Crime
Long Bright River
Long Bright River is a fairly standard mystery thriller with a big theme at its core: choices. But its problematic content makes it a touch choice to watch.
Whether you’re driving to work or taking a stroll, you can turn that radio dial to Poppa’s House.
Hosted by Poppa himself, Poppa’s House is the No. 2 talk-radio show on the air.
Why not No. 1?
Well since Poppa’s divorce, the show has come off as a bit … bitter.
Now, Poppa only plays music that his listeners describe as “old-school.” He publicly tells callers on his show to “kick rocks.” And his negative attitude toward women has caused a lot of females to stop listening altogether. According to Poppa’s assistant Allen, Corporate needs something to change.
Enter Dr. Ivy Reid.
Corporate commands that Ivy, a podcaster with a Ph.D. in psychology, will become Poppa’s new co-host for the Poppa’s House radio show. And her scented candles, assertive personality and new ideas immediately annoy Poppa.
And although their personalities clash, Poppa and Ivy at the radio station must work together to bring Poppa’s House back up to the top.
But the radio station isn’t the only concern in Poppa’s life. Poppa’s adult son, Damon, is having troubles of his own.
After graduating from film school, Damon landed a job as a successful foam roller salesman to support his wife and kids. The only issue is that he hates every second of it.
Damon wants to chase his dream of becoming a director, but he recognizes the importance of taking care of his family. Poppa supports and inspires these aspirations as Damon struggles to balance his dreams and duties.
Like most family-based TV sitcoms, CBS’ Poppa’s House has constructive and concerning elements.
True to its TV-14 rating, the show employs profanity, including “d–n,” “a–” and misuses of God’s name. Characters utilize sexual references and innuendos as a primary source of comedy, and while these comments are not particularly graphic, they are extremely frequent.
And as you may have already noticed, Poppa has a complicated relationship with women. Throughout the first episode, Poppa consistently makes negative comments about his ex-wife, some of which are in front of his son. And as mentioned, the divorce seems to have soured Poppa’s perception of women in general. Poppa is rude to female callers on his radio show, one of whom asks, “Why do you reduce every conversation you have with a woman to sex?” And Poppa publicly disrespects Ivy on air by telling listeners that she is “overstaying her welcome” at Poppa’s House.
The show also contains a great deal of family dysfunction. For example, although Poppa frequently mentions his ex-wife, he seems completely unbothered by their divorce. Additionally, Poppa also has a sour relationship with Damon’s father-in-law, and the men incessantly insult one another. And when Nina, Damon’s wife, discovers that Damon lied about a job-related incident, she briefly behaves coldly toward him. There is also an ongoing joke in which Damon pokes fun at Nina’s height.
But despite these issues, family relationships—including the good and bad parts—are at the heart of Poppa’s House. While Damon and Nina argue, they ultimately love and affirm one another’s dreams, and they learn to make one another a priority. And although Poppa can be cantankerous, he willingly offers Damon support and advice.
Whether or not Poppa’s House shows up in your house is up to your family. But if you do choose to “turn that dial” to CBS’ comedy, you’ll find an imperfect, somewhat dysfunctional, but highly relatable family.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at [email protected], or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)
Much to the chagrin of his wife, Damon neglects his current job in pursuit of his passion for directing. Meanwhile, Poppa adjusts to new dynamics at the radio station when corporate asks a woman named Dr. Ivy Reid to join the show.
Poppa is clearly bitter about his divorce. He consistently badmouths his ex-wife in front of his son, who momentarily affirms Poppa’s assertion that the ex-wife is “the worst.” Poppa’s bitterness seems to extend to other women as well based on the way he treats them. For example, he speaks rudely to a woman who calls the radio station, and Poppa’s assistant informs him that the radio show has lost resonance with female audiences. Poppa also disrespects his female co-host (though to be fair, she retaliates with equally disrespectful comments). A man slaps a woman’s hand away when she tries to reach for a button.
Many characters display dysfunctional relationships. For example, Damon attempts to justify telling a lie to his wife. He also abuses time at work—skipping a meeting to pursue another career—without telling his boss. Additionally, Poppa and J.J. (Damon’s father-in-law and boss) constantly insult and argue with one another.
Characters make frequent sexual jokes and references. For example, a man makes a reference to male anatomy and another character makes a crude joke about having sex with his wife. A married couple kisses each other.
Profanity including one use of “a–,” two uses of “d–n” and misuses of God’s name can be heard. A character also nearly uses “b–ch,” but he gets cut off before he can say the word. There is also a use of bathroom humor.
Adults drink wine.
After acquiring two tickets to a baseball game, Poppa invites a coworker. Meanwhile, Damon reconnects with a college buddy, who pressures him to choose between his family and his film career.
Damon’s friend from college clearly dislikes Damon’s wife, Nina. Although Damon eventually stands up for Nina, the comments about her are highly disrespectful.
A character implies that he “hates everyone.” This character later insults a coworker, claiming that she does not have any friends. Two men tease and play pranks on people in an elevator. A man makes a joke about cheating on his wife.
Profanity including “h—” and misuses of God’s name can be heard. Additionally, frequent sexual jokes and innuendos are made throughout the episode. In one instance a character jokes that a man has a boyfriend (though this character is not in a same-sex relationship). A male character brags about his sexual escapades.
Adults drink and discuss drinking beer, and glasses of wine can be seen. A man references smoking, and another character implies that he used to have a harmful alcohol addiction.
Long Bright River is a fairly standard mystery thriller with a big theme at its core: choices. But its problematic content makes it a touch choice to watch.
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