New York Magazine - USA (2019-12-23)

44 new york | december 23, 2019–january 5, 2020

when my fourth-grader asked if he could watch a show about kids being terrorized by

otherworldly creatures, I made an impulsive decision. I told him yes, but we would watch

together and if he felt nervous at any time, we could turn it off. He never got scared. In fact, he

was so engaged in the story that he wanted to keep going. For a kid more attracted to YouTube

videos than novels, it felt like a breakthrough. If I had gone by the Common Sense guidelines on

Stranger Things, he might not have felt that joy of being sucked into a story. JEN CHANEY

STRANGER THINGS

WHERE TO WATCH: Netflix | EPISODE LENGTH: 42–77 mins.

The animated series

follows the exploits of

a pair of child

inventors over the

course of a very

eventful summer

vacation. The genius

of the show is that

the villain is its moral

center. Dr.

Doofenshmirtz is

incompetent not just

at science but at

being evil. He often

foils himself through

decent acts. A

divorced dad, he

longs to win the

respect and affection

of his too-cool

teenage daughter,

Vanessa, who is

embarrassed by his

efforts at world

domination. Actually,

he’s not even trying

to dominate the

world, just

the “tristate area.”

ANDREW RICE

i studied the simpsons in high

school like it was a religious text. The

mix of high and low, the dense layering,

informed my own sense of humor. My

son’s indoctrination began when he was

6, with the episode in season eight when

Lisa tries to babysit Bart. Admittedly, he

was too young for most of it. The B-plot

about Springfield’s new outdoor mall

for yuppies was lost on him, except for

when Homer accidentally wanders into

the fountain. But he loved when Rod

and Todd Flanders are afraid of the

moth, and he got emotionally invested,

cheering for Bart but feeling for Lisa.

Maybe it’s a little self-involved to try to

make him love the things I love. But

watching my son take pleasure in this

thing that has given me so much plea-

sure was, in the recursive loop that is

parenting, a pleasure in itself.

IZZY GRINSPAN

The Simpsons

WHERE TO WATCH: Disney+

EPISODE LENGTH: 23 mins.

Phineas

and Ferb

WHERE TO WATCH:

Disney+

EPISODE LENGTH:

23 mins.

PEEP AND THE BIG WIDE WORLD

WHERE TO WATCH: Amazon Prime

EPISODE LENGTH: Two 12-min. segments per episode

What Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood

is to social-emotional learning,

Peep is to ecology. Peep, a good-

natured chick, and Quack,

a grumpy duck, plus other

onomatopoeically named friends,

overcome gentle obstacles induced

in part by their general failure to

understand the natural world (a

real deficit if you’re a bird). In one

episode, they find a piece of

bread and save it for later, only to

discover when they return that it’s

moldy, which is bad for them but

good for their ant friends. But

where Daniel Tiger is a visual and

auditory irritant, Peep’s world is

delightfully quirky and genuinely

funny, due in no small part to

narration provided by Joan

Cusack. The visual style is graphic

and minimal—legs are sticks,

bodies are basically balls—and

Quack’s curmudgeonly disposition

provides just the right amount of

vinegar, which may be why, long

after my daughter has moved out

of the neighborhood of make-

believe, she’s still entertained by

Peep. GENEVIEVE SMITH

captain barnacles (a bear) and his

team of underwater explorers complete

missions to help unusual sea creatures.

Each segment features some idiosyn-

cratic aquatic animal. Your children will

know all the details about yellow-bellied

sea snakes that you barely skimmed on the last trip to the

aquarium. Where Octonauts wins out over all the watch-alike

animal-adventure shows is in its charming imagery and heart-

first emotional buy-in. Barnacles is the leader, Kwazii is the

reckless humorist, but the real heart of the show belongs to

Peso the Penguin, the sweet medical tech. Problems are always

surmountable, but Octonauts gives kids enough credit to let

those problems feel real before fixing them. Plus, its closing

musical number absolutely slaps. KATHRYN VANARENDONK

OCTONAUTS

WHERE TO WATCH: Netflix | EPISODE LENGTH: Two 12-min. segments per episode

PHOTOGRAPHS, THIS SPREAD: COURTESY OF CBEEBIES (OCTONAUTS); COURTESY OF DISNEY (PHINEAS AND FERB); COURTESY OF NETFLIX (STORY BOTS); COURTESY OF DISNEY (SESAME STREET). NEXT SPREAD: COURTESY OF NETFLIX (JOHN MULANEY); COURTESY OF DISNEY (JUNGLE BOOK AND LADY AND THE TRAMP); COURTESY OF NICKELODEON (PAW PATROL).

Nine Enthusiastic Recommen

for Shows to Watch With Yo

TRANSMITTED TRANSMITTED

____ COPY DD AD PD EIC

2619FEA_KidsTV_lay [Print]_36339551.indd 44 12/17/19 10:19 PM

december 23, 2019–january 5, 2020 | new york 45

Beat Bugs

WHERE TO WATCH: Netflix

EPISODE LENGTH: 14 mins.

a cast of animated insects in an over-

grown suburban lawn embarks on adven-

tures retrofitted to the lyrics of Beatles

songs as reinterpreted by celebrity musi-

cians: Sia does “Blackbird”; Eddie Vedder

does “Magical Mystery Tour.”

Like its adult-jukebox forebears, Beat

Bugs is a plotty but not particularly

coherent show. The pleasure for grown-

ups often lies in watching the acrobatics

required to justify a narrative journey as

absurd as “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts

Club Band.” Still, the bugs are uncannily

adorable, the visual jokes are clever

(humans are bumbling “gigants,” the

bug zapper a mystical threat), and the

lessons are sweet. Most important, the

songs are listenable.

Creator Josh Wakely’s second jukebox

show, Motown Magic, taps Sony’s thou-

sands of Motown cuts to tell the story of

an 8-year-old city kid who enters magical

worlds through wall graffiti. It’s a touch

less inventive than Beat Bugs, but it’s

wholesome and maybe the most inclu-

sive children’s show since Sesame Street.

BORIS KACHKA

PLUS

there is little men-

tion of winners or losers,

no monetary prize at the

end, no cruelty. The judges

are gentle with their criti-

cism and sentimental with their

praise; the contestants support each

other. Everyone seems to cry at some

point, but they are crying about a

fallen cake or because their pie has,

God forbid, a soggy bottom.

When my 4-year-old first sat next to

me as I tried to covertly watch it,

I remember not wanting to turn it off,

then thinking, Hey! This show is whole-

some. It’s about creative passion and

self-belief! Focus and persistence. And

then: Wouldn’t it be nice if he grew up

to be a baker? He could create tangible

things and bring us croissants when he

visits. Now invested in his interest,

I started adding my own narration for

clarity and increased suspense, intro-

ducing the more rudely American

concept of winning and losing into the

show and building excitement when

the bakers’ time was running out. It

took some training, but now that my

son is 5, we are both all in. “Mom,

want to watch the baking show?,” he

says with big eyes, and I think, Thank

God, I really do.

MEAGHAN O’CONNELL

ASK THE

STORYBOTS

WHERE TO WATCH: Netflix | EPISODE LENGTH: 25–30 mins.

cartoon guide-bots answer a question

posed by a real kid. Live action and cartoons are

intercut with joyously non sequitur song breaks,

and each episode features a guest star like

Snoop Dogg or Tony Hale. It’s educational in a

way that’s specific enough to be interesting no

matter how old you are, unlike shows that are interesting only if

you’re new to concepts like letters or “Grown-ups always come

back.” I think the “How Do Airplanes Fly?” episode might have

taught me ... rudimentary physics? EMILY GOULD

How It’s Made was

originally a TV show,

and it bears little

resemblance to native

YouTube content.

For kids who long to

understand how the

pipes work in their

home and who

mutter “Now we

remove the ex cess”

to themselves after

carefully pressing

Play-Doh into a mold,

these short segments

are catnip. Watching

doughnuts ge t

extruded onto

conveyor belts or

gloriously identical

groups of sharpened

crayons slide

into boxes—it’s

informative, sure

(you’ll never look at

mundane consumer

products the

same way again),

but it’s also

incredibly soothing.

K.V.

The Great

British

Baking Show

WHERE TO WATCH: Netflix

EPISODE LENGTH: 52–67 mins.

It turns out

many, many

parents who work

at New York watch

this show with

their kids.

How

It’s Made

WHERE TO WATCH:

YouTube

EPISODE LENGTH:

4–5 mins.

WHAT TWO TEACHERS SAY: “I adapt the content to whatever the students are watching. Right now, it’s The Flash on CW, which lends

(^) itself
(^) to
(^) so
(^) many
(^) science
(^) opportunities.”
(^) —W
ADE
(^) K
ING
(^)
(^) “Our
(^) favorites
(^) are
(^) Odd
(^) Squad
(^) and
(^) W
ild
(^) Kratts.
” (^) —MA
GGIE
(^) GA
LE
Miracle on 34th
Street (1947)
Maybe the
best Christmas
movie ever.
Sleeping Beauty
(1959) Neither
Maleficent movie
has done justice to
the original villain.
The Black Hole
(1979) A moody,
endearing sci-fi
action-adventure
horror flick
The Muppet Movie
(1979) Because your
kids ought to know
where “Rainbow
Connection” comes
from.
The Hunchback of
Notre Dame (1996)
The last great
film of the Disney
animation
renaissance.
Miracle (2004) Kurt
Russell was born to
play a hockey coach.
Millions (2004)
A deeply good-
hearted movie with
Danny Boyle’s
signature panache.
WALL-E (2008) The
greatest Pixar film.
The Princess
and the Frog (2009)
A snappy and
charming fairy-tale
retelling, with one
of Disney’s few
African-American
protagonists.
Tangled (2010)
Better than Frozen:
funnier jokes, richer
characters, and, yes,
superior songs.
Te n
Disney+
Movies Worth
Revisiting
Deep cuts from the
newest streamer.
BY TIM GRIERSON
AND WILL LEITCH
PHOTOGRAPHS, THIS SPREAD: COURTESY OF CBEEBIES (OCTONAUTS); COURTESY OF DISNEY (PHINEAS AND FERB); COURTESY OF NETFLIX (ST
ORY BOTS); COURTESY OF DISNEY (SESAME
STREET). NEXT SPREAD: C
OURTESY OF NETFLIX (JOHN MULANEY); COURTESY OF DISNEY (JUNGLE BOOK AND LADY AND THE TRAMP); COURT
ESY OF NICKELODEON (PAW PATROL).

mmendations

h Your Kids

TRANSMITTED

Y ___ DD ___ AD ___ PD ___ EIC ________ COPY ___ DD ___ AD ___ PD ___ EIC

2619FEA_KidsTV_lay [Print]_36339551.indd 45 12/17/19 10:19 PM

december23,2019–january5, 2020 | newyork 45

Beat Bugs

WHERE TOWATCH:Netflix

EPISODELENGTH: 14 mins.

a castofanimatedinsects inanover-

grownsuburbanlawnembarksonadven-

turesretrofittedtothelyricsofBeatles

songsasreinterpretedbycelebrity musi-

cians:Siadoes“Blackbird”;EddieVedder

does“MagicalMysteryTour.”

Likeitsadult-jukeboxforebears,Beat

Bugsisa plottybutnotparticularly

coherentshow.Thepleasureforgrown-

upsoftenliesinwatchingtheacrobatics

requiredtojustify a narrativejourney as

absurdas“Sgt.Pepper’sLonelyHearts

ClubBand.” Still,thebugsareuncannily

adorable,thevisualjokesareclever

(humansarebumbling“gigants,”the

bugzappera mysticalthreat),andthe

lessonsaresweet.Mostimportant,the

songsarelistenable.

CreatorJoshWakely’ssecondjukebox

show,MotownMagic,tapsSony’sthou-

sandsofMotowncutstotellthestoryof

an8-year-oldcitykidwhoentersmagical

worldsthroughwallgraffiti.It’sa touch

lessinventivethanBeatBugs,butit’s

wholesomeandmaybethemost inclu-

sivechildren’s showsinceSesameStreet.

BORISKACHKA

PLUS

thereislittlemen-

tionofwinnersorlosers,

nomonetary prizeat the

end,nocruelty. Thejudges

aregentlewiththeircriti-

cism and sentimental with their

praise;thecontestantssupport each

other.Everyoneseemstocry at some

point,buttheyarecryingabouta

fallencakeorbecausetheirpiehas,

Godforbid,a soggybottom.

Whenmy4-year-oldfirstsat nextto

measI tried tocovertlywatchit,

I remembernotwantingtoturnit off,

thenthinking,Hey!Thisshowis whole-

some.It’saboutcreativepassionand

self-belief! Focusandpersistence.And

then:Wouldn’t it beniceif hegrewup

tobea baker?Hecouldcreatetangible

thingsandbringuscroissantswhenhe

visits.Nowinvestedinhisinterest,

I started adding my own narration for

clarity and increased suspense, intro-

ducing the more rudely American

concept of winning and losing into the

show and building excitement when

the bakers’ time was running out. It

took some training, but now that my

son is 5, we are both all in. “Mom,

want to watch the baking show?,” he

says with big eyes, and I think, Thank

God, I really do.

MEAGHAN O’CONNELL

ASK THE

STORYBOTS

WHERE TOWATCH:Netflix|EPISODELENGTH:25–30mins.

cartoonguide-botsanswera question

posedbya realkid.Liveactionandcartoonsare

intercutwithjoyouslynonsequitursongbreaks,

andeachepisodefeaturesa guest starlike

SnoopDoggorTonyHale.It’seducationalina

waythat’sspecific enoughtobeinterestingno

matterhowoldyouare,unlike showsthat areinterestingonlyif

you’renewtoconceptslike lettersor“Grown-upsalwayscome

back.”I thinkthe“HowDoAirplanesFly?”episodemighthave

taughtme...rudimentaryphysics? EMILY GOULD

HowIt’s Madewas
originallya TVshow,
andit bearslittle
resemblancetonative
YouTubecontent.
Forkidswholongto
understandhowthe
pipesworkintheir
homeandwho
mutter“Nowwe
removetheex cess”
tothemselvesafter
carefullypressing
Play-Dohintoa mold,
theseshortsegments
arecatnip.Watching
doughnutsge t
extruded onto
conveyor belts or
gloriously identical
groups of sharpened
crayons slide
into boxes—it’s
informative, sure
(you’ll never look at
mundane consumer
products the
same way again),
but it’s also
incredibly soothing.
K.V.

The Great

British

Baking Show

WHERE TOWATCH:Netflix

EPISODELENGTH:52–67mins.

It turnsout

many,many

parentswhowork

atNewYorkwatch

this show with

their kids.

How

It’s Made

WHERE TO WATCH:

YouTube

EPISODE LENGTH:

4–5 mins.

WHAT TWO TEACHERS SAY: “I adapt the content to whatever the students are watching. Right now, it’s The Flash on CW, which lends

itself

to

so

many

science

opportunities.”

—W

ADE

KING

“Our

favorites

are

Odd

Squad

and

W

ild

Kratts.

”—MA

GGIE

GA

LE

Miracleon34th

Street(1947)

Maybethe

bestChristmas

movieever.

Sleeping Beauty

(1959) Neither

Maleficent movie

has done justice to

the original villain.

The Black Hole

(1979) A moody,

endearing sci-fi

action-adventure

horror flick

The Muppet Movie

(1979) Because your

kids ought to know

where “Rainbow

Connection” comes

from.

The Hunchback of

Notre Dame (1996)

The last great

film of the Disney

animation

renaissance.

Miracle (2004) Kurt

Russell was born to

play a hockey coach.

Millions (2004)

A deeply good-

hearted movie with

Danny Boyle’s

signature panache.

WALL-E (2008) The

greatest Pixar film.

The Princess

and the Frog (2009)

A snappy and

charming fairy-tale

retelling, with one

of Disney’s few

African-American

protagonists.

Tangled (2010)

Better than Frozen:

funnier jokes, richer

characters, and, yes,

superior songs.

Te n

Disney+

MoviesWorth

Revisiting

Deepcutsfromthe

neweststreamer.

BYTIMGRIERSON

ANDWILL LEITCH

endations

ur Kids