Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Prankster show has some drinking, mature themes, and heart.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
PRANK MY MOM is a reality series starring adult children playing elaborate pranks on their unsuspecting mothers. Hosted by Vivica A. Fox, each episode features a daughter or son who wants to play a successful prank on her/his mom as a way of getting her riled up, paying her back for a previous trick she played on her/him, or simply showing how much s/he loves her. Hidden cameras follow as the pranksters, with the help of actors, find themselves in some odd, embarrassing, and over-the-top situations. Meanwhile, the selfless moms unknowingly do everything they can to help their kids, even if it means sacrificing some of their their dignity in the process. When the truth behind the lunacy is revealed to the moms, they are presented with flowers, hugs, and laughs.
Is It Any Good?
Like most shows of this type, the laughs generally come from the reactions the people who are being pranked rather than the zaniness that is created to fool them. But in this case, a lot of the humor stems from the fact that the mothers are anxiously trying to support their kids unconditionally by doing some crazy things, and/or the moments when they lose their tempers and begin disciplining their adult kids for what they are pretending to do wrong.
Granted, pranking a parent may not always send the best of messages. But most of the kids here are actually paying homage to their mothers by going out of their way to fool them. While some of the jokes deal with adult themes, none of them go too far, either. Overall, viewers mature enough to understand the love behind the prank will definitely find themselves laughing.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what a harmless prank is. Why do people play practical jokes on one another? When does the joking go too far?
What makes people agree to be on a show like this?
TV Details
- Premiere date: October 9, 2012
- Cast: Vivica A. Fox
- Network: Lifetime Television
- Genre: Reality TV
- TV rating: TV-14
- Last updated: October 14, 2022
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