I Hate My Teenage Daughter Review: Teenage Escuela

When the family comedy series I Hate My Teenage Daughter, starring Jaime Pressly and Katie Finneran first premiered last fall, it garnered a few laughs from me but didn’t blow me away like I had anticipated. But its return next week from the winter hiatus which includes guest star, Mark Consuelos shows that this sitcom still has potential and is worth tuning into.


Photo Credit: Robert Voets/FOX

When Sophie tells Annie that she does not care about getting good grades, Annie decides to set an example by taking night classes at the local community college. Nikki joins her in a Spanish class and is surprisingly fluent as she frequently watches telenovelas. Meanwhile, the dads are in charge of getting the girls to finish an important school project.

Since the “Pilot,” the writing has definitely improved as there seems to be plenty more to laugh at and enjoy more continuously. Not to mention, there seems to be a better handle on the characters and balancing various conflicts. Pressly and Finneran have really gotten comfortable in their roles and that is more refreshing than one might think. While Finneran still often seems a bit unbelievable and over dramatic at times, that can be looked over because (of her theater background and that) she delivers the laughs in every line and motion. Especially in “Teenage Escuela” when Nikki tags along to community college with Annie, Finneran playing off of Consuelos makes for one of the most hysterical scenes of the night! Best of all, Consuelos sticks around for another episode! Too bad Nikki is married, because I would have liked to have seen Consuelos and Finneran interact more. Instead, his character is a possible love interest for Annie. But when he approaches her for a first date… his comment before leaving the coffee shop wins me over with this new couple. You’ll have to watch to see what he says.

As for community college… aside from the fact I want Consuelos as my Spanish teacher… what’s so great about this episode is that in trying to teach her daughter a lesson, it’s Annie who learns the most. Teenage Daughter has heart and it’s definitely growing as each episode airs. Then there are the kids… well, they get by but in a way that we all did as kids. While Annie and Nikki are busy with school, the husbands find out that sometimes as a parent, you’re going to end up doing one of your child’s school projects no matter how much you think you aren’t. And even then, sometimes you have to rely on the person that annoys you (in that overachieving way) the most. It brings for some great comedy, well, only as much as a subplot can with so little time.

I Hate My Teenage Daughter still isn’t the best title for this show and this comedy still has its issues but it is on the road to wildly entertaining as it intertwines two very different parenting styles, individual fears, expectations, standards, and more. These characters say aloud the things we all think in our head but never say, playing off of the title but in a much better executed way. The stories are becoming more engaging (and relatable), the dialogue is sharper, it’s growing into what this show should have been in the first place. Teenage Daughter is a laugh out loud riot and as long as it continues to fine tune its formula, it will be on its way to making its mark as a standout comedy for the right reasons rather than the wrong reasons. If you’re looking for a good laugh, tune into Raising Hope at 8, Teenage Daughter at 8:30, New Girl at 9, and the season premiere of Breaking In at 9:30. You won’t be disappointed!

I Hate My Teenage Daughter returns Tuesday, March 6, 2012 at 8:30/7:30c on FOX.