''SMILF'' is an American

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

starring, created, written, and directed by

Frankie Shaw Rachel Frances Shaw (born ) is an American actress, writer and director. She is best known for playing Bridgette Bird on the Showtime (TV network), Showtime series ''SMILF,'' based on the 2015 short film of the same title, which she wrote, dire ...

. It was based on her short film of the same title. The series premiered on Showtime on November 5, 2017. The series' name, SMILF, is a play on the term " MILF", with the "S" standing for "single", or "Southie" (a nickname for

South Boston South Boston (colloquially known as Southie) is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay (Boston Harbor), Dorchester Bay. It has under ...

), or both. On November 29, 2017, Showtime renewed the series for a second season.

Rosie O'Donnell Roseann O'Donnell (born March 21, 1962) is an American talk show host, comedian, and actress. She began her comedy career as a teenager and received her breakthrough on the television series ''Star Search'' in 1984. After a series of television ...

co-stars as Tutu, the mother of Shaw's character Bridgette.

Roseanne Barr Roseanne Cherrie Barr (born November 3, 1952), also known mononymously as Roseanne, is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer. She began her career in stand-up comedy before gaining acclaim in the television sitcom ''Roseanne'' (19 ...

was supposed to take on the role of Tutu, but due to a knee injury and subsequent surgery, she could not do so.

Connie Britton Connie Britton (born Constance Elaine Womack; March 6, 1967) is an American actress. Her accolades include nominations for five Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. She gained prominence for her roles in the television series ''S ...

has a recurring role as Ally, Bridgette's boss. Miguel Gomez and

Samara Weaving Samara Weaving (born 23 February 1992) is an Australian actress and model. She gained attention for her work in Australian television, appearing on the series '' Out of the Blue'' (2008) and receiving an AACTA Award nomination for playing Ind ...

are also in the cast, as well as Raven Goodwin, who first appeared in a recurring role but was promoted to a starring role in the second season. On December 17, 2018, ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' published an exclusive report that cast and crew members were alleging misconduct on the set, including "inappropriately handled sex scenes", and that co-star Weaving had left the production over breach of contract in the filming of a sex scene. On March 8, 2019, a few days after the fourth episode of season two was broadcast, the series was canceled by

ABC Signature ABC Signature was a production arm of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), which is a subsidiary of Disney Television Studios, a sub-division of the Disney Entertainment business segment and division of The Walt Disney Company. The studio ...

, who also suspended a future production deal with Shaw. Showtime played out the full run of season two, with the final episode airing on March 31, 2019.

Cast

Main

as Bridgette * Miguel Gomez as Rafi *

as Nelson Rose *

as Tutu * Raven Goodwin as Eliza *Anna and Alexandra Reimer as Larry

Recurring

as Ally *

Blake Clark Blake Clark is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known as Chet Hunter on '' Boy Meets World'' and Harry Turner on '' Home Improvement''. Clark has voiced Slinky Dog in the ''Toy Story'' franchise starting with 2008's '' Toy Sto ...

as Joe * Mark Webber as Father Eddie * Bodega Bamz as Carlos

Episodes

Season 1 (2017)

Season 2 (2019)

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregation website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, the first season has an approval rating of 82% based on 38 reviews, with an average rating of 6.42/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "A questionable name and superficially familiar tropes mask ''SMILF''s raw, tender core and surprisingly fresh perspective."

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, assigned a weighted average score of 64 out of 100 based on 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". The show was included in a list on Refinery 29 of 'The 17 Best TV Shows For Women Of 2017', which said, "If there's one new fall 2017 show you're going to watch, let it be Showtime's ''SMILF'' ..Sadly, television rarely allows women to be so layered." The second season has a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 7 reviews, with an average rating of 7.33/10. On Metacritic, it has a score of 73 out of 100, based on 5 critics.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{Showtime Network programming 2010s American single-camera sitcoms 2017 American television series debuts 2019 American television series endings American English-language television shows Showtime (TV network) original programming Television series about dysfunctional families Television series about single parent families Television series by ABC Signature Studios Television shows set in Boston