“The Real O’Neals” is the newest sitcom on ABC — a network whose comedy lineup focuses on variations of the traditional family unit. After the success of “Modern Family,” along came “The Goldbergs,” “Black-ish,” “Fresh Off the Boat” and now “The Real O’Neals.” This latest take on the somewhat overdone sitcom premise follows the O’Neal family, an Irish Catholic family whose secrets come to surface.
Of course, those secrets are huge bombshells in the first episode, and neatly set up the premise for the rest of the series. We quickly find out that the loving Catholic parents are not actually so loving, and are close to divorce. On top of that, the central character — Kenny O’Neal (Noah Galvin) — comes out to his parents as gay.
Kenny’s identity cracks into why “The Real O’Neals” is interesting. Mother of the family Eileen O’Neal (Martha Plimpton) is a devout Catholic, and the revelation that her middle son is gay throws huge wrinkles into her idea of the “perfect” family. The Catholic conservatism is a stage upon which more progressive topics like gay people and — to a certain extent — divorce are able to take the spotlight.
“The Real O’Neals” showcases a gay character, and with this has come a lot of controversy. Various groups have come out condemning the show, claiming it wrongly portrays Irish-Americans and Catholics. However, most of these complaints were made before the show even premiered. In reality, “The Real O’Neals” doesn’t mock Catholicism for its conservatism, and it’s even strangely refreshing to see a family on television that is both not a stereotypically normal family and still religious.
The core cast playing the O’Neal family is another reason to indulge in the series. Martha Plimpton is incredible as the matriarch of the family. Plimpton recently gained fame from her turn in the cult favorite “Raising Hope”, and her incredible recurring guest role in “The Good Wife.” Plimpton brilliantly encompasses the religious mother, while also portraying sincere love and support of her children.
Perhaps the great find of this show is its lead actor Galvin, who narrates the series and delivers some stellar punchlines, while also being a new face of LGBT representation on television.
Even with this clever take on the ABC format, the show does fall into some traditional sitcom traps. There is a ditzy adult friend to the family who seems overdone, and some of the plot points of the first episodes feel recycled. Yet these shortcomings could just be growing pains for “The Real O’Neals,” as the sitcom has time to find its voice going forward.
“The Real O’Neals” is ultimately a progressive show in the dress of a conventional sitcom — in particular, it’s excellent for LGBT visibility. With this crowded family-centric sitcom world, it would be easy to see “The Real O’Neals” flop in an already overdone family-sitcom environment. But this show is a refreshing, new take on the on the genre that might just have the strength to last.
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