Soapy, mature modern telenovela has a darkly funny twist.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Sex, Romance & Nudity
some
Many scenes of people making out and in bed together -- gay and straight. No full nudity, but male buttocks are seen within the first 20 minutes of the pilot episode, during a simulated sex scene.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.
The matriarch of the family has a secret drug habit, is shown smoking weed from a glass pipe. Wine and other alcoholic beverages are regularly consumed, in party scenes and elsewhere.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.
Occasional shots of things like a Dos Equis beer billboard in the background of a scene -- but nothing too frequent or over-the-top.
Positive Messages
very little
Puts a modern spin on the melodramatic telenovela format, meaning that despite presence of many well-worn plot points (secret families, revenge fantasies, affairs, and deaths), the show handles these things with a wink and a smile. Viewers won't learn deep truths about themselves and others, but they will have fun.
Positive Role Models
very little
There's far too much deceit and manipulation going on here to call anyone a "role model" -- but it's noteworthy that some of the more egregiously judgemental characters (such as the mom who seeks to silence her queer son's coming out) are treated as just that: judgemental, and in the wrong.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that La Casa de las Flores (listed in English as "The House of Flowers" on Netflix) is a Mexican soap opera that centers on adult issues like infidelity, class, sexuality, and betrayal. Like on most soaps, characters frequently lie, cheat, and break the law, and there are lots of sex scenes. Marijuana and alcohol use are also pictured.
The show is available to view dubbed over in English, but as is usually the case, it is better enjoyed with the original Spanish-language track (subtitles are available).
It's a little mature, but is a great show full of interesting twists and turns, a creative and interesting plot, and a complicated, intricate but at the end of day loving family.
What a disappointment to see this type of productions being sponsored by Netflix. It seems like they were awarded a spot at Netflix for bringing a complete Nonsense Plot, loaded with tasteless Gay-Pride Exhibitionism. So sad to see these trashy Mexican productions getting such large audience precisely for being so trashy. How can a country oppressed by violence, corruption, narco-cartels and political chaos will ever take a turning-point IF its culture continues to go off the cliff as reflected by the lifestyle promoted in this series: Drug-use, Promiscuity, Extortion, Profanity, and all type of lewd content displayed as normal and acceptable. Please protect your family from this toxic material.
What's the Story?
LA CASA DE LAS FLORES is a Spanish-language telenovela focusing on the dark and twisty, drama-laden lives of the De La Mora clan, a family of well-heeled florists living large in Mexico City. The De La Moras are desperate to keep up a false front as the "perfect family" after the ill-timed suicide of the patriarch's mistress threatens to expose all their dirty secrets. (Note: The show is also listed under its English name on Netflix: THE HOUSE OF FLOWERS.)
The show is billed as a "dramedy" -- but while there's an air of winking humor to it, audiences shouldn't expect a slapstick, laugh-out-loud kind of deal. La Casa de las Flores kicks off its pilot episode with a suicide, that of the patriarch's longtime secret mistress (who also narrates the show from beyond the grave, Desperate Housewives-style). The family stumbles upon the body hanging inside their hugely popular flower shop while the father's crowded, paparazzi-laden birthday party is in full swing. This kicks off a series of events that put the entire family at risk of having their secrets exposed, from sex tapes being leaked to illegitimate children being discovered. At the center of it all is a furious matriarch (longtime telenovela fixture Verónica Castro) determined to keep up appearances.
One way the show breathes a bit of life into the genre is with its treatment of social issues. You may not expect a telenovela to be "woke," but the show's treatment of race (daughter Elena is freaked out about telling her old-fashioned family about her engagement to her African American, English-speaking boyfriend) and LGBTQ issues (son Julián struggles with his sexuality) is a welcome inclusion. Couple these modern updates with the addictive quality of a classic soap, and it makes for a fun, not-so-guilty pleasure.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about secrets. Do you think the members of the De La Mora family have a lot of secrets? What are the consequences they have on their lives?
Are La Casa de las Flores' characters positive or negative role models? Is the way these family members treat one another realistic?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Jenny Nixon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
