If you want better continuity
Choose Dark Winds, Season 4. It scores 4.5 vs 1.5 for continuity, 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
49 reviewed features-
Very positive 4.5-5.026 (53%)
-
Positive 3.5-4.415 (31%)
-
Neutral 2.5-3.44 (8%)
-
Negative 1.5-2.44 (8%)
Pros
-
Demand for another season is exceptionally strong, with many viewers explicitly asking for Season 2 and some wanting several more seasons.
-
Tearful, heartfelt moments are a defining strength, with grief and family scenes repeatedly described as moving, hopeful, and earned rather than manipulative.
-
Grief, faith, divorce, addiction, parenting, and second chances are explored with compassion and few easy answers. Some viewers found the sheer number of issues excessive.
-
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.
-
Scott Foley and Erinn Hayes generate natural, lived-in chemistry that anchors the series, while the wider ensemble often feels like a believable interconnected family.
-
Its warm, accessible style reaches beyond a strictly faith-based audience and resonates especially with families and viewers who have experienced grief or divorce.
Cons
-
Malcolm's choices are the main sticking point: critical viewers felt his behavior did not match the responsibilities of a pastor or attentive father.
-
The finale is the clearest source of frustration, particularly Lori's romantic choice and the last-minute reversal of the hoped-for pairing.
-
A major drunk-driving crash is criticized for vanishing without a police report or consequences, creating a conspicuous break in narrative follow-through.
-
The girls' wrestling storyline may feel contemporary and inclusive to some viewers, but it was also criticized as propaganda.
-
The eight-episode order frustrates viewers in opposite ways: one critic thinks the middle is padded, while another believes the season is far too short.
-
The middle episodes are the weakest stretch for pacing, with criticism that the season becomes low-key, uneven, and less compelling week to week.
Compared With Category Average
Compared with other TV Shows, this product is above average in family friendliness, language level, screenplay quality, near average in character development, main cast performance, below average in finale satisfaction, continuity, modern political framing.
Comparison summary
49 compared features-
Above average 0.4+ pts higher33 (67%)
-
Same as average within 0.3 pts9 (18%)
-
Below average 0.4+ pts lower7 (14%)
Largest category differences
| Attribute | This product | Category average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| family friendliness | 4.5 | 2.2 | +2.2 |
| language level | 4.4 | 2.5 | +1.9 |
| finale satisfaction | 1.8 | 3.6 | -1.9 |
| continuity | 1.5 | 3.2 | -1.7 |
| modern political framing | 2.0 | 3.6 | -1.6 |
| screenplay quality | 5.0 | 3.4 | +1.6 |
| character consistency | 1.5 | 3.0 | -1.5 |
| writing quality | 4.6 | 3.4 | +1.2 |
Consider This Instead
If you want better season length
Choose The Pitt, Season 2. It scores 5.0 vs 2.5 for season length, 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
Top TV Shows to Consider
Choose The Pitt Season 2 for a gripping, realistic medical drama with superb acting and emotional depth. Skip it if graphic procedures, unresolved arcs, or slower character-driven pacing bother you.
Pros: episode structure, main cast performance
Cons: age appropriateness, plot clarity
Choose Kylie for a heartfelt, candid music documentary with rich archives, sharp editing, and big emotional payoff. Skip it if you need a fully exhaustive career chronology or dislike authorized...
Pros: episode pacing, season finale quality
Cons: episode structure, season pacing
Best for exceptional performances, heartfelt family chemistry, and a humane take on motherhood and sex work. Skip it if you need gritty realism, fast setup, or perfectly cohesive tone.
Pros: episode structure, dialogue quality
Cons: plot twists, season finale quality
Choose Dark Winds Season 4 for moody noir suspense, excellent acting, and richer Native-centered themes. Skip it if uneven pacing, thin conspiracy plotting, or a stranger L.A. detour would frustrate...
Pros: costume design, directing quality
Cons: family friendliness, age appropriateness