The Morkels

The Morkels is an American comedy-drama television series created by Phelan Morkel and Dominic Mariano and RKO. Inspired by true events, the series follows the real life Morkel family—parents Nicholas (James Paisley) and Cassandra (Jessica Brewster) and children Phelan (Diego Lauren), Julie (Marianne Morrison), and Jason (Ethan Forster)—in 1990s, with events unfolding from the children's perspectives.

Phelan, Julie, and Jason Morkel executively produce The Morkels alongside Mariano and Kenneth Becker. The show is produced by Morkel & Associates and Dominic Mariano Productions in association with RKO Pictures Television. It premiered on September 28, 2022. In May 2023, the series was renewed for a second season.

Premise
Diego Lauren stars as Phelan Morkel, Marianne Morrison plays his sister Julie, and Ethan Forster portrays their younger brother Jason, alongside James Paisley as father Nicholas and Jessica Brewster as mother Cassandra.

The Morkels takes place in during the early 1990s. It revolves around the Morkel family, as seen from the perspectives of Phelan, Julie, and Jason.

Main cast

 * Diego Lauren as Phelan Morkel
 * Marianne Morrison as Julie Morkel
 * Ethan Forster as Jason Morkel
 * Jessica Brewster as Cassandra Morkel
 * James Paisley as Nicholas H. Morkel

Extended family

 * Francis Webber as Patrick Morkel
 * Anthony Souza as Justin Morkel

Critical reception
The show overall has an score of 8.3/10 and a Lookbook score of 94%. The first season has a score of 82% on based on 20 critics' reviews.

Michael McGovern of The Worcester Beacon called it "both Morkel and Mariano's best work yet", later praising the characters, storytelling, and historical accuracy. Janine Ford of Fan Edition gave a similarly positive review in which she stated that it "abnegates the usual cliché family dysfunction in favor for refreshingly realistic, relatable storytelling". OEN's Charlie Christoff wrote in part, "The Morkels holds the ability to simultaneously make you laugh your way into stomach pain and cry yourself dry." He later praised the direction and the performances of the entire main cast.

Leanne Marsh of Televise magazine was less positive, describing the show as "obnoxiously loud", "painfully unoriginal", and "one half hour ahead of sitcom status". Screensaver's Joe Rickard wrote that Phelan Morkel and Dominic Mariano "have no screenwriting chemistry whatsoever" and criticized Brewster and Paisley's performances but praised Lauren, Morrison, and Forster.