Critic Reviews

The comedy finds the humor in everyday life. Although the USA series continues to center on besties Emma and Maggie, season 3 sees a new relationship--and life-changing health issues--for Emma that could upset that balance. [23 Jun 2017, p.59]

Playing House is a cheerfully unhip show made by people who are very hip to the sharp edges of comedy.

Emma's diagnosis, reflecting St. Clair's own successful battle with cancer, is handled with a graceful balance of raw emotion and wry irreverence that bodes well for the remainder of the season. The initial episodes reacquaint us with the merrily mess-up lives of these proudly silly "sisters for life." [12-25 Jun 2017, p.15]

For the most part, this is the Playing House you’ve either come to love or ought to be catching up with as soon as possible.

The show is light with sharp baby kicks of meanness. [5 May 2014, p.46]

This little sitcom reminds you how rare female friendship is on prime time TV--and just how much fun it can be.

The pair has recast the concept and their chemistry into a suburban setting that feels fresher and friendlier, truly finding its footing at 10:30 with Sloane (and those gnomes).

While that loving relationship between these two women is Playing House’s strength, to unlock its potential, and go beyond delightful sitcom, it needs to be about more than that, and there’s certainly potential for that growth.

They’ve basically taken that premise [of NBC's “Best Friends Forever”], switched up some of the details and reinvented that show for a new network, which isn’t a bad thing because the original concept was pretty humorous, and Parham and St. Clair play great besties.

If Playing House has a problem, it’s that it’s not unrealistic enough. The escapism isn’t as wild or imaginative as it could be.