“Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!” Season 1 Review
The Netflix original series “Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!” is a modern take on older, too-perfect sitcoms. A young teenage girl moves in with her free-spirited dad after her mom passes away, and they attempt to form a relationship.
The jokes are cheesy and overdone. It is shocking because the lead star and creator of the new show is the talented Jamie Foxx.
This new television comedy stars Foxx and Nickelodeon star Kyla-Drew, known as Sasha Dixon in the show.
After the passing of her mother, Sasha moves to Atlanta, Georgia, to live with distant dad Brian Dixon. Brian is a bachelor around Atlanta and does just about anything he wants.
That comes to a halt when he is unexpectedly fully responsible for his daughter.
Viewers watch the new struggles that both must face while Brian’s father, sister and token Caucasian friend help him. People will also see the development of their relationship and may have a couple of laughs along the way.
Still, people have heard plenty of better jokes on TV than the ones made here. Most of the bits are culturally related, therefore only Americans (or those familiar with American culture) can truly understand it. Also, the jokes have all been said and laughed at before. Nothing is new here.
The only jokes that work here are the classic, terrible dad jokes. The title and the plot of the show go perfectly with those types of gags.
This is not the first TV show that Foxx has created and starred in. From 1996 to 2001, “The Jamie Foxx Show'” aired. It was a sitcom as well, and it ran five seasons.
Some are considering this new series as Foxx’s rebound for a real-life-based show. It’s earned a 6.6/10 on IMDb. Because this show is new, it is unknown if there are going to be future seasons.
As for Foxx himself, most people have probably seen the movie star portraying more serious roles in famous movies like“Django Unchained,” “Ray” and “Just Mercy.” It is a bit odd to see Foxx playing such a silly, quirky character. Watching interviews of Foxx is a strange exercise as well because he seems to be the complete opposite of serious.
That being said, Foxx is the only cast member who acted well in the eight episodes. The guest appearances are over-the-top and corny. Even the main actors, like Porscha Coleman, David Alan Grier and Heather Hemmens, do not impress.
There is also a huge error within the show that many people might not let go of, that being that the show is supposed to be based in 2021. Last time we checked, the world was still in a pandemic. The show does not discuss masks, social distancing, or any of that. It still mentions many modern trends ongoing in our current pop culture, but the lack of any talk about the pandemic makes “Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!” a little bit more difficult to connect with.
The way the show is set up is also much different than others. Like the shows “The Office” and “Modern Family,” “Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!” has interviews with the characters on their thoughts about an event or situation. However, in this show, the camera zooms in on the characters’ face, and they tell their thoughts to the camera mid-action. This is a style of cinematography people have hardly seen before, in the TV world, at least.
“Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!” sounds like a good idea to watch, but...it’s not. Jamie Foxx fans will be disappointed. Hopefully something better from him comes out soon.
Rating: 2/5 Stars
Emily McGlynn is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email esm5378@psu.edu.
