No, this is not a review of the ever juvenile “Family Guy”. This review is about Don Reo’s under-the-radar show, “My Wife and Kids”. The family-oriented sitcom follows the lives of Michael Kyle, his wife Jay, son Junior, and daughters Claire and Kady. Production ended in 2005, but reruns air on Fox at 6:00 a.m. and on The CW at 10:00 p.m.. “My Wife and Kids” is a must-see show that captivates us with its appealing plot, great themes, and entertaining main character.

The Kyles live in a Connecticut suburb. Michael is the main bread earner, who struggles to keep order among his children. His wife, Jay, goes to school and parents alongside Michael. Junior, officially “Michael Kyle Jr.”, is very...well...let’s just say “not-so-bright”. Claire is Michael’s ditsy, yet beautiful teenage daughter, and Kady is the innocent, youngest daughter. Most anyone can identify with at least one of these characters. Everyone can also identify with the fact that the family members argue and disagree with each other, then make up with each other in the end. Like when Junior found a wallet with $500 in it, but Claire insisted that she found it. They argued about it until Michael decided to hold a “family court”, in which he was the judge. In the end, he distributed the money evenly amongst the family.

The overall theme of the series seems to be that is that it’s normal to have tensions between yourself and your family, but that there are ways to work these problems out together. Basically, the overall theme is communication. It is important to communicate successfully with your parents, your children, your spouses, etc.. This illustrated, when Junior goes through puberty and is confused about the changes he is experiencing. He feels uncomfortable talking to his dad about it, but when he finally does, his questions are answered. Both parents and children can take some sort of lesson away from the show.

One of the factors that draws many to the sitcom is the main character, Michael. Michael is played by Marlon Wayans, who not only writes for the show, but is also a father and husband in his own life. He uses his real-life experiences to make the show authentic. Michael is always coming up with “clever” plans and schemes to teach his children important lessons, like when Claire stole the car before she could legally drive. Michael drove the car around the corner to make her think that it was stolen. Claire freaked out and called the police. In the end, Michael told the police what happened, and Claire learned that breaking the rules can lead to consequences you don’t expect.

The life lessons, realistic plot, and acting of Marlon Wayans are some of the many things that make this show worth watching. It is a good show for the entire family, and is a great opportunity for us to laugh at ourselves. “My Wife and Kids” is great!