The new HBO reality TV dating series My Mom, Your Dad takes some elements of The Circle and Bachelor In Paradise, but is refreshing in its dating pool that skews older than nearly every other show of its kind. The eight-episode series begins with seven single parents who are dropped off at the Second Chance Retreat by their child. Each kid, who seem to range from high school to early adulthood, is then, unbeknownst to the parents, sent to another retreat where they spy on their mother's and father's awkward attempts to find another shot at love.
The awkwardness of this series is evident from the onset and never quite subsides. The older gentlemen in this cast stumble over their words often and have a difficult time flirting effectively. At one point on the balcony, after Troy steals his crush Karen away from Scott, Troy asks Karen for a kiss. Karen, who is clearly smitten with Troy, declines his offer. But the two clearly have a strong connection. Meanwhile, the children react with hilarity in real time as conversations stall out and get interrupted by constant meddling. They initially try to make things interesting by placing their parents with matches they may have overlooked, only to acknowledge later that tactic may not be wise for couples who have formed quickly.
The two couples who are still remaining at the end are cake-entrant Grant and Manhattanite Kiki and original cast members Scott and DeNeia. Grant and Kiki, who bond over a love of hip-hop, are given their children's blessing to continue their relationship, even though it would be long distance with Grant residing in Texas. Scott and DeNeia face a greater challenge, since DeNeia's son MJ is not feeling Scott. Alex, Scott's daughter who found a mini-love connection of her own with Troy's son Noah, is all-in on the relationship.
MJ reluctantly caves and gives Scott and his mom his blessing, ensuring there would be two happy endings to this series. As a final surprise, Troy reconnects with Karen, who had to leave early due to personal reasons, outside the retreat and they agree to start dating. It's not yet clear from social media if the three couples are still together today.
My Mom, Your Dad is a fun binge since it was different enough from the abundance of dating shows out there right now. While the show was lacking in some aspects of diversity, it represented conversations about interracial relationships and cast people from a wide range of ages and body types. It's always possible a show like this with such a small dating pool ends without anyone finding love, so it can be considered a success that three couples were able to walk away from the retreat ready to make the relationship work. That said, it wouldn't be surprising if there wasn't a season 2.