The Real O'Neals


The Real O'Neals is an American single-camera sitcom that aired on ABC from March 2, 2016 to March 14, 2017. The series, based on an idea by Dan Savage, was picked up to series on May 7, 2015. The series was renewed for a second season on May 12, 2016, which premiered on October 11, 2016.
On May 11, 2017, ABC canceled the series after two seasons.

Plot

The series chronicles the lives of a close-knit, Irish-American Chicago Catholic family whose matriarch takes their reputation in the community very seriously. In the pilot episode, their perfect image is shattered when each family member has a secret revealed to the community: middle child Kenny is gay, oldest child Jimmy is anorexic, youngest child Shannon is running a money scam and might be atheist, and parents Eileen and Pat are no longer in love and wish to divorce. Subsequent episodes explore the new family dynamic as Pat and Eileen separate and everyone reconciles Kenny's sexuality with their faith.

Cast and characters

Main

Series overview

Season 1 (2016)

Season 2 (2016–17)

Ratings

Season 1 (2016)

Season 2 (2016–17)

Reception

Ratings

Critical reception

The series received a generally favorable response from critics. On review aggregator site Metacritic, The Real O'Neals has a metascore of 62 out of 100 based on 22 critics signifying "generally favorable reviews". On another review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, the show has a 67% approval rating, based on 27 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The site's critical consensus: "Funny writing and a solid cast save The Real O'Neals from traditional sitcom perils."

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryNomineeOutcome
2016Dorian AwardsLGBTQ Show of the YearThe Real O'Neals
2016Dorian AwardsUnsung TV Show of the YearThe Real O'Neals
2017Humanitas Prize30 Minute Network or Syndicated TelevisionEpisode: "The Real Grandma"

Controversies

News of the series' pickup

The news of the series' pick-up attracted attention and controversy before its debut. On May 12, 2015, the day it was announced that the series had been added to the ABC network schedule, Christian right groups such as the American Family Association and the Family Research Council called for a boycott and petitioned to prevent the series from airing. They also cited Savage's views on religion, sexuality, and same-sex marriage, which they believed had been infused into the series due to it being based on his life, but Savage claimed that the concept went in a different direction since he was not involved in the writing.

Bisexual joke

The second-season episode "The Real Acceptance" featured a joke regarding bisexuals, in which Kenny, who is openly gay, compared being bisexual to having "webbed toes" or "money problems". Bisexual actress Sara Ramirez, who played the bisexual character Callie Torres on Grey's Anatomy, criticized ABC and the series, finding the joke offensive.