Regular readers know that I’m something of an apologist for “screen time,” at least within limits. That’s because there are lots of great shows, documentaries, and apps out there that can engage young minds, build critical content knowledge, and even help to create connections across the many chasms so prevalent in America today. That’s why, in the past, I’ve offered a list of the best children’s TV shows, created a collection of educational videos available for streaming, and put forward some of my favorite educational apps. (Traditionalists, fear not: I’ve also compiled a list of 100 great children’s books, The Kindergarten Canon.)
But it struck me recently that I’ve never weighed in with a list of television shows to watch as a family. That’s on my mind, as my boys are now six and nine, and thus old enough to enjoy shows that I might like too—programs that don’t make me want to poke my eyes out. (Dora, I’m looking at you.)
So this summer I reached out to friends and colleagues, and looked around on the Internet, for input on what other parents with school-age kids like to watch with their children (beyond sports). Here are the results.
What’s most striking about the recommendations I received was the dearth of sitcoms or family dramas. This list is dominated—overwhelmed, really—by competition shows. And many are great. (My boys and I are particularly big fans of American Ninja Warrior.) But what’s up with the missing sitcoms and dramas? Has Hollywood given up on them? I was raised on The Brady Bunch and Family Ties and (yes) The Cosby Show, not to mention Little House on the Prairie. What are their analogues today? Shows that depict loving families (and role-model parents) that educate and entertain? I found a few (and added them below) but it seems that the major networks have largely ceded this ground to the Disney Channel, which is a real shame. It doesn’t count as a family show, in my book, if the parents almost never materialize on screen.
But enough blather. Here I present my list of the best TV shows to watch with your kids (including a few classics), along with information about where to stream them. Click on the title to see parent reviews from Common Sense Media. Enjoy!
Competition Shows
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People compete on some of the world’s toughest obstacle courses for a major cash prize. |
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America’s Funniest Home Videos A compilation of funny clips from home videos across the nation. |
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A variety of talents perform before celebrity judges for a $1 million prize. |
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A competitive cooking show. |
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A competitive cooking show for kids. |
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A dessert- centered competitive cooking show. |
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A competitive cooking show in which contestants can sabotage their opponents. |
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A competitive ballroom dance show in which celebrities team up with professional dancers. |
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A baking competition. |
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Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge A group of “Creature Designers” compete against each other to create puppets and animatronics. |
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A competitive cooking show for kids. |
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A competitive cooking show featuring renowned chefs. |
Current Sitcoms
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Family sitcom about an upper-middle-class African American family. |
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Family sitcom about a Chinese-American family that moves from Chinatown in Washington D.C. to Orlando, Florida. |
Classic Sitcoms
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Family sitcom from the late 1960s and early 70s about a blended family of 8 and their live-in housekeeper. |
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Family sitcom from the 1980s and 90s about an African American family living in New York. |
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Family sitcom from the 1980s about a family of six living in Ohio. |
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Family sitcom about a widowed father and his two friends raising his three daughters in San Francisco, California in the late 1980s and 90s. |
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Family sitcom about young Kevin Arnold growing up in the late 1960s. |
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A sitcom set in the 1990s that features strong, well-educated African-American characters at a historically black college working toward careers in medicine, politics, and the humanities. |
Family-Friendly Dramas
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Series telling the story of the Ingalls family’s life on a Minnesota farm in the late 1800s. |
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Star Trek: The Original Series The original Star Trek television show features Captain James Tiberius Kirk and his crew exploring the universe, traveling to places where no one has gone before. |
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Star Trek: The Next Generation The Next Generation follows the intergalactic adventures of Captain Jean Luc Picard and his loyal crew on the all-new USS Enterprise. |
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Voyager follows the intergalactic adventures of Captain Kathryn Janeway and the crew of the U.S.S. Voyager. |
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Doctor Who is a science-fiction television show about time travel that has been produced since 1963. |
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A live-action superhero series featuring Supergirl. |
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An action-adventure series on the CW inspired by a DC Comics character, whose superpower is super speed. |
Other
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Series featuring scientific explanations for the world, universe and other fascinating phenomena. |
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Host, Zeb Hogan, travels the world seeking some of the world’s largest fish. |
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A science series exploring innovations and discoveries from the past, present, and future. |
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A real estate and renovation show. |
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Jonathan and Drew Scott help families buy a house to make their dream home. |
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Host, Mike Rowe, explores the dirtiest jobs in America. |
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How the States Got Their Shapes A History Channel series that, as its title suggests, explains how America's 50 states got their shapes. |
Many thanks to Fordham’s communications intern, Irene Mone, for her help compiling these lists.
