Ever hear of a Super Reader or iCarly? Don't feel bad, we hadn't either until we dug into the world of kids' television. The good news is that many kids' shows today have enough charm and creativity to keep your interest. Take a look at our mini-reviews and get with the programs!
Toddlers (2 to 4 years)
Dora the Explorer (Nick Jr. and Noggin)
When Dora, a sweet Latina girl, has to solve a problem, she turns to her young viewers — and her monkey Boots — for help. "Put your arms out to catch the fairy star!," she says. Don't be surprised if your grandchildren obediently thrust their little arms in the air. And along the way, Dora may also teach them (and you) a Spanish word or two.
 Nick Jr. and Noggin, The Backyardigans |
The Backyardigans (Nick Jr. and Noggin)
In this musical-adventure series, the five animal friends who make up the Backyardigans imagine themselves having grand adventures (as secret agents, a circus troupe, Vikings, or ghosts). With all the singing and dancing and attractive locales, there's plenty to keep you and the grandkids entertained.
Little Einsteins (Disney)
Four young pals travel around the world on a rocket; they solve problems and learn about nature, various cultures, classical music, and famous works of art. The show, mixing video clips and animation, gets youngsters involved by asking questions and requesting responses. We love when kids shout answers at the TV. What's better than that?
Super WHY! (PBS KIDS)
The Super Reader characters have a novel way of dealing with dilemmas (such as what to do when you don't want to share): They fly into classic children's stories like The Goose and the Golden Egg or Pinocchio to seek words of wisdom to share with young viewers.
Sesame Street (PBS KIDS)
Almost 40 years old, and still young at heart, Sesame Street relies on a combination of puppets, live actors, and animation to teach everything from counting to crossing the street safely. Though characters like Abby Cadabby have been added, the old gang is still the draw: Elmo, Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, and of course, Bert and Ernie.
Between the Lions (PBS KIDS)
This clever puppet show stars lion cubs Lionel and Leona and promotes reading in fun ways — songs, skits, and short stories — that the Lion family reads together. In each episode, a sound (like long a) is featured in various words to teach and reinforce. After watching an episode, your grandkids will beg you for a trip to a bookshop.
Children (5 to 8 years)
SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon)
He's a sweetheart of a yellow sponge who lives underwater in a place called Bikini Bottom and whose best friend is a goofy starfish named Patrick. Eager to be liked and ever ready to serve his miserly boss, Mr. Krabs, at the Krusty Krab restaurant, SpongeBob will make you enjoy his nifty asides and get you to truly believe that sponges have feelings too.
 Nickelodeon, Avatar: The Last Airbender |
Avatar: The Last Airbender (Nickelodeon)
In this fast-paced series, a boy named Aang (the Avatar) tries to save the world from a war with the evil Fire Nation. Aided by friends, Aang must learn skills, such as martial arts, in order to succeed. Eastern philosophies are reflected in the adventures, such as the supernatural, chi, and reincarnation.
Curious George (PBS KIDS)
Everybody's favorite monkey is still getting into mischief (like letting zoo animals out of their cages), but George now also goes on exciting adventures (filming rare penguins in the Antarctic, for one) with his buddy, the Man in the Yellow Hat.
Arthur (PBS KIDS)
He's all aardvark but also all boy, and he has a bratty sister named D.W. Arthur often feels flustered and awkward and finds himself in sticky situations, but with his friends and family, including Grandma Thora, to guide him, he learns valuable life lessons in a comforting but not preachy way. Now if only D.W. would, too.…
Cyberchase (PBS KIDS)
Proving that math can be fun, Jackie, Inez, Matt, and Digit, their birdlike cyborg, use numbers-skills and logic to solve problems as they battle a nasty villain named Hacker who wants to take over cyberspace. And you can count on them to make sense of the figures. Gilbert Gottfried voices their clever birdlike cyborg, Digit.
Preteens (9 to 12 years)
iCarly (Nickelodeon)
Miranda Cosgrove stars as Carly, a Seattle high school student who with her two best buddies, Sam and Freddie, has created a popular Web show. Turns out that Freddie has a crush on Carly, and Carly has a crush on just about everyone but Freddie. The laughs are light but entertaining.
Drake & Josh (Nickelodeon)
Two teenage stepbrothers have drastically different personalities — Drake, the confident one, plays in a rock band and attends school mainly to kiss girls; Josh, the quieter one, loves school and wishes he were a girl-magnet. The brothers get into Lucy-and-Ethel-type mischief that wins over their viewers every time. (One show was a takeoff on the famous candy-factory episode on I Love Lucy.)
Hannah Montana (Disney)
Pop star Miley Cyrus plays a Malibu teen, Miley Stewart, with a secret identity — she's the famous rock star Hannah Montana. She lives with her father-manager (played by Cyrus's real-life dad, country vocalist Billy Ray Cyrus — remember "Achy Breaky Heart"?). While Miley C. has a limited acting range (she mostly yells) and Billy Ray is about as animated as an oak tree, your grandkids will relate to her character's problems — an annoying sibling, jealous classmates, and an occasional acne outbreak.
 Disney, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody |
The Suite Life on Deck (Disney)
Love Boat meets Home Alone in this new spinoff from The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, about teenage twin boys and their friends. While the original series (still shown in reruns) took place in a Boston hotel, Life on Deck takes place onboard a luxury cruise ship, where the boys attend high school. The show gets its yuks from the mayhem the boys cause. Can you say man overboard? In Suite Life, you'll get a kick out of seeing Estelle Harris (remember her as George Costanza's mom on Seinfeld?) in repeats of the 2005 and 2006 seasons as Miriam, a hotel employee. And you'll recognize Ashley Tisdale from her pre-High School Musical days
Zoey 101 (Nickelodeon)
Public displays of family issues aside, this sitcom starring Jamie Lynn Spears, Britney's younger sister, focuses on the lives and loves of students at a co-ed West Coast boarding school. Typical, tame teenage fare — pranks gone awry, crushes, jealousy — give this show a real feel even if the always-sunny locale and ever-fabulous teen wardrobes do not.
Teens (13 and older)
The Simpsons (Fox)
Parodying American culture since the late 1980s, this show features Homer Simpson and his middle-class family's animated antics. Homer is a coarse knucklehead and his own worst enemy, the kind of guy you'll consider either offensive or hilarious.
One Tree Hill (CW)
In this nighttime teen soap opera, you'll need a scorecard to keep up with who's hooked up with whom, who's pining after whom, who's pregnant, who thinks she's pregnant — and that's just the teens' parents. The kids have their own problems, and they usually revolve around sex, too. Shocked? Don't be. You've seen this show before — it was called Peyton Place." Don't watch this one with your grandkids; you'll just embarrass them. But you'll certainly be the coolest one around when you make Haley references.
 The N, Degrassi: The Next Generation |
Degrassi: The Next Generation (The N)
Set in Toronto, the show tells the trials and tribulations tribulations of the students at Degrassi High. It's all about clothes, boys, cars, and who's going to fail chemistry.
America's Next Top Model (CW)
The weird poses. The unfortunate clothing choices. The catty judges!.The mascara running down a contestant's sobbing face. Oh, my. Supermodel Tyra Banks, the show's host and one of its judges, rules the runway. Call your grandchildren afterward to dish.
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