''SMILF'' is an American

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

starring, created, written, and directed by

Frankie Shaw Rachel Frances Shaw (born 1981) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is best known for playing Bridgette Bird on the Showtime series ''SMILF,'' based on the 2015 short film of the same title, which she wrote, directed and starred in. Shaw ...

. It was based on her short film of the same title. The series premiered on

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

on November 5, 2017. The series' name, SMILF, is a play on the term "

MILF MILF (, as if read as "milf") is an acronym that stands for "Mother I'd Like to Fuck". This abbreviation is used in colloquial English, instead of the whole phrase. It connotes an older woman considered sexually attractive, typically one who has ...

", with the "S" standing for "single", or "Southie" (a nickname for

South Boston South Boston is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay. South Boston, colloquially known as Southie, has undergone several demographic transformati ...

), 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 comedian, television producer, actress, author, and television personality. She began her comedy career as a teenager and received her breakthrough on the television series ''Star Search'' ...

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

Roseanne Barr Roseanne Cherrie Barr (born November 3, 1952) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and former presidential candidate. Barr began her career in stand-up comedy before gaining acclaim in the television sitcom '' Roseanne'' (1988– ...

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

Connie Britton Constance Elaine Britton ( Womack; born March 6, 1967) is an American actress. Britton made her feature film debut in the independent comedy-drama film ''The Brothers McMullen'' (1995), and the following year, she was cast as Nikki Faber on the ...

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 began her career in her home country, playing Kirsten Mulroney on the drama series '' Out of the Blue'' (2008). She came to prominence with her portrayal of Indi Wa ...

are also in the cast, as well as

Raven Goodwin Raven Shamira Goodwin is an American actress. She made her debut with the comedy film ''Lovely & Amazing'' (2001), which earned her an Independent Spirit Award nomination, and next received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for her role in ...

, 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 is an American television production studio that is a subsidiary of Disney Television Studios, a division of Walt Disney Television, which is part of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Company. T ...

, 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 *

Rosie O’Donnell Roseann O'Donnell (born March 21, 1962) is an American comedian, television producer, actress, author, and television personality. She began her comedy career as a teenager and received her breakthrough on the television series ''Star Search'' ...

as Tutu *

as Eliza *Anna and Alexandra Reimer as Larry

Recurring

as Ally *

Blake Clark Blake Clark (born February 2, 1946) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He is best known as Chet Hunter on ''Boy Meets World'' and Harry "The Hardware Store Guy" on ''Home Improvement''. Clark has voiced Slinky Dog in the ''Toy Story'' f ...

as Joe * Mark Webber as Father Eddie *

Bodega Bamz Nathaniel De La Rosa (born March 17, 1985), known professionally as Bodega Bamz, is of Dominican/Puerto Rican decent rapper/actor from Spanish Harlem, New York. De La Rosa first attracted attention for his 2012 mixtape, ''Strictly 4 My P.A.P.I. ...

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-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, and Stephen Wang ...

, 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 a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, 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 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