogamy for that matter. (One of their Coterie cohorts turns down an offer from an old beau to pursue a relationship with another man and woman.) And considering one of their moms used to hand out condoms like candy (not that anyone is using them based on the number of unplanned pregnancies that occur), I guess we really shouldn’t be surprised.
The show has other issues—mild language, moral and ethical quandaries, immodest outfit choices, irresponsibility with drugs and alcohol, etc. But honestly, the show could have just shortened its title to “Trouble” and it would’ve been a lot more accurate.
Callie receives a verdict for her long-time defense client. Mariana and other Coterie residents reconsider their romantic relationships.
Several couples kiss and dance (including same-sex couplings). A woman dates a man and woman simultaneously. Someone makes a crude reference to sex. We see some trans people in the background. Women wear revealing outfits (and one reveals a tattoo on her chest).
A man confesses to the accidental murder of his boyfriend. The information is then used to blackmail his father. A woman in hiding refuses to cooperate with the FBI in convicting her husband because she’s scared he will find her and kill her if she does.
A man wrecks his art studio when he learns his daughter (who lives in Australia with his ex-wife) doesn’t want to visit him. He regrets not being present in her life and urges a man whose ex-girlfriend is pregnant not to let her move away.
People drink alcohol. Someone hints at arson. People lie. Someone references the “universe.” We hear a few uses of the s-word and “h—.”
Emily studied film and writing when she was in college. And when she isn’t being way too competitive while playing board games, she enjoys food, sleep, and geeking out with her husband indulging in their “nerdoms,” which is the collective fan cultures of everything they love, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate and Lord of the Rings.
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