Children Ruin Everything - General Discussion

[AnimeMania]

Children Ruin Everything is a Canadian Comedy TV Series that will air two episodes on July 24, 2023 on the CW starting at 9pm. This is a story that follows a couple’s efforts to reclaim a piece of their old lives, while continually being thwarted by their children. Astrid and James struggle to find a balance between being "Mom and Dad" to two kids, and trying to be the people they were before having children. Children Ruin Everything explores the hilarious and varied ways having kids can ruin your life, as well as enrich it. Two seasons have already aired in Canada and is now airing the third season.

Season 1 (8 Episodes) and Season 2 (16 Episodes) are currently available for streaming for free on Roku.

Meaghan Rath as Astrid Berney, a mother 

Aaron Abrams as James Berney, Astrid's husband

Logan Nicholson as Felix Berney, Astrid and James's seven-year-old son

Mikayla SwamiNathan as Viv Berney, Astrid and James's four-year-old daughter

Veena Sood as Nisha, Astrid and Dawn's over-sharing mother, who is helping with childcare so that Astrid can return to work

Nazneen Contractor as Dawn, Astrid's successful, perfect sister

Dmitry Chepovetsky as Bo, Dawn's eccentric husband

Darius Rota as Corey, Dawn and Bo's brazen 10-year-old son

Ennis Esmer as Ennis, James's best friend and co-worker, who has few responibilities

Lisa Codrington as Marla, James and Ennis's boss at the mid-sized grocery chain where they work

[AnimeMania]

S01.E01: Meals

SERIES PREMIERE – After four years of being a stay-at-home mom, Astrid (Meaghan Rath) is ready to return to work. She and James (Aaron Abrams) decide to mark the occasion with a celebratory dinner with the kids but getting Felix (Logan Noah Nicholson) and Viv (Mikayla SwamiNathan) to cooperate at the dinner table is a struggle, leading to a disastrous dinner. Meanwhile, as James and Astrid prepare for more money, more date nights, and less diapers, Astrid comes to terms with the truth: she wants another baby. In the series premiere, we meet Astrid’s sister Dawn (Nazneen Contractor), her mother Nisha (Veena Sood), Dawn’s husband Bo (Dmitry Chepovetsky), and their son Corey (Darius Rota); James’ best friend Ennis (Ennis Esmer), and their boss Marla (Lisa Codrington). 

Premiere Date: July 24, 2023        CW       9pm

S01.E02: Bodies

NOT WHAT WE USED TO BE – James (Aaron Abrams) is summoned to Marla’s (Lisa Codrington) office, where she tells him to dress more professional and less like a dad. James turns to Ennis (Ennis Esmer), who offers to help James update his style. While James takes the kids on his shopping trip, Astrid (Meaghan Rath) works out with a trainer recommended by Dawn (Nazneen Contractor). She’s desperate to get back into shape, but after an embarrassing situation during her workout session, Astrid books an appointment with a pelvic floor specialist. Seán Cullen guest stars.

Premiere Date: July 24, 2023        CW       9:30pm

Edited July 24, 2023 by AnimeMania

[chessiegal]

1 hour ago, AnimeMania said:

Meanwhile, as James and Astrid prepare for more money, more date nights, and less diapers,

Fewer diapers!

[AnimeMania]

S01.E03: Intimacy

CRUSHING IT – Astrid (Meaghan Rath) and James (Aaron Abrams) find it hard to make time for each other. But when James and Astrid get some unexpected time without kids, they push each other further apart. Meanwhile, Dawn (Nazneen Contractor) and Bo (Dmitry Chepovetsky) host a vow renewal party celebrating 11 years of marriage.

Premiere Date: July 31, 2023        CW       9pm

[AnimeMania]

S01.E04: Truth

THE TOOTH FAIRY – When Astrid (Meaghan Rath) has to leave town for a conference related to her upcoming return to work, James (Aaron Abrams) must hold down the fort and take care of the kids. But when Felix (Logan Noah Nicholson) loses a tooth and shares his doubts about the Tooth Fairy, James gets help from Ennis (Ennis Esmer) and Bo (Dmitry Chepovetsky) to keep the Tooth Fairy tradition alive. Meanwhile, Astrid grows doubtful about her return to work.

Premiere Date: August 7, 2023        CW       9pm

[possibilities]

How do the sis/bro in-law have so much money?

[AnimeMania]

S01.E05: Sick Days

PARTY TIME! – When Astrid (Meaghan Rath) catches a bug right before Felix’s (Logan Noah Nicholson) eighth birthday party, James (Aaron Abrams) takes it as an opportunity to share the ‘emotional labor’ of birthday party planning. Recovering in the house with Viv (Mikayla SwamiNathan) poses its own challenge for Astrid, and when James catches the bug from her, the whole party is in doubt. Underlining the importance of this potentially final ‘little kid’ birthday party, Felix stops using ‘mommy’ in favor of the dreaded, monosyllabic ‘mom' when talking to Astrid.

Premiere Date: August 14, 2023        CW       9pm

[possibilities]

It's hard for me to be sympathetic to people who (1) like to play the martyr instead of availing themselves of options, and (2) had no problem exposing every other family to the bug they themselves didn't want to catch.

Just tell the kid you're sick, reschedule the party, and let them be disappointed for a few minutes. Otherwise you're not only a disease vector, but you're also failing to teach them about reality.

Also, tell the kid you have a headache instead of just giving in right away when she refuses to move to the carpet or go with grandma.

 

[AnimeMania]

S01.E06: Roadtrips

THE JOY OF A FAMILY VACATION – It’s the long weekend, and The Berneys are going on a road trip to Manitoulin Island to join Dawn (Nazneen Contractor), Bo (Dmitry Chepovetsky), and Corey (Darius Rota) at Bo’s brother’s cottage. Running late, James (Aaron Abrams) argues that a potential third kid would make the trip impossible. On their way to the ferry, James and Astrid (Meaghan Rath) present their arguments for and against a third baby. Meanwhile, they try to keep Viv (Mikayla SwamiNathan) and Felix (Logan Noah Nicholson) from getting bored or fighting with each other as they rush to make the ferry.

Premiere Date: August 21, 2023        CW       9pm

[AnimeMania]

S01.E07: Death

A NEW MEANING TO ALONE TIME – While the kids stay at Nisha’s (Veena Sood) house, James (Aaron Abrams) and Astrid (Meaghan Rath) enjoy a night in together until a near-death experience rattles James. Astrid confronts her discomfort with death to get life insurance and appoint a legal guardian, and James comes to terms with his future at Gero’s Grocery. 

Premiere Date: August 28, 2023        CW       9pm

[AnimeMania]

S01.E08: Space

(Season Finale)

TO PURGE OR NOT TO PURGE – The Berney home is a cluttered mess, so James (Aaron Abrams) and Astrid (Meaghan Rath) decide to purge their home of as many things as possible. While they struggle to get Viv (Mikayla SwamiNathan) and Felix (Logan Noah Nicholson) to part with their old toys, they lead by example by donating some of their precious belongings. Meanwhile, James wonders if he has enough mental space for the possibility of a third baby. 

Premiere Date: September 4, 2023        CW       9pm

Next Week: Season 2 Premiere

[DanaK]

2 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

S01.E08: Space

(Season Finale)

TO PURGE OR NOT TO PURGE – The Berney home is a cluttered mess, so James (Aaron Abrams) and Astrid (Meaghan Rath) decide to purge their home of as many things as possible. While they struggle to get Viv (Mikayla SwamiNathan) and Felix (Logan Noah Nicholson) to part with their old toys, they lead by example by donating some of their precious belongings. Meanwhile, James wonders if he has enough mental space for the possibility of a third baby. 

Premiere Date: September 4, 2023        CW       9pm

Next Week: Season 2 Premiere

Wow, I didn’t realize it was the S1 finale already and that the CW was going to immediately start showing S2

BTW, the young actress playing Viv is adorable

Edited September 5, 2023 by DanaK

[DanaK]

This will move to Thursdays beginning October 19

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2023/09/06/the-cw-network-sets-new-premiere-date-for-fboy-island-season-3-on-monday-october-16-264513/20230906cw01/

[AnimeMania]

Roku removed this series from their website.

[possibilities]

CWTW.com has it. Lots of ads, though.

[AnimeMania]

S02.E01: Sleep

SEASON TWO PREMIERE - With a new baby refusing to sleep and a return to the office looming for Astrid (Meaghan Rath), she and James (Aaron Abrams) consider desperate measures to regain their rest and their sanity. 

Premiere Date: September 11, 2023        CW       9pm

[AnimeMania]

S02.E02: Friends

DRAFT DAY – Feeling like parenthood has eroded her friendships, Astrid (Meaghan Rath) jumps at a playdate, and James (Aaron Abrams) attempts to keep his own commitments while holding things down at home. Anna Hopkins guest stars.

Premiere Date: September 18, 2023        CW       9pm

[AnimeMania]

S02.E03: Dignity

FITTING IN – Following embarrassing run-ins with her boss and co-workers, Astrid (Meaghan Rath) feels on the back foot and disconnected from her younger co-workers. When she goes to her sister Dawn (Nazneen Contractor) for advice, Astrid realizes her best move might be to attend a drink night with the rest of her team, if she can shake off the exhaustion and rust long enough to fit in at the trendy bar. Back at home, James (Aaron Abrams) is recovering from vasectomy surgery, but his attempts to follow the doctor’s (guest star Aaron Ashmore) orders are put to the test as he tries to keep a handle on the three kids. 

Premiere Date: September 25, 2023        CW       9pm
 

[DanaK]

8 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

S02.E03: Dignity

FITTING IN – Following embarrassing run-ins with her boss and co-workers, Astrid (Meaghan Rath) feels on the back foot and disconnected from her younger co-workers. When she goes to her sister Dawn (Nazneen Contractor) for advice, Astrid realizes her best move might be to attend a drink night with the rest of her team, if she can shake off the exhaustion and rust long enough to fit in at the trendy bar. Back at home, James (Aaron Abrams) is recovering from vasectomy surgery, but his attempts to follow the doctor’s (guest star Aaron Ashmore) orders are put to the test as he tries to keep a handle on the three kids. 

Premiere Date: September 25, 2023        CW       9pm
 

Pretty funny in quite a few scenes

[Shermie]

I love this show and I am years removed from parenting young kids. I find the cast likeable and funny; the kids are good actors without being tv-cute kid-smarmy; the sister and brother-in-law are amusingly obnoxious; and random others (his brother, her mother) are good in their limited roles.

Loved this exchange:

Astrid: We are not going to buy you kids something every time we go to a store.

Son: That’s what stores are for, Ma-ma. (His delivery was gold)

[AnimeMania]

S02.E04: Screen Time

LEAD BY EXAMPLE? – Fearing their kids are addicted to their electronics, Astrid (Meaghan Rath) and James (Aaron Abrams) impose a family screen ban, but getting work done while following their own rules proves harder than expected. 

Premiere Date: October 2, 2023        CW       9pm

[DanaK]

11 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

S02.E04: Screen Time

LEAD BY EXAMPLE? – Fearing their kids are addicted to their electronics, Astrid (Meaghan Rath) and James (Aaron Abrams) impose a family screen ban, but getting work done while following their own rules proves harder than expected. 

Premiere Date: October 2, 2023        CW       9pm

James’ boss is such a wackadoodle; kudos to the actress. At least she removed him from the social media job he didn’t want

[possibilities]

How does the sister keep everything pristine? Are they sedating their kid?

I thought James should have told the truth in his apology about what happened with his tweet. All the parents of the world would have loved it.

[DanaK]

On 9/6/2023 at 4:59 PM, DanaK said:

This will move to Thursdays beginning October 19

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2023/09/06/the-cw-network-sets-new-premiere-date-for-fboy-island-season-3-on-monday-october-16-264513/20230906cw01/

The move has been delayed one week to October 26

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2023/10/04/the-cw-networks-comedies-move-to-thursday-nights-beginning-october-26-44312/20231004cw01/

[AnimeMania]

32 minutes ago, DanaK said:

The move has been delayed one week to October 26

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2023/10/04/the-cw-networks-comedies-move-to-thursday-nights-beginning-october-26-44312/20231004cw01/

Their website says the switch occurs on October 19, 2023.

[DanaK]

1 hour ago, AnimeMania said:

Their website says the switch occurs on October 19, 2023.

It probably hasn’t been updated yet. The press release would be authoritative I presume

[AnimeMania]

S02.E05: Privacy

OOPS SHE DID IT AGAIN – As Astrid (Meaghan Rath) and her sister (Nazneen Contractor) try to discover what their mom (Veena Sood) is hiding from them. With a history of questionable choices, they begin snooping around to make sure Nisha is not making a regrettable decision once again. Meanwhile, a request to launch a new product at work leads James (Aaron Abrams) to agree to meet with Ennis’ (Ennis Esmer) sketchy cousin to consider his new gummy product, and soon they’re roping in more of James’ family to help with the pitch. Kim Coates guest stars. 

Premiere Date: October 9, 2023        CW       9pm

Next Episode "New Date": October 26, 2023 

[AnimeMania]

S02.E06: Fairness

WHAT NOW?! – Feeling unappreciated and overwhelmed, Nisha (Veena Sood) announces her retirement from being default babysitter. While Astrid (Meaghan Rath) scrambles to find childcare, James (Aaron Abrams) faces a growing conflict between their two oldest kids, Felix (Logan Nicholson) and Viv (Mikayla SwamiNathan), as an opportunity presents itself for one of them to be the face of a new marketing campaign at James’ work. 

Premiere Date: October 26, 2023        CW       9pm

[kaygeeret]

I do love this show.

 

The acting is great and the 'plots', while often silly, reflect the craziness that comes with 3 little kids.

And the work stuff is hilarious

[AnimeMania]

S02.E07: Identity

TEACHER AND STUDENT – Viv (Mikayla SwamiNathan) fills out a school assignment on heritage where she claims that she is Indigenous instead of her actual heritage, Indian. Astrid (Meaghan Rath) begins to feel guilty that she has not properly taught Viv about their family history. But as Astrid tries to share their cultural heritage with Viv, she quickly realizes she may not be well versed in it either. As Astrid struggles to impart their shared past on her daughter, James (Aaron Abrams) struggles with a growing sense that in spite of being a natural, their son Felix (Logan Nicholson) might not love baseball the way James did growing up. 

Premiere Date: November 2, 2023        CW       9pm

[AnimeMania]

S02.E08: Each Other

BFFS? – When Felix’s (Logan Nicholson) best friend moves away, Astrid (Meagahn Rath) and James (Aaron Abrams) try and help him make a new friend, but a sleepover soon has them questioning if Felix’s potential new bestie might be a bad influence on their son. Meanwhile, a planned family portrait has Astrid and her sister Dawn (Nazneen Contractor) reliving their own childhood dynamics. 

Premiere Date: November 9, 2023        CW       9pm

[DanaK]

The CW has pulled “Run the Burbs” and “Everyone Else Burns” comedies from the Thursday lineup effective immediately. This show will move to the 8:30pm ET timeslot for the time being at least

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2023/11/13/the-cw-pulls-run-the-burbs-everyone-else-burns-from-thursday-lineup-14422/20231113cw01/

[AnimeMania]

S02.E09: Teamwork

BEST LAID PLANS – As Astrid (Meaghan Rath) and James (Aaron Abrams) prepare to celebrate a special occasion, all that stands between them and a much-needed night together is getting their kids to bed, a not-so-simple task. When Astrid’s brother-in-law Bo (Dmitry Chepovetsky), shows up at their door following a fight with his wife, it quickly becomes clear that this special occasion will not be anything like they planned.

Premiere Date: November 16, 2023        CW       8:30pm

[AnimeMania]

S02.E10: Me Time

THE GREAT ESCAPE – Picking up a book for the first time since their five-year-old daughter was born, Astrid (Meaghan Rath) wants some time to herself as James (Aaron Abrams) struggles to catch up on weeks’ worth of laundry. But with Astrid’s sister Dawn’s (Nazneen Contractor) family on vacation, the vacant house looks like both the escape Astrid needs and the place James can get chores done after a power outage in the midst of a heatwave leaves their own house unbearable. But as the family slowly occupies the pristine house, their mess and chaotic energy is soon to follow. 

Premiere Date: November 23, 2023        CW       8:30pm  

[DanaK]

Yes Astrid, do not put goo down the drain!

[possibilities]

I find it hard to believe hey actually got all that blue stuff out of the rug.

[AnimeMania]

S02.E11: Money

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED – With starting to save for retirement at the top of her mind, Astrid (Meaghan Rath) proposes to James (Aaron Abrams) that they try to get through the last few days of the month without dipping beyond their monthly budget just once. The Berney’s find creative ways to stay on target and all seems well until an unexpected cost comes up and the family scrambles to earn a little extra income to right their expenses while still delivering the treat they promised. 

Premiere Date: November 30, 2023        CW       8:30pm   

[DanaK]

Cute episode but those sandwiches didn’t sound appetizing

[AnimeMania]

S02.E12: Weekends

With long days at the office, Astrid cannot shake the feeling that she is missing out on key moments with their kids; Astrid convinces James that what the family needs is an adventure together.

Premiere Date: December 7, 2023        CW       8:30pm   

[DanaK]

I didn’t quite expect a horse being the one to save them

Edited December 8, 2023 by DanaK

[DanaK]

3rd season premieres Thursday January 11 at new (old) time 9:30pm ET

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2023/12/12/the-cw-network-sets-midseason-premiere-dates-for-new-and-returning-series-60315/20231212cw01/

[AnimeMania]

S02.E13: Arguments

TO MOVE OR NOT TO MOVE – After James (Aaron Abrams) fails to answer a call during a family crisis, he and Astrid (Meaghan Rath) find themselves at a boiling point with a growing list of frustrations. Unfortunately, finding time and space to get into it with one another while not making a scene in front of their kids proves to be even more of a challenge than keeping their cool. Meanwhile, an appraisal of their home has both of them contemplating whether it is time to get serious about moving out of the city. 

Premiere Date: December 14, 2023        CW       8:30pm  

[AnimeMania]

S02.E14: Expectations

BROTHERLY LOVE; JOE COBDON GUEST STARS –   With a move out of the city and their home of a decade looming, Astrid (Meaghan Rath) and James (Aaron Abrams) look back on when they first moved in. James’ attempt to get his brother Taylor (guest star Joe Cobdon) to help renovate his new house brings to a head both an old business commitment the two brothers made together and some new resentments. 

Premiere Date: December 21, 2023        CW       8:30pm   

[AnimeMania]

S02.E15: Momentum

BROTHERLY LOVE – With potential buyers coming to look at their house sooner than they expected, Astrid (Meaghan Rath) and James (Aaron Abrams) try to rally the kids before the open house begins. But when their daughter Viv (Mikayla SwamiNathan) takes her vow not to ever leave their home to the extreme, Astrid and James attempt to keep their cool amidst the potential homebuyers. 

Premiere Date: December 28, 2023        CW       8:30pm   

[AnimeMania]

S02.E16: Parenting

SEASON TWO FINALE – After a series of tantrums around the house escalates into an incident between Viv (Mikayla SwamiNathan) and one of her classmates, Astrid (Meaghan Rath) and James (Aaron Abrams) find themselves forced to examine their differing parenting approaches. After another emotional blow-up, Astrid and James start to question if they have been going about parenting all wrong.

Premiere Date: January 4, 2024        CW       8pm

Next New Episode (Season 3 Premiere, New Time): January 11, 2024  9:30pm

[DanaK]

FYI, I have created a Season 3 discussion thread