# The Neighbors (2012)

> A human family moves into a New Jersey gated community that turns out to be full of aliens from Zabvron, and they learn that their everyday family struggles are the same across worlds.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/40511

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 44
- Episode runtime: 22 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy, science fiction, family
- Created by: Dan Fogelman
- Network: ABC
- Cast: Jami Gertz, Lenny Venito, Simon Templeman, Toks Olagundoye, Mobin Khan, Clara Mamet, Tim Jo, Tracy Weisert
- TMDB rating: 6.9/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2182229/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: breezy, warm, whimsical, comforting, gently absurd

## What critics say

Audiences gave The Neighbors a mixed-to-positive reception, appreciating its warm family comedy and fish-out-of-water premise while finding its sitcom formula familiar.

## Synopsis

The Neighbors (2012-2014) is an American network family sitcom created by Dan Fogelman for ABC. When the Weavers, a suburban human family led by Debbie Weaver (Jami Gertz) and Marty Weaver (Lenny Venito), move into a gated community in New Jersey, they discover that their entire neighborhood is made up of aliens from the planet Zabvron. Larry Bird (Simon Templeman) and the other Zabvronian residents look ordinary on the surface, and the comedy comes from the awkward daily negotiations between the two households: school runs, marriage squabbles, backyard rivalries and the constant effort to raise a happy family. The show runs for two seasons of twenty-two-minute episodes, with a light, one-story-at-a-time structure in which the fish out of water premise supplies most of the jokes. Its tone is breezy, warm and gently absurd, with a sincere focus on the idea that family concerns are universal, even intergalactic. Fans of 3rd Rock from the Sun and ALF will find the same mix of alien outsiders and domestic sitcom comfort here, along with a cozy, uncomplicated appeal for family viewing.

## Shows like The Neighbors

- [Out of This World (1987)](https://ember.film/tv/1485)
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- [Solar Opposites (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/82255)
- [Elliott from Earth (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/99796)
- [Shifting Gears (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/174769)
- [3rd Rock from the Sun (1996)](https://ember.film/tv/141)
- [Jeff and Some Aliens (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/61085)
- [Family Reunion (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/73976)
- [My Parents Are Aliens (1999)](https://ember.film/tv/13619)
- [Doppelhaushälfte (2022)](https://ember.film/tv/120825)

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