Paula Danziger wrote 9 Amber Brown books between 1993 and her death in 2004; they chronicled the life of a middle-school girl who didn’t fit into any particular category, but was smart and creative. She was also fiercely loyal to her family and small circle of friends. Almost 20 years after the last of Danziger’s Amber Brown books (two were written a decade ago by other authors), comedian Bonnie Hunt has adapted them into a TV series.
AMBER BROWN: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
Opening Shot: In a suburban home, a girl takes a pad and pen out of an armoire and grabs her phone.
The Gist: Amber Brown (Carsyn Rose) is about to start middle school, but she’s definitely not in the best place for it. For one thing, her best friend next-door neighbor Justin (Joshua Gallup) has just moved away. For another, her mother Sarah (Sarah Drew) and father Philip (Michael Yo) are relatively recently divorced; Philip is living in Paris and Sarah is dating a new guy named Max (Joshua Gallup), whom Amber likens to a sports car — her mother’s mid-life crisis.
But she finds an outlet in her artwork — which we see come alive via animations — and a video diary that she decided to start. She also holds out hope that her parents will eventually get back together, something that she talks about with her Aunt Pam (Ashley Williams) on their drives to and from school.
A new family moves in next door, and the talkative Brandi Colwin (Liliana Inouye) — “Brandi with an i”, she always tells people — immediately tries to befriend Amber, who is still smarting over Justin’s move. On the first day of school, their new friendship is cemented when Brandi comes to Amber’s aid when Amber has a confrontation with her longtime frenemy Hannah Burton (Luna-Marie Katich), and encourages her to get to know a boy named Stanley (Beau Hart), who said Amber had “soft hair.”
Amber is also getting good news: Her dad is moving back to town. But she’ll soon find out that the chances of getting her parents back together are going to get a whole lot more remote.
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? For some reason, Lizzie McGuire keeps popping into our heads, mainly because of the similar ages of the main characters and that both shows use animation in parts.
Our Take: One of the things that separates Amber Brown from many other kids series is that Bonnie Hunt, a comedy veteran whose severely underrated ’90s sitcom and ’00s talk show were both funny and down-to-earth, is the one who has adapted Paula Danziger’s popular books for this series. She has given the show an easygoing sensibility that depends heavily on character-based humor over silly gags.
But Carsyn Rose’s ineffable charisma is what really sells the series. Amber is certainly creative, and she’s definitely the type of kid who is perfectly OK being on her own. But Rose gives Amber an added dimension; she’s comfortable in her own skin, despite decrying things like the fact that she didn’t grow at all over the summer, but knows that she still needs people in her life. Her circle is small — Justin, Brandi, her family — but it’s critical to her.
We see that in Rose’s performance, which is relaxed and confident, smart but not sitcom-kid-smart. Hunt has written in a lot of banter, especially when Williams appears as Aunt Pam, but none of it feels forced. It’s definitely a show both kids and parents can enjoy, and all it’s trying to do is show the life of a smart, creative kid who is trying to figure out the new directions her life is going in.
What Age Group Is This For?: All ages can enjoy Amber Brown, but we’re thinking the sweet spot is 7 and up.
Parting Shot: Brandi comes through the kitchen window and accidentally tips open a drawer, where Amber sees a ring box. This is going to make getting her parents back together a lot harder.
Sleeper Star: Williams has always held our attention, going way back to her first appearances on HIMYM, because she combines smart and snarky in a very organic way. She does the same here as Pam, who vibes well with her niece and gives her sister lots of grief for converting herself into a health nut since she started dating Max.
Most Pilot-y Line: We see Amber wearing a David Bowie shirt, and Justin is seen wearing shirts for The Kinks and the Rolling Stones. We’re pretty sure Bonnie Hunt is fans of all of those bands, but that doesn’t mean that it’s plausible that the kids themselves are, given that their 38-year-old parents thought of them as oldies acts, too.
Our Call: STREAM IT. Amber Brown is a delightful family sitcom, highlighted by Bonnie Hunt’s witty, easygoing writing style and Carsyn Rose’s revelatory lead performance.
Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.