SMILF
GenreComedy drama
CreatorFrankie Shaw
StarringFrankie Shaw
Miguel Gomez
Samara Weaving
Rosie O'Donnell
Raven Goodwin
ComposerDaniel Hart
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Num seasons2
Num episodes18
Executive producerLee Eisenberg
Gene Stupnitsky
Frankie Shaw
Michael London
Scott King
CameraSingle-camera
Runtime30 minutes
CompanySupahsmaht Productions
Quantity Entertainment
Groundswell Productions
ABC Signature
Showtime Networks
NetworkShowtime
First airedNovember 5, 2017
Last airedMarch 31, 2019

SMILF is an American comedy drama starring, created, written, and directed by Frankie Shaw. It was based on her short film of the same title.[1] The series premiered on Showtime on November 5, 2017. The series' name, SMILF, is a play on the term "MILF", with the "S" standing for "single",[2] or "Southie" (a nickname for South Boston), or both.[3] On November 29, 2017, Showtime renewed the series for a second season.[4]

Rosie O'Donnell co-stars as Tutu, the mother of Shaw's character Bridgette.[1] Roseanne Barr was supposed to take on the role of Tutu, but due to a knee injury and subsequent surgery, she could not do so.[5][6] Connie Britton has a recurring role as Ally, Bridgette's boss.[7] Miguel Gomez and Samara Weaving are also in the cast, as well as Raven Goodwin, 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 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.[8] On March 8, 2019, a few days after the fourth episode of season two was broadcast, the series was canceled by ABC Signature, who also suspended a future production deal with Shaw.[9][10] Showtime played out the full run of season two, with the final episode airing on March 31, 2019.[10]

Cast

Main

Recurring

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, 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."[11] Metacritic, assigned a weighted average score of 64 out of 100 based on 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[12] 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."[13]

The second season has a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 9 reviews.[14] On Metacritic, it has a score of 73 out of 100, based on 5 critics.[15]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryRecipient(s)Result
201875th Golden Globe Awards[16]Best Actress – Television Series Musical or ComedyFrankie Shaw
Best Television Series – Musical or ComedySMILF

References

  1. ^ Petski, Denise (August 8, 2017). "'White Famous' & 'SMILF' Get Premiere Dates On Showtime – TCA". Deadline Hollywood. Archived August 8, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
  2. ^ Barsanti, Sam (May 11, 2017). "The 'S' stands for 'single' in new Showtime comedy SMILF". avclub.com. Archived October 22, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  3. ^ Wilson, Adam (November 12, 2007). "The Southie in 'SMILF,' a Very Boston Comedy". The New Yorker. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  4. ^ Schwartz, Ryan (November 29, 2017). "SMILF Renewed for Season 2". TVLine. Archived December 1, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  5. ^ "Rosie O'Donnell was replaced by Roseanne Barr at the last minute on 'SMILF'". EW.com. Archived November 7, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  6. ^ "Rosie almost had a major role in 'SMILF'". Boston.com. 2018-06-05. Archived November 7, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  7. ^ Warren, Andrew. "Back in action: Acclaimed comedy 'Broad City' cranks up the laughs". TV Media. Archived January 18, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  8. ^ Masters, Kim (2018-12-17). "'SMILF' Creator Frankie Shaw Investigated Over Misconduct Claims". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived August 4, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
  9. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 8, 2019). "'SMILF' Canceled By Showtime After Two Seasons". Deadline Hollywood. Archived March 27, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
  10. ^ Masters, Kim & Sandberg, Bryn Elise (2019-03-08). "'SMILF' Canceled at Showtime Amid Probe Into Creator Frankie Shaw's Alleged Misconduct". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived March 27, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
  11. ^ "SMILF: Season 1 (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived November 26, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  12. ^ "SMILF: Season 1 reviews". Metacritic. Archived January 11, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  13. ^ "These Were The Best TV Shows Of 2017". Archived April 12, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2018-04-12.
  14. ^ "SMILF: Season 2 (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived February 11, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
  15. ^ "SMILF: Season 2 reviews". Metacritic. Archived February 12, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  16. ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (December 11, 2017). "Golden Globes: Big Little Lies, FEUD, Fargo, This Is Us and The Handmaid's Tale Lead TV Nominations". TVLine. Archived March 31, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 12, 2017.