Drama
Alien: Earth
FX’s ‘Alien: Earth’ is just the latest graphically violent entry in the already graphically violent ‘Alien’ franchise.
Gather ’round, would-be chefs. Let’s bake up a sitcom today! First, take a Disney comedy out of the fridge. Let’s see, what do we have here … oh, perfect! A little Jessie will do just nicely. Now, dump it in a bowl and mix in a heaping cupful of CBS’ departed Two and a Half Men. Make sure it’s not too fresh, now. It really needs to have aged a bit, preferably in the sun for, say, a year or two. Now, kneed and beat and froth the whole works up something fierce and garnish with just a dash of Julia Child or Rachael Ray to suit your taste. And what do you have? Young & Hungry, a dish just perfect for—well, no one.
Yeah, maybe next time Two and a Half Men could be replaced in the recipe with some high-gluten wheat germ or something.
Alas, it’s too late for this ABC Family series, a tart and tawdry cookie-cutter sitcom that seems just as confused as its main character, Gabi Diamond.
Oh, Gabi knows what she wants to do: cook. As a young San Francisco food blogger, her professional life revolves around food. Now she has a new gig—serving as the personal chef for wealthy tech wizard Josh Kaminski. But it’s not just the occasional steak being broiled between the two: Gabi and Josh are in, shall we say, a relational stew. The pair got drunk and slept together early on, and after some relational difficulties (including the need to deal with Josh’s fiancée), the two are now an item—the chef’s choice, if you will.
Not that the two have a lot of alone time onscreen. Josh’s other employees are always jostling for their turn in the spotlight too. There’s Elliot, his personal assistant and walking gay stereotype. Yolanda serves as the requisitely sassy maid. And Gabi’s flirty roomie, Sofia, fills the BFF slot.
Starring Hannah Montana alum Emily Osment and produced in part by Disney vet Ashley Tisdale (who makes a cameo as a lesbian editor attracted to Gabi), Young & Hungry has a bit of a Disney sitcom vibe—if Disney characters were prone to curse, sleep around and run screaming from any sort of end-of-the-episode moral. Its two-camera, setup-and-punchline delivery feels very familiar to shows in the Mouse House, and even the structure of the episode titles (“Young & Ringless,” “Young & Lesbian”) have the same gimmicky feel as those we’ve seen for years on Disney.
But these ABC Family characters are, in comparison to Disney’s stable of tempered teens, old and randy. Gabi and Sofia are twentysomethings into the bar and dating scene, and any sort of morals they might’ve absorbed in their growing up years from the likes of Disney have been scrapped in favor of cocktails, canoodles and the occasional very adult use of whipped cream.
Admittedly, Two and a Half Men goes further down the sleazy slide than this series does. And it does stress the value of friendship and loyalty in its own little way. But given the involvement of Tisdale—who, in the High School Musical movies and a host of other Disney properties was both hilarious and clean—Young & Hungry leaves me feeling uncomfortably bloated and craving something fresh.
(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 letters@pluggedin.com, 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.)
Gabi and her boyfriend, Josh, go on an awkward and competitive double date with Sofia and her new beau, Nick. Elliot and his friend Alan, coach Yolanda through a date after she pretends to be someone she’s not.
Gabi and Sofia make out with their boyfriends and talk about moving in with them. Gabi and the gang make multiple jokes about sex, sexual contact, homosexual relationships and strip clubs. Girls wear shirts revealing cleavage. Someone jokingly threatens to kill their friend. A couple lies about their professions. Two guys compete to see who the better man is. People drink hard liquor, wine and beer. God’s name is misused twice and other profanities include “d–mit,” “d–n,” “h–” and “b–ch.”
Sofia tells Gabi it’s time to stop treating Josh as a boyfriend and get back into the dating game. Immediately, Gabi meets a guy named Cam on the elevator. And also immediately, the scriptwriters insert a verbal gag about oral sex. The two go on a date, kissing and making out … before Gabi discovers Cam is only 17. (His mother thinks Gabi is an SAT tutor.)
People talk about sex a lot (including repeated references to the night that Gabi and her boss got drunk and slept together). We hear sexual double entendres and word plays (such as “Oreo-gasm”). Elliot’s homosexuality is used as the source of several jokes, and he crudely flirts with a guy on an elevator.
Lies and misleading statements seem normal here. References are made to dogs urinating on trees and people. Josh throws a party to play violent video games. Characters say “h—” (three times), “d–n” (once) and misuse God’s name a half-dozen or more times.
Paul Asay has been part of the Plugged In staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He’s written for a number of other publications, too, including Time, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. The author of several books, Paul loves to find spirituality in unexpected places, including popular entertainment, and he loves all things superhero. His vices include James Bond films, Mountain Dew and terrible B-grade movies. He’s married, has two children and a neurotic dog, runs marathons on occasion and hopes to someday own his own tuxedo. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @AsayPaul.
Kristin Smith joined the Plugged In team in 2017. Formerly a Spanish and English teacher, Kristin loves reading literature and eating authentic Mexican tacos. She and her husband, Eddy, love raising their children Judah and Selah. Kristin also has a deep affection for coffee, music, her dog (Cali) and cat (Aslan).
FX’s ‘Alien: Earth’ is just the latest graphically violent entry in the already graphically violent ‘Alien’ franchise.
Based on novel by Jenny Han, this series follows the complex love life of Belly, a young girl caught between two boys who are childhood friends as she joins the world of debutantes.
In Nickelodeon’s preschool cartoon Tim Rex in Space, Tim and his T-Rex family solve problems together.
Good as its name, Prime Video’s ‘Butterfly’ is a flyaway thing. But its content can sting like a bee.
