If you want better acting quality
Choose Dark Winds, Season 4. It scores 4.9 vs 4.5 for acting quality, with a 4.4 overall score.
It’s Not Like That, Chapter 1 Review
Bottom Line
Choose it for heartfelt family drama, strong performances, natural faith themes, and an easy binge. Skip it if you need fast pacing, strict doctrinal portrayals, or a satisfying romantic resolution.
Best for
Best for viewers who want a warm multigenerational drama about grief, divorce, parenting, faith, and second chances, especially those who enjoy emotional comfort viewing.
Not for
Skip it if you prefer fast, hard-edged drama, require a strictly conservative pastoral portrayal, or dislike unresolved romantic endings and heavily issue-driven family stories.
Verdict
It’s Not Like That works best as a warm, emotionally honest family drama rather than a conventional faith-based lesson. Scott Foley, Erinn Hayes, and the younger ensemble make grief, divorce, parenting, and belief feel lived-in, while the inclusive spiritual framing avoids preaching for most viewers. The chemistry is strong, the emotional moments land, and the season is easy to binge. Its tradeoffs are structural: the premiere can rush exposition, the middle stretch slows, and the finale frustrates viewers who expect romantic closure or firmer consequences for serious behavior. A smaller group also rejects the show’s pastoral choices and inclusive Christianity. Overall, the heartfelt performances and relatable family dynamics outweigh the uneven pacing and divisive ending.
Feature Scorecards
Summary
48 reviewed features-
Very positive 4.5-5.025 (52%)
-
Positive 3.5-4.415 (31%)
-
Neutral 2.5-3.44 (8%)
-
Negative 1.5-2.44 (8%)
Pros highlights
-
The broad response is highly positive, with many calling it refreshing, comforting, and easy to enjoy. The harshest critics found it unrealistic, overstuffed, or not worth finishing.
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Demand for another season is exceptionally strong, with many viewers explicitly asking for Season 2 and some wanting several more seasons.
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Grief, divorce, parenting, and faith usually feel messy, relatable, and emotionally honest. Negative responses question the pastoral behavior, consequences, and volume of issues packed into the story.
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The intertwined family story is widely praised as heartfelt, relatable, and compelling, with strong balance between adults and children. Critics cite clichés, overcrowded issues, and disappointing late choices.
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Faith is usually praised as sincere, welcoming, and naturally woven into modern family life rather than preachy. A vocal minority rejects the inclusive Christian portrayal as inauthentic or overly progressive.
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Tearful, heartfelt moments are a defining strength, with grief and family scenes repeatedly described as moving, hopeful, and earned rather than manipulative.
Cons highlights
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The restrained presentation suits many families with teens, but grief, self-harm, addiction, divorce, and other mature themes make it a questionable choice for younger children.
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Malcolm's choices are the main sticking point: critical viewers felt his behavior did not match the responsibilities of a pastor or attentive father.
Compared With Category Average
Compared with other TV Shows, this product is above average in family friendliness, language level, writing quality, near average in character development, acting quality, below average in continuity, finale satisfaction, character consistency.
Comparison summary
48 compared features-
Above average 0.4+ pts higher31 (65%)
-
Same as average within 0.3 pts10 (21%)
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Below average 0.4+ pts lower7 (15%)
Largest category differences
| Attribute | This product | Category average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| family friendliness | 4.5 | 2.3 | +2.1 |
| language level | 4.4 | 2.4 | +2.0 |
| continuity | 1.5 | 3.4 | -1.9 |
| finale satisfaction | 1.8 | 3.5 | -1.8 |
| character consistency | 1.5 | 3.1 | -1.6 |
| modern political framing | 2.0 | 3.5 | -1.5 |
| writing quality | 4.6 | 3.4 | +1.2 |
| realism | 4.3 | 3.4 | +1.0 |
Consider This Instead
If you want better continuity
Choose The Pitt, Season 2. It scores 5.0 vs 1.5 for continuity, with a 4.7 overall score.
If you want better modern political framing
Choose Margo’s Got Money Troubles. It scores 4.9 vs 2.0 for modern political framing, with a 4.4 overall score.
If you want better character consistency
Choose How to Get to Heaven from Belfast, Season 1. It scores 5.0 vs 1.5 for character consistency, with a 4.4 overall score.
Compared in Reviews
Products reviewers directly compared with this model, grouped into quick takeaways.
Friday Night Lights
- Similar: multigenerational drama The family drama earns comparison with prestige series such as Friday Night Lights.
- Similar: family-drama tone Its ability to handle life issues is compared favorably with Friday Night Lights.
7th Heaven
- Similar: faith-based family drama Its family-and-faith setup is compared with 7th Heaven.
Brothers & Sisters
- Similar: sentimental family drama The series is placed in the same family-drama tradition as Brothers & Sisters.
FAQ
Is the faith element preachy?
Most responses say no: faith is woven naturally into grief, parenting, and community life. A smaller conservative group considers the inclusive portrayal insufficiently Christian.
Is it appropriate for family viewing?
The language, violence, and sexual content are restrained, but grief, divorce, addiction, bullying, self-harm, and other mature themes make it better suited to teens and adults.
Are the performances good?
Yes. Scott Foley, Erinn Hayes, and the younger ensemble receive extensive praise for warmth, vulnerability, chemistry, and believable family emotion.
Is the season bingeable?
Very much so for most viewers; several finished it in two days or said they could not stop. The middle episodes can feel slower and less effective week to week.
Does the finale provide a satisfying ending?
Not for everyone. It delivers strong emotion but leaves the central romance unresolved, and several viewers disliked Lori's choice and the final reversal.
What is the biggest strength?
Its greatest strength is making faith, grief, parenting, and messy family relationships feel heartfelt, relatable, and hopeful without offering easy answers.
Sample Expert Reviews We Analyzed
These are a few of the reviews included in our analysis.
hollywoodprogressive.com
- Review score
- 4.6
tvfanatic.com
- Review score
- 4.7
altbollywood.com
- Review score
- 5.0
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