Not insipid tv shows age appropriate for 7-12 on streaming channels
October 11, 2020 10:17 PM Subscribe
So, I find, streaming channels have shows for young kids, adults, and teens, but they don't seem to have a lot for kids that have aged out of kids stuff.
What about shows for kids that aren't yet ready for the murder mysteries that are adult shows, but are done with disney. Kid, 8, boy, has liked Fuller House, Bunked, and Some Assembly Required...I just could not get over how awful Some Assembly Requried was, not only std insipid kid show crap but bad in its use of stereotypes...it was awful. Quite possibly the worst show i've ever seen, embarassed i let my son watch it.
Anyway, looking for suggestions for not animated, not insipid, family friendly shows that would engage an 8 yr old boy, but also be tolerable for his parents. Anyone else notice this seems to be a weird window of age not catered to? So many TV-MA shows on all the streaming channels, like since not subject to broadcast rules, blood, tits, and fucks all the time, arty! seems like it's possible with good writers to make shows that are engaging, but don't have tits blood and fucks. looking for them. i guess, looking for adult level shows without murders, tits, and fucks. ideas?
What about shows for kids that aren't yet ready for the murder mysteries that are adult shows, but are done with disney. Kid, 8, boy, has liked Fuller House, Bunked, and Some Assembly Required...I just could not get over how awful Some Assembly Requried was, not only std insipid kid show crap but bad in its use of stereotypes...it was awful. Quite possibly the worst show i've ever seen, embarassed i let my son watch it.
Anyway, looking for suggestions for not animated, not insipid, family friendly shows that would engage an 8 yr old boy, but also be tolerable for his parents. Anyone else notice this seems to be a weird window of age not catered to? So many TV-MA shows on all the streaming channels, like since not subject to broadcast rules, blood, tits, and fucks all the time, arty! seems like it's possible with good writers to make shows that are engaging, but don't have tits blood and fucks. looking for them. i guess, looking for adult level shows without murders, tits, and fucks. ideas?
If he's liked Fuller House, One Day at a Time and Alexa & Katie are good family-friendly sitcoms who I, a fully grown adult without kids, willingly watched while looking for content where nothing really bad happens that isn't resolved in 22 minutes. Because, well, 2020 . Also Victorious, but I'm not sure good is the right word, perhaps just watchable. All are on Netflix.
posted by cgg at 10:32 PM on October 11, 2020
posted by cgg at 10:32 PM on October 11, 2020
We like The Adventures of Tip and Oh, on Netflix.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 10:35 PM on October 11, 2020
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 10:35 PM on October 11, 2020
Are animated shows too babyish for him? Avatar: The Last Airbender is on Netflix and I thoroughly enjoyed it as an adult.
posted by mekily at 10:43 PM on October 11, 2020 [12 favorites]
posted by mekily at 10:43 PM on October 11, 2020 [12 favorites]
Malcom in the Middle is perfect for kids that age, as well as adults. Last I checked it was on Netflix.
posted by bondcliff at 10:52 PM on October 11, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by bondcliff at 10:52 PM on October 11, 2020 [5 favorites]
The new Lost in Space Almost made me wishI had kids to watch it with and talk with it about. On Netflix, difficult and great themes.
posted by J.R. Hartley at 12:48 AM on October 12, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by J.R. Hartley at 12:48 AM on October 12, 2020 [1 favorite]
This might depend on your kid, but there are five seasons of Murder, She Wrote available on Amazon Prime right now. It's G-rated, and features murder mysteries without being graphic or sexual. I remember being into it when I watched TV reruns at roughly that age, but I don't know if it would read as too old/boring to a kid that age these days.
posted by terretu at 3:00 AM on October 12, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by terretu at 3:00 AM on October 12, 2020 [1 favorite]
Has he watched Steven Universe? It's a great show in that it's aimed at both adult and kid audiences, and I'll bet he would really resonate with Stevens getting more responsibility and coming of age. There are also great themes about respect, discovering your own identity, and finding love. It's a fantastic show. And even if some of the more adult things fly over his head, he will still be following along.
posted by AlexiaSky at 3:41 AM on October 12, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by AlexiaSky at 3:41 AM on October 12, 2020 [3 favorites]
I realized on reread that you didn't want animated, but I'd recommend Steven Universe to you anyway because for me as an adult it was amazing to watch without a kid! For non animated shows, I wonder if some of the older scifi stuff would work, like star trek(pick a series? there so many! I really loved DS9 as a kid), sliders (which I loved as a kid, but I cannot tell you if it has aged well nor the amount of nudity involved).
posted by AlexiaSky at 3:47 AM on October 12, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by AlexiaSky at 3:47 AM on October 12, 2020 [1 favorite]
These are appropriate, and while not totally insipid, they are...sincere? But they retain a watchability for Mom and Dad.
Eureka is a show about a US Marshall who gets surprise-reassigned to be Sheriff of the quaint Pacific Northwest town of Eureka; which is hidden by a holographic cloaking device. Because it's the town where they send all the mad scientists and supergeniuses. Now he has to be dog catcher for swarms of escaped nanobots, and deal with a mini black hole at the school science fair.
Warehouse 13 is a show about two Secret Service Agents who get surprise-reassigned to basically the Smithsonian of Haunted Objects. Remember the scene at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark, where they box it up and lock it away? These two work there now, and have to go track down other historical and enchanted items, like Teddy Roosevelt's pince-nez that make the wearer bulletproof, or a life-ring from the Titanic that gives you hypothermia if you touch it.
posted by bartleby at 3:55 AM on October 12, 2020 [6 favorites]
Eureka is a show about a US Marshall who gets surprise-reassigned to be Sheriff of the quaint Pacific Northwest town of Eureka; which is hidden by a holographic cloaking device. Because it's the town where they send all the mad scientists and supergeniuses. Now he has to be dog catcher for swarms of escaped nanobots, and deal with a mini black hole at the school science fair.
Warehouse 13 is a show about two Secret Service Agents who get surprise-reassigned to basically the Smithsonian of Haunted Objects. Remember the scene at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark, where they box it up and lock it away? These two work there now, and have to go track down other historical and enchanted items, like Teddy Roosevelt's pince-nez that make the wearer bulletproof, or a life-ring from the Titanic that gives you hypothermia if you touch it.
posted by bartleby at 3:55 AM on October 12, 2020 [6 favorites]
My son is 11 and a lot of his friends watched Parks & Rec years ago. We watched a few episodes of The Good Place when he was 9, too, and he liked them okay.
My kid still prefers animated series, and I will second everyone who says that Avatar, Steven Universe, and She-Ra are all shows that most child-free adults I know love, and that my family has watched together.
Netflix also has a lovely version of Anne of Green Gables (I think it's just called Anne) that would be appropriate.
posted by gideonfrog at 5:32 AM on October 12, 2020 [3 favorites]
My kid still prefers animated series, and I will second everyone who says that Avatar, Steven Universe, and She-Ra are all shows that most child-free adults I know love, and that my family has watched together.
Netflix also has a lovely version of Anne of Green Gables (I think it's just called Anne) that would be appropriate.
posted by gideonfrog at 5:32 AM on October 12, 2020 [3 favorites]
The original MacGuyver worked well for my son at that age. The Voyage of the Mimi. There's probably a lot of good stuff on youtube; if you curate a channel, you can run it on roku or maybe you have youtube on your tv. I'm certain there are some good youtube channels, but that's another ask.me.
Some libraries have good video selections, and children's/ teen librarians are an excellent resource.
posted by theora55 at 6:32 AM on October 12, 2020 [1 favorite]
Some libraries have good video selections, and children's/ teen librarians are an excellent resource.
posted by theora55 at 6:32 AM on October 12, 2020 [1 favorite]
i guess, looking for adult level shows without murders, tits, and fucks. ideas?
I'm not sure why animated is out of the running, whether it's his preference or yours, but IMHO right now animated shows are the ones hitting the sweet spot of covering adult-level (or close to it) themes and characters without the "adult-level" content. (Disclaimer: none of these shows have been vetted for me by actual kids 8-12, just by my inner child.)
Seconding Avatar: The Last Airbender and its sequel series The Legend of Korra, which are both currently on US Netflix.
Then there's:
Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts
Dragons: Race To The Edge - based on the How To Train Your Dragon films
Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia created by Guillermo Del Toro and its spinoff of sorts 3Below and the sequel to both (as in you should watch the first two series before this one) Wizards
The Hollow
The Dragon Prince
The Deep
The Last Kids on Earth
If they're OK with reading subtitles (dubs may not be available, I know COVID has screwed with the voiceover schedule for lots of things), there's Scissor Seven or BNA.
About the only live-action thing I've enjoyed that would seem appropriate - and again, it may require reading subtitles - is the Norwegian Netflix series Ragnarok.
While I love both Eureka and Warehouse 13, having done some recent desultory rewatching of both, they might be a little dark for an 8-year-old? Nothing really graphic, but death and betrayal are pretty regular occurrences in both shows, you may want to take a gander at them first by yourself. They're currently on the new Peacock streaming service, which has a "free-with-ads" level, and on IMDB.TV which I think you generally access through Amazon.
Along the same lines as Warehouse 13 but maybe a little more kid-friendly, maybe The Librarians, which is a spin-off from 3 made-for-TV movies which he might also like.
Nthing the idea of maybe trying some reruns of older network TV series, like MacGuyver and the Star Treks.
Anyone else notice this seems to be a weird window of age not catered to?
My own personal suspicion is that a lot of live-action shows aimed at the pre-teen/tween market aren't taken seriously as shows by their creators because their actual purpose is really to create teen heartthrobs as a stepping stone from "child actor" to "adult movie/TV star." As long as the actors are cute & witty enough to generate & maintain a fan base who will follow them to their next projects, the shows don't actually have to be good, so why bother putting in the effort.
posted by soundguy99 at 7:14 AM on October 12, 2020 [1 favorite]
I'm not sure why animated is out of the running, whether it's his preference or yours, but IMHO right now animated shows are the ones hitting the sweet spot of covering adult-level (or close to it) themes and characters without the "adult-level" content. (Disclaimer: none of these shows have been vetted for me by actual kids 8-12, just by my inner child.)
Seconding Avatar: The Last Airbender and its sequel series The Legend of Korra, which are both currently on US Netflix.
Then there's:
Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts
Dragons: Race To The Edge - based on the How To Train Your Dragon films
Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia created by Guillermo Del Toro and its spinoff of sorts 3Below and the sequel to both (as in you should watch the first two series before this one) Wizards
The Hollow
The Dragon Prince
The Deep
The Last Kids on Earth
If they're OK with reading subtitles (dubs may not be available, I know COVID has screwed with the voiceover schedule for lots of things), there's Scissor Seven or BNA.
About the only live-action thing I've enjoyed that would seem appropriate - and again, it may require reading subtitles - is the Norwegian Netflix series Ragnarok.
While I love both Eureka and Warehouse 13, having done some recent desultory rewatching of both, they might be a little dark for an 8-year-old? Nothing really graphic, but death and betrayal are pretty regular occurrences in both shows, you may want to take a gander at them first by yourself. They're currently on the new Peacock streaming service, which has a "free-with-ads" level, and on IMDB.TV which I think you generally access through Amazon.
Along the same lines as Warehouse 13 but maybe a little more kid-friendly, maybe The Librarians, which is a spin-off from 3 made-for-TV movies which he might also like.
Nthing the idea of maybe trying some reruns of older network TV series, like MacGuyver and the Star Treks.
Anyone else notice this seems to be a weird window of age not catered to?
My own personal suspicion is that a lot of live-action shows aimed at the pre-teen/tween market aren't taken seriously as shows by their creators because their actual purpose is really to create teen heartthrobs as a stepping stone from "child actor" to "adult movie/TV star." As long as the actors are cute & witty enough to generate & maintain a fan base who will follow them to their next projects, the shows don't actually have to be good, so why bother putting in the effort.
posted by soundguy99 at 7:14 AM on October 12, 2020 [1 favorite]
If you have Disney+, what about Boy Meets World? It used to part of ABC's TGIF programming block.
posted by Constance Mirabella at 7:30 AM on October 12, 2020
posted by Constance Mirabella at 7:30 AM on October 12, 2020
I think Netflix Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events would fit the bill. It's rather enjoyable, live action and the main characters are kids, based off of the books by the same name. There's also a movie . It's pg rated.
posted by AlexiaSky at 10:05 AM on October 12, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by AlexiaSky at 10:05 AM on October 12, 2020 [2 favorites]
Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street and Just Add Magic put Disney's kids' comedy shows to shame. The actors are great and the writing is good.
I haven't seen the spinoff Just Add Magic: Mystery City, but if it's produced by the same people, it could be worth checking out too.
posted by umbú at 10:17 AM on October 12, 2020 [1 favorite]
I haven't seen the spinoff Just Add Magic: Mystery City, but if it's produced by the same people, it could be worth checking out too.
posted by umbú at 10:17 AM on October 12, 2020 [1 favorite]
Worst Witch on Netflix is pretty good -about a school for kid witches. My 8 yo loves it.
posted by tristeza at 12:45 PM on October 12, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by tristeza at 12:45 PM on October 12, 2020 [1 favorite]
My kids & I also liked Gortimer Gibbons, Just Add Magic, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and Annedroids.
posted by gryphonlover at 1:21 PM on October 12, 2020
posted by gryphonlover at 1:21 PM on October 12, 2020
Agreeing about Kipo and She-Ra. Both have complex themes and relationships. The music in Kipo is great. I went down a rabbit hole learning about RZA’s educational projects.
posted by chuke at 2:10 PM on October 12, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by chuke at 2:10 PM on October 12, 2020 [1 favorite]
We did Star Trek: TNG and Murder, She Wrote. Columbo was also really popular. Action, suspense, and something to think about or figure out, but no real gore. They also loved Superstore-- there are a few things to explain with this one, but it's cheerful, and network TV, so nothing really awful or offensive. Three boys, ages 6, 9, 11.
posted by weezetr at 3:47 PM on October 12, 2020
posted by weezetr at 3:47 PM on October 12, 2020
What about all the David Attenborough-narrated nature shows? I didn’t have a tv growing up, but when we visited my grandparents my grandpa would have taped all the nature shows and I watched them avidly.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 5:02 PM on October 12, 2020
posted by Lawn Beaver at 5:02 PM on October 12, 2020
If he likes cars, maybe Top Gear? Clarkson is a jerk, true, but you can explain that.
posted by The otter lady at 5:48 PM on October 12, 2020
posted by The otter lady at 5:48 PM on October 12, 2020
I don't know if this is a totally off-base suggestion, but the new Babysitters Club series on Netflix was awesome. Funny, heartfelt, genuine. I really enjoyed it. Maybe classic Twilight Zone (also on Netflix)?
Also seconding recommendations of Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts!
posted by yeahyeahrealcute at 6:22 PM on October 12, 2020
Also seconding recommendations of Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts!
posted by yeahyeahrealcute at 6:22 PM on October 12, 2020
On Netflix. there's Merlin, which is definitely family friendly. It can get a little cheesy, but for some reason I have a soft spot for it.
Also on Netflix is the more recent The Letter for the King which is aimed at a similar age group. It is only six episodes long, and pretty much of all of that time feels more like setup than a story with an ending. Since it is on Netflix, no one has any idea on whether there will be a second season that could provide some resolution. Still it might be a good choice for you.
posted by Quonab at 12:43 PM on October 13, 2020
Also on Netflix is the more recent The Letter for the King which is aimed at a similar age group. It is only six episodes long, and pretty much of all of that time feels more like setup than a story with an ending. Since it is on Netflix, no one has any idea on whether there will be a second season that could provide some resolution. Still it might be a good choice for you.
posted by Quonab at 12:43 PM on October 13, 2020
I have no idea how much this appeals to kids, but for an adult show without adult content, may I recommend Detectorists? It's so delightful and smart and sweet.
Could anyone else here with kids chime in on whether the kids have enjoyed Detectorists?
posted by kristi at 7:32 PM on October 17, 2020
Could anyone else here with kids chime in on whether the kids have enjoyed Detectorists?
posted by kristi at 7:32 PM on October 17, 2020
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by freethefeet at 10:22 PM on October 11, 2020