It's My Screen Time Too: Recent Episodes
It's My Screen Time Too
Who says family screen time is incompatible with relaxation? We review the Latvian sleeper hit Flow.
Things we mentioned in this episode:
Islands of Abandonment by Cal Flyn
Previous episodes we mention:
- White Fang
- Spaceballs
Flow made us think of these movies and shows for grown ups:
- The Last of Us
- Waterworld
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
Not only are our kids bringing tech home from the classroom, they’re using more and more tech during their school days. In this week’s Screen Time in the News episode, we discuss a Wall Street Journal article that questions whether in-class tech time is time well spent. We also catch up on what our kids are watching, what we’re watching with them, and what we’re watching during our precious kid-free screen time. Deborah can’t wait for a breather from all the televised sports, and Katie figures after three years, she should probably finally watch Severance.
Things We Mention in this Episode:
Screens Have Taken Over Classrooms. Even Students Have Had Enough by Sara Randazzo, Matt Barnum and Julie Jargon for the Wall Street Journal
What our kids are watching or what we’re watching with them:
- The Secret Garden
- Land of the Lost
- Mole
What we’re watching during grown-up screen time:
- Severance
- White Lotus Season 3
- The Diplomat Season 2
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
We review the big screen adaptation of Dav Pilkey’s comic supacop, Dog Man. We cover the complicated logistics of breaking up with your boyfriend when his head has been replaced by a dog’s; the tightrope-walking required to adapt a beloved book series for the screen; and whether Dog Man’s origin story is actually far more gruesome and disturbing than we thought.
Previous episodes we mention:
- Bad Guys: Haunted Heist
Dog Man made us think of these shows and books for grown ups:
- Nightbitch
- Fun Home
We cast our gritty reboot with these actors:
- Andy Serkis as Dog Man
- JK Simmons as Petey
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
Tis the season for new toys! We discuss a New York Times story about Ms. Rachel’s new line of toys and the role licensed merchandise has played in our lives and our kids’ lives. Plus, we catch up on what we’re watching with our kids and what we have our eyes on for grown-up screen time.
Things We Mention in this Episode:
Ms. Rachel, YouTube Star, Is Creating a Holiday Toy Frenzy by Sapna Maheshwari published by The New York Times on November 29, 2024
Dirt-cheap toys imported into U.S. can be dangerous, group says. Here's what to know from All Things Considered on NPR
Previous Episodes We Mention:
- Ms. Rachel’s Songs for Littles
What our kids are watching or what we’re watching with them:
- Is It Cake? Holiday Edition
- Deadliest Catch
- Skeleton Crew
What we’re watching or looking forward to during grown-up screen time:
- A Complete Unknown
- Hot Frosty
- Gladiator II
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
Join us for our review of what is certainly the brownest Christmas movie of the season, An Almost Christmas Story. Did this twenty-minute special fulfill our desire for short family programming to get us in the holiday spirit? Listen to find out!
Previous episodes we mention:
- Peter Pan and Wendy
- The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
- Pinocchio
An Almost Christmas Story made us think of these movies and shows for grown ups:
- The Martian
- Book Lovers
We cast our gritty reboot with these actors:
- Paula Poundstone
- Natasha Lyonne
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
We scoured the internet for a rundown of this year’s kids and family Christmas movies and found…not a whole lot. In this Screen Time in the News episode, we discuss the lack of new kids’ holiday content this year and why the cheesy holiday romance seems to have replaced the heartwarming family Christmas tale.
Things we mention in this episode:
The 13 Best Christmas Movies of All Time and Where to Watch Them from InStyle
The 16 Best New Christmas Movies of the 2024 Holiday Season from Good Housekeeping
Previous Episodes We Mention:
All I Want for Christmas Is You
Klaus
Jingle Jangle
Spirited
Bad Guys Halloween Heist
What our kids are watching or what we’re watching with them:
- Gold Rush
- Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch
- Warriors fan videos on YouTube
- Encanto
What we’re watching during grown-up screen time:
- Silo
- Dune: Prophecy
- Somebody Somewhere
- Slow Horses
- Man on the Inside
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
Wicked made a splash this Thanksgiving season, but is it a good movie to see with kids? We weigh in on all the high points of Wicked discourse: whether Ariana Grande will ever step out of her Glinda performance; whether this movie is too long for a Part I; and whether singing in the movie theater is ever okay. But most importantly, we discuss how we approached seeing Wicked as parents.
Things we mentioned in this episode:
Is Ariana Grande Going to Be Stuck Like This Forever? by Fran Hoepfner in Vulture
Wicked made us think of these movies and shows for grown ups:
- Gone Girl
- Swing Kids
- Amelie
We cast our gritty reboot with these actors:
- Amy Schumer as Glinda
- Leslie Jones as Elpheba
- John Cho as the Wizard
- Fred Armisen as Nessa Rose
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
We used to fret over our kids’ time spent in front of a screen. Now they’re a little bit older, and we get to worry over their time spent in front of multiple screens. We had so much fun discussing an article from Wired about second screening, third screening, and even fourth screening. Are we, as grown ups, surrounding ourselves with more than one screen at a time? How do we feel about our kids doing the same?
This week’s Screen Time in the News article is “Forget Screen Time. We Need to Talk About Screen Real Estate” by Angela Watercutter in Wired.
Here’s the cord hider we talked about in this episode. Listeners, have you used something like this?
What our kids are watching or what we’re watching with them:
- Nailed It
- Beyblade X
- Nugget is Dead
What we’re watching during grown-up screen time:
- Slow Horses
- Drops of God
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
We welcome the holiday season with a review of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. This small story makes for a big contrast with the bright, toy-filled Christmas stories we’ve gotten used to of late, and we discuss what resonated with us and what they should have done differently to bring this tale from our childhoods to life.
Previous episodes we mention:
- Wild Robot
- Klaus
- Let’s Go Luna
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever made us think of these movies and shows for grown ups:
- Synecdoche, New York
- GCB
We cast our gritty reboot with these actors:
- Jenny Lewis as Imogene
- The guys from Atlanta as the Herdman brothers
- Judy Greer and Nat Faxon as Mom and Dad
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
Our Screen Time in the News article this week broke the news that Netflix is axing almost all of its interactive content, so we spend some time pondering why the technology never took off the way we thought it might. Deborah wonders whether it can be compared to an ill-advised Cheerios flavor, and Katie uses the phrase “petit filet ice cream” for the first time in her life. We catch up on what we’re watching with our kids and what we’re watching during our kid-free screen time and discuss where the New York Times daily games fall when it comes to screen time limits.
Netflix is removing nearly all of its interactive titles by Jay Peters in The Verge
Previous Episodes We Mention:
- Lyla in the Loop
- Buddy Thunderstruck
- Stretch Armstrong
What our kids are watching or what we’re watching with them:
- Curses!
- Big
- Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage
What we’re watching during grown-up screen time:
- The Diplomat
- Ghosts
- Football
- Matlock
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
Find out whether this tearjerker has enough substance for grown-ups and enough laughs for kids in our review of The Wild Robot.
Previous episodes we mention:
- Kung Fu Panda 4
- Wish
- Despicable Me 4
Article in The Cut by Kathryn Jezer-Morton titled “Who is all that obsessively detailed college-dorm decorating really for?”
The Wild Robot made us think of these movies and shows for grown ups:
- The Last of Us
- Castaway
- Saint Vincent
- First Wives Club
We cast our gritty reboot with these actors:
- Sad Ben Affleck
- Lena Headey
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
We discuss the lawsuit against TikTok and the internal documents exposed by Kentucky Public Radio about the video platform’s addictiveness to vulnerable teens.
Previous Episodes We Mention:
- Curses!
What our kids are watching or what we’re watching with them:
- Georgie and Mandie’s first marriage
- Wild Robot
- Curses!
- Camp Cretaceous
What we’re watching during grown-up screen time:
- Only Murders in the Building
- Slow Horses
- Agatha All Along
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
Can Apple TV+ break this year’s curse on fresh Halloween content for families? Listen to our review of Curses! to find out.
Things we mentioned in this episode:
Previous episodes we mention:
- We discussed a Good Housekeeping article about the benefits of exposing kids to scary content in our Haunted Mansion episode last year
- Spooky Buddies
- Bad Guys Haunted Heist
Curses made us think of these movies and shows (although whether any of them are really for grown ups is up for debate):
- Indiana Jones
- National Treasure
- Goonies
- Black Widow
We cast our gritty Curses! reboot with:
- John Krasinski or Leonardo DiCaprio as Alex
- Yara Shahidi as Pan
- Zoe Saldana as Sky
- Awkwafina and Charlene Yi as Larry and Stanley
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
We discuss The Guardian’s review of Ashley Spencer’s new book Disney High: The Untold Story of the Rise and Fall of Disney Channel’s Tween Empire and lament being too old to experience the channel’s heyday as tweens but too young to witness it with our own kids.
Things We Mention in this Episode
Previous Episodes We Mention:
- Julie and the Phantoms
This week’s article: ‘It caught everyone by surprise’: inside the rise and fall of the Disney Channel from September 26, 2024 by Adrian Horton for The Guardian
Since we’re reading a Guardian article this week, here’s another one from the demise of one of our favorite websites of the early aughts (the one that Deborah used to keep tabs on Zach Efron and Ashley Tisdale), Jezebel: The death of Jezebel is the end of an era of feminism.
Here are links to the books we talk about wanting to read:
- Disney High: The Untold Story of the Rise and Fall of Disney Channel’s Tween Empire
- Slimed: An Oral History of Nickelodeon’s Golden Age
- Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street
- Jim Henson: The Biography
What our kids are watching or what we’re watching with them:
- The Warriors on YouTube
- Survivor
- The Lord of the Rings
What we’re watching during grown-up screen time:
- Bad Monkey
- Only Murders in the Building
- Slow Horses
- Monsieur Spade
- Rings of Power
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
We celebrate our 200th episode with a look at where the show has been and where it’s headed. We ring in spooky season 2024 with a quick review of the Netflix special The Bad Guys Haunted Heist.
Previous episodes we mention:
- Spooky Buddies
- Phantom Pups
Interested in some faves from Halloween past? Check out this rundown.
The Bad Guys Haunted Heist made us think of these movies and shows for grown ups:
- Good Girls
- Ocean’s Eleven
- Hustle
We cast our gritty The Bad Guys Haunted Heist reboot with:
- Vince Vaughn, Riz Ahmed, Selena Gomez, Natasha Rothwell
- Taylor Kitsch, Richard Madden, Sophie Turner, Gaten Matarazzo
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
In our last episode before our fall break, we review Apple TV’s Yo Gabba Gabbaland, a reboot of a 2000s show beloved by hipster parents everywhere. We bemoan being too old to recognize any of the impressive musical guests, and we discuss whether the “variety show” label is a positive or negative for modern preschool programming. We will be back with new episodes in October starting with a celebration of our 200th episode! Until then, find almost 200 archived episodes on our website myscreentimetoo.com.
Previous episodes we mention:
- Muppets Now
- Ask the Storybots
- Ms. Rachel’s Songs for Littles
Welcome to Pooh Corner is the show Katie remembers from her childhood with actors wearing costumes to play Pooh and his friends.
Biz’s Beat of the Day from the original Yo Gabba Gabba
Yo Gabba Gabbaland made us think of these movies and shows for grown ups:
- Busy This Week on QVC
- Early seasons of Late Night with Conan O’Brien
We cast our gritty Yo Gabba Gabbaland reboot with:
- Broadway superstars Audra McDonald, Jerry Orbach, Alan Cumming, Idina Menzel, and Renee Elise Goldsberry as musical guests
- Jaspar LePak (of P is for Placenta fame) writing songs
- Vince Vaughn as Muno
- Matt Damon as Brobee
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
Peter Thiel and the San Diego Zoo gorillas help guide our conversation about our families’ back-to-school screen time policies.
Previous Episodes We Mention:
- Are Dumb Phones a Smart Choice for Kids?
Gorillas at San Diego's zoo are getting too much screen time
Tech billionaire Peter Thiel says he only allows his children 1.5 hours of screen time a week
The Contrarian by Max Chafkin
Peter Thiel’s War on Gawker: A Timeline
Zoos’ New Dilemma: Gorillas and Screen Time
We mistakenly refer to Claudia Kishi from The Babysitters Club as Claudia Schiffer. They are, of course, two different people - one fictional, one not. Our apologies for the slip.
What we’re watching with our kids:
- Fly Me To the Moon
- Lego Stop Motion Cooking
What we’re watching during grown-up screen time:
- Fabulous Four
- Deadpool and Wolverine
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
We have a great time reviewing Apple TV’s nerdy time-traveling adventure series Time Bandits, which manages to make ancient history look realistic while still being fun.
Previous episodes we mention:
- Pretzel and the Puppies
- Harriet the Spy
- Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock
- The Snoopy Show
- Jane
- Ghostwriter
- Better Nate Than Ever
As of our taping, the original Time Bandits movie was available to steam on Max.
Time Bandits made us think of these movies and shows for grown ups:
- Quantum Leap
- Goonies
- Doctor Who
- Rome
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
The box office numbers are in, and parents’ taking their kids to see movies like Inside Out 2 and Despicable Me 4 are saving an otherwise disappointing season in Hollywood. We pat ourselves on the back for rescuing the entertainment industry and discuss what such a multiplex-heavy summer means for movies in general and our families specifically. As usual, we take time to catch up on what we’re watching with our kids and during grown up screen time.
Kids’ Movies Are Saving the Summer Box Office by Chris Lee for Vulture
Previous episodes we mention:
- Elemental
- Despicable Me 4
- Kung Fu Panda 4
What we’re watching with our kids this week:
- Grizzy and the Lemmings
- Brown and Friends
- The Olympics
During grown-up screen time, we’re watching:
- Acolyte
- A Family Affair
- The Idea of You
- Presumed Innocent
- Twister
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
We review the latest installment in Disney’s juggernaut tween Descendants franchise: The Rise of Red. Can Aurodon survive the replacement of its core cast? Does the soundtrack live up to previous installments? Most importantly, how happy are we to see Brandy as Cinderella again? Spoiler alert: very happy.
Previous episodes we mention:
- Teen Beach Movie
- Zombies
- Zombies 2
- Zombies 3
- Sneakerella
Check out Katie’s magnum opus on Cinderella adaptations featuring the Brandy version from the 90s.
Katie was not misremembering. Anne Hathaway did, in fact, play the White Queen in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland.
Descendants: The Rise of Red made us think of these movies and shows for grown ups:
- 13 Going on 30
- Back to the Future
- Clueless
We cast our gritty reboot with these actors:
- Anne Hathaway as Red
- Tessa Thompson as Uma
- Angelina Jolie or Jessica Shore as the Queen of Hearts
- John Cho as Prince Charming
- Adrien Brody as Hades
- Natasha Lyonne as the Fairy Godmother or the Evil Stepmother
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
We talk about the trend of people dumping their smartphones for so-called dumb phones and whether this could be a smart strategy for our kids. We reminisce about our favorite flip phones and catch up on what we’re watching with our kids and what’s on our grown-up screen time watch lists.
Previous episodes we mention:
- Despicable Me 4
Americans are ditching smartphones for 'dumb' devices that only call and text to avoid 'zombie mode' by Rob Waugh, June 30, 2024, in The Daily Mail
Vice’s roundup of the best dumbphones from January https://www.vice.com/en/article/3akyyy/best-dumb-phones
Some books:
The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
The Quiet Zone by Stephen Kurczy
Jonathan Chait, political columnist for New York Magazine
Gabb phones
Our beloved Motorola RAZR
Here’s what we’re watching with our kids this week:
- Doctor Who
- Lion King
- Unfrosted
Here’s what we’re watching during grown up screen time:
- Suits
- The Bear
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
We review the most anticipated release of the summer: Despicable Me 4! Did we need a sixth movie about Gru and his little yellow henchmen? Maybe not, but we did appreciate the opportunity to re-familiarize ourselves with the works of Culture Club and Franz Kafka.
Things we mentioned in this episode:
The classic of high school English classes: Kafka’s The Metamorphosis
Previous episodes we mention:
- Kung Fu Panda 4
- Inside Out 2
- IF
- Garfield
Despicable Me 4 made us think of these movies and shows for grown ups:
- Silicon Valley
- The Fly
- The Riches
The AppleTV series Loot did our gritty HBO reboot casting for us with Benjamin Bratt as Gru, but Deborah would also like to see an SNL skit with Amy Poehler and Fred Armisen as minions.
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
We discuss two short articles about screen time: one from Time that says it’s totally fine to talk about screen time using the language of diet culture as long as we don’t count minutes like we count calories and one from the Wall Street Journal that refutes our closely held beliefs about the harm caused by screens before bed. We also catch up on what we’re watching with our kids and what’s on our grown up watch lists.
Previous Episodes We Mention:
- Screens and Diet Culture
Stop Counting Screen Time
Screen Time Before Bed Might Not Be That Bad After All
Here’s what we’ve been watching with our kids:
- Ghostbusters Afterlife
- Elemental
What we’re watching during grown-up screen time:
- Outlander Season 7
- Acolyte
- The Sympathizer
- Hacks
- Presumed Innocent
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
In our review of Inside Out 2, we pick our faves from Riley’s new emotions and get into the puberty of it all by comparing Inside Out 2 to another similarly themed Pixar title, Turning Red.
Previous episodes we mention:
- Turning Red
- Elemental
- Lightyear
- Soul
This series of puberty books by Robie H. Harris:
- It’s So Amazing
- It’s Not the Stork
- It’s Perfectly Normal
The Screenwriting Life Podcast
Inside Out 2 made us think of these movies and shows for grown ups:
- Annie Hall
- You’re the Worst
- Wilfred
We cast the gritty HBO reboot of the movie with:
- A tension-filled voice cast featuring Uma Thurman, Ethan Hawke, and Maya Hawke
- A resurrected Gene Wilder as Depression
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
We discuss summer movies--the films we want to watch with our kids and a few we’re planning to watch for date night. We cover our hopes for all the new installments of our favorite franchises including Inside Out 2, Despicable Me 4, Descendants Rise of Red, Twisters, and even Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Plus, Katie taunts Deborah about the impending release of Ryan’s World the Movie: Titan Universe Adventure.
Things we mention in this episode:
23 Summer Movies to Watch, Vanity Fair
Summer Movie Guide, AP News
Previous Episodes We Mention:
- IF
- The Garfield Movie
Check out Deborah’s post about rewatching Beetlejuice with her kids.
Here’s what we’re watching with our kids this week:
- Inside Out
Here’s what we’re looking forward to this summer for our grown-up screen time:
- Thelma
- Fly Me to the Moon
- Babes
- The Fabulous Four
- It Ends With Us
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
In our review of The Garfield Movie, Deborah mourns the absence of the fundamental pathos of the Garfield comic strip in this zany animated take on everyone’s favorite lazy tabby. Katie betrays her co-viewing values and dares to suggest this would make a good solo watch for kids. We talk product placement and adapting dated but beloved material for a modern audience.
Previous episodes we mention:
- Kung Fu Panda 4
- The Super Mario Bros Movie
Garfield made us think of these movies and shows for grown ups:
- Keanu
- Back to the Future trilogy
We cast the gritty HBO reboot of the movie with:
- Nick Offerman or Donald Glover as Garfield
- Kerry Washington as Liz
- Rebel Wilson as Arlene
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
We discuss lawsuits filed by parents against video game companies for allegedly causing psychiatric disorders in children. Are lawsuits really the way forward in managing our anxieties about screens? We also catch up on what we’re watching during our grown up screen time.
Things we mention in this episode:
Kids Hooked on Video Games Prompt a Flurry of Lawsuits by Rachel Graf in Bloomberg Businessweek
Instead of watching TV or movies with our kids this week, we’ve been:
- Listening to Phineas and Ferb songs in the car
- Re-evaluating our streaming subscriptions
What we’re watching during grown-up screen time:
- Bridgerton
- Girls5Eva
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
We review the recently released movie IF. This might be the first kids movie of the summer season, but we question whether this Ryan Reynolds vehicle is really a kids movie at all. Is it just a sneaky way for us to confront our anxieties about parenthood while distracting our kids with goofy images of anthropomorphized marshmallows?
Previous episodes we mention:
- Animal Crackers
- Spirited
- Duck Tales
Goldie Hawn bemoaning her role as the mother in First Wives Club
IF made us think of these movies and shows for grown ups:
- Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
- Fight Club
We cast the gritty HBO reboot of the movie with:
- Ryan Gosling as Cal
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
There have been think pieces galore this past month about the approaching end of the beloved preschool series Bluey. We talk about the intense parental love for the series and how to move forward after the end of something we love. We also catch up on what we’re watching with our kids and in our grown-up screen time.
Things we mention in this episode:
Everything ends. Even Bluey by Bryan Walsh in Vox
Raising Raffi by Keith Gessen
What we’ve been watching with our kids:
- Phineas and Ferb
- Fallout
- Knuckles
What we’re watching during grown-up screen time:
- Three Body Problem
- Ripley
- Sheng Wang: Sweet and Juicy
- Hannah Gadsby’s Gender Agenda
- The Sympathizer
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
We review the reboot of Dora on Paramount Plus. Did this classic bilingual heroine really need a new look?
Things we mentioned in this episode:
McSweeney’s article “A Court-ordered Letter from Dora the Explorer’s Mother”
How AI Is Already Transforming Moviemaking
Previous episodes we mention:
- Dora and the Lost City of Gold
- Ms Rachel’s Songs for Littles
- Puffin Rock
- Snoopy Show
- Fraggle Rock Back to the Rock
- Creature Cases
Dora made us think of these shows for grown ups:
- One Day at a Time
- Lupin
We cast the gritty HBO reboot of the show with:
- Isabela Merced or America Ferrera as Dora
- Rita Moreno as the Tiny Dancer
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
In this Screen Time in the News episode, we discuss a recent event in Massachusetts wherein a sixth grade student at Whitin Intermediate School took a state-required standardized test on a school issued Chromebook and suffered first degree burns and blisters.
We also catch up on our family watch lists and what we’re watching once the kids go to bed.
Things we mentioned in this episode:
Today’s Screen Time in the News article: Uxbridge pulls laptops from service after student burned during MCAS test by Shaun Ganley from WCBV5 (Boston’s News Leader) from April 9, 2024
What we’ve been watching with our kids:
- Billy Joel concert
- Phineas and Ferb
What we’re watching during grown-up screen time:
- Loot on Apple TV+
- Three Body Problem on Netflix
- Girls5Eva on Netflix
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
It’s Earth Week, so we’re reviewing the nature documentary series Queens on Disney Plus. Find out whether the combination of beautiful photography and female-centric stories is a winning one and which of your hosts just can’t handle the harsh realities of life in the wild.
Previous episodes we mention:
- Cinderella
The article telling the true story behind the lemming suicide myth, compliments of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Minneapolis’s first all-female fire department from the 1980s
Queens made us think of these shows for grown ups:
- The Amazing Race
- Game of Thrones
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
Things we mentioned in this episode:
Today’s Screen Time in the News article: Sharing childhood faves with my kids has its ups and downs – but I know it takes them places Netflix or Disney won’t by Myke Bartlett from The Guardian on March 18, 2024
Past episodes we mention:
- Pollyanna
For more on our journeys into watching old movies with our kids, check out these newsletter posts:
- Tron
- Beetlejuice
- Free Willy
- The Neverending Story
- The Karate Kid
And just to prove what flip-floppers we are on this issue, here’s a post about replacing childhood faves with more modern picks.
Fresh Air interview with Molly Ringwald
What our kids are watching this week:
- Pokemon Horizons
What we’re watching in grown-up screen time:
- 3 Body Problem
- Manhunt
- Palm Royale
- Cheers
If you’re intrigued by some of the potentially inappropriate shows we talked about someday sharing with our kids:
- Alf is currently streaming on Tubi and Peacock (as of April 10, 2024)
- Dinosaurs is currently streaming on Disney Plus (as of April 10, 2024)
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
Things we mentioned in this episode:
Previous episodes we mention:
- Kung Fu Panda 4
2 music videos for you:
- The truly terrible music video for Vanilla Ice’s rap in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2
- The much better music video to the Phineas and Ferb song “There’s a Platypus Controlling Me”
The Loud House Movie made us think of these movies and shows for grown ups:
- Irish Wish
- Leap Year
- Happy Shiny People
- Just the Ten of Us
- Big Love
We cast the gritty HBO reboot of the movie with:
- Tatiana Maslany as all ten Loud sisters
- Kal Penn as Dad
- Chloe Sevigny as Mom
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
Things we mentioned in this episode:
Parents have a problem with screen time, too, teens say by Heather Kelly
Link to the Pew Research Center report
Zigazoo, the bizarre social media app for kids
What we’ve been watching with our kids:
- Young Sheldon
- The Eternals
What we’re watching (though not always enjoying) during grown-up screen time:
- Constellations on Apple TV+
- Masters of the Air on Apple TV+
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
Things we mentioned in this episode:
Old episodes we mention:
- Raya and the Last Dragon
- The Super Mario Bros. Movie
- Animal Crackers
The Watch podcast from The Ringer
We compared this movie to the grown-up book What Color is Your Parchute?: Your Guide to a Lifetime of Meaningful Work and Career Success.
We cast the gritty HBO reboot of the movie with:
- Jeff Hiller or Noah Schnapp as Po
- Laci Mosley as Zhen
- John Cho as Li
- Karen Gillan as Mr. Ping
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
We talk about women in STEM in movies and on TV. Is the Geena Davis Institute’s slogan of “if she can see it, she can be it” borne out by their latest report? We also catch up on what our kids are watching and what’s on our grown-up screen time watch lists.
Past episodes we mention:
- American Girl: Corinne Tan Review
- Lyla in the Loop Review
- Spooky Buddies Review, which is where we talked about the Geena Davis Institute for the first time
- Wonka Review
Portray Her 2.0: An Analysis of 15 Years of Women in STEM On-Screen, 2007–2022
The Town episode: The Harsh Data Behind ‘Barbie’ and Taylor Swift’s Success
You might get the idea that we’re not impressed by the Geena Davis Institute’s work from listening to this episode. That is not the case! We generally support their mission and invite you to check out the other good work they’re doing here: https://seejane.org/
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV is the 4-part documentary series about the toxic work environment for the kids on popular Nickelodeon shows of the 90s and aughts. It airs on Investigation Discovery. Check your local listings.
What our kids are watching this week:
- Wonka
- Young Sheldon
What we’re watching in grown-up screen time:
- Dune Part 2
- Feud: Capote vs the Swans
- Monsieur Spade
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
We revisit the American Girl universe for the first time in years to watch American Girl: Corinne Tan The Movie. We may have struggled to find things to love in this short movie aimed at tweens, but you’d better believe we found a spot for podcast fave John Cho in our reimagined HBO casting.
Previous episodes we mention
- Maryellen: Extraordinary Christmas Review
- American Born Chinese Review
- Harriet the Spy Review
Inventing the Perfect College Applicant from New York Magazine on January 29th
The Other Two available on Max
They do still make American Girl books! Corinne to the Rescue
American Girl: Corinne Tan The Movie made us think of these movies and shows for grown ups:
- Bad Moms
- Edge of the Unknown with Jimmy Chin on Disney Plus
- What I Learned in Avalanche School by Heidi Julavits in the New York Times
We cast the gritty HBO reboot of the movie with:
- Awkwafina or America Ferrera as Corinne’s mom
- Simu Liu or John Cho (podcast fave!) as Corinne’s dad
- Ariana Greenblatt as Corinne
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
In this Screen Time in the News episode, we discuss a recent Burnt Toast podcast episode where diet culture critic Virginia Sole Smith interviews Ash Brandin, The Gamer Educator. We’ve never connected our screen time discussions with anti-fat bias before!
We also catch up on our family watch lists and what we’re watching once the kids go to bed.
The podcast episode we discuss in today's episode is: Are Screens the New Sugar?
Other things we mention in this episode:
The Gamer Educator
Wired’s Screen Time Food Pyramid
What we’ve been watching with our kids:
- Hazbin Hotel on Amazon Prime (Warning: mature content. Use your discretion.)
- The Floor is Lava Season 3 on Netflix
What we’re enjoying during grown-up screen time:
- Jon Stewart hosting The Daily Show on Mondays on Comedy Central
- Mr. and Mrs. Smith on Amazon Prime
- Feud: Capote and the Swans on Hulu
- Bonus: We talked about the previous season of Feud, which is called Feud: Bette and Joan and is also available to stream on Hulu. (It aired way back in 2017!)
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
We review Pokemon Concierge on Netflix. Katie gushes over the stop motion animation, and Deborah wishes she could name more than two pokemon. They agree that fuzzy, three-dimensional pokemon are superior to their traditionally animated counterparts in hugability.
Pokemon Concierge made us think of these shows or movies for grown ups:
- White Lotus
- Forgetting Sarah Marshall
In our gritty reboot casting, we would like to see:
- Emma Stone or Anna Kendrick as Haru
- Tracy Morgan, Wanda Sykes, Nate Bargatze, Jennifer Coolidge, and Kate Burlant as the pokemon
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
We continue our conversation about kids and AI in this Screen Time in the News episode. We discuss an MIT Technology Review article about talking to our kids about AI and catch up on our family watch lists and what we’re watching once the kids go to bed.
The article we discuss in this episode is “You need to talk to your kid about AI. Here are 6 things you should say” from the MIT Technology Review. It was published on September 5th and written by Rhiannon Williams and Melissa Heikkilä.
Other It’s My Screen Time Too episodes we mention:
Episode 168 Harriet the Spy
Episode 173 Lyla in the Loop
This was a fun podcast episode Katie used to introduce her kids to AI: Wow in the World episode AI-AI-Oh Wow!
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
We review PBS Kids’ first foray into AI: Lyla in the Loop. Is Lyla’s alien computer friend Stu an adorable way to teach kids about coding languages or a harbinger of the end of all things? At least Katie and Deborah agree that everyone could use an AI sidekick to clean the kitchen.
Other episodes we mention:
Episode 168 Harriet the Spy
Episode 73 Puffin Rock
Here’s a link to Lyla’s “bunny ear” shoe tying technique.
Lyla in the Loop made us think of these shows or movies for grown ups:
- The Bear
- Parenthood
- Brothers and Sisters
- Modern Family
- Mommie Dearest
In our gritty reboot casting, we would like to see:
- Issa Rae as Lyla
- Jeremy Allan White as Mr. Loop
- Ayo Edebiri as Mrs. Loop
We found the old episode of 3-2-1 contact about acid rain that Deborah mentioned.
Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
Special announcement from It's My Screen Time Too. Subscribe to our feed for new episodes coming in 2024!Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
Grab your everlasting gobstoppers for our holiday season review of Wonka, the musical prequel to the 1971 classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. We welcomed Alex and Kelly, hosts of the Dirt Nap City podcast, to explore our thoughts on prequels, musicals, oompa loompas, chocolate that doesn’t look like chocolate, whether Timothee Chalamet is a worthy successor to Gene Wilder, and much more. In Screen Time in the News, we discuss why marketing departments are leaving the music out of trailers for musicals.Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
We review the latest Disney animated musical Wish. Find out how it compares to favorites like Frozen and Encanto. Katie takes us on a journey through the recent history of Disney musicals to see where this one fits, and we discuss whether tying this movie to Disney’s 100th anniversary celebration was a smart move. In Screen Time in the News, we discuss an episode of the podcast Struggle Care about the dangers of family vlogging.Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
We depart from our regular format to bring you our takes on the new family movies premiering on streamers and in theaters during the holiday season. What deserves our screen time as 2023 comes to a close? We have plenty of options, from the newest Disney animated musical to a family body swap comedy to Adam Sandler’s latest silly voice. In Screen Time in the News, we discuss an article that asks why none of the newer holiday films feel like they’ll truly become classics like Elf and Love Actually.Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
Harriet the Spy, the novel beloved by generations of young readers, has been adapted into a multi-season animated series on Apple TV+. We discuss whether Harriet’s antics are appealing when spread over twenty episodes, whether today’s parents are comfortable with their kids admiring a character who spies on others, free range parenting, and more. In Screen Time in the News, we confront our fears about AI being used in PBS’s upcoming interactive show Lyla in the Loop.Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
We review Spy Kids: Armageddon, the fifth and latest installment in the Spy Kids franchise. Does the soft reboot on Netflix feel fresh or is Spy Kids better left an artifact of the aughts? In Screen Time in the News, we’re just not ready to give up on spooky season, so we discuss a MovieWeb article extolling the 90s banner days of horror for kids.Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
Star-studded casts have propelled previous movies based on Disney theme park rides to success (Jack Sparrow ring any bells?). In our review of Disney’s second attempt at a Haunted Mansion movie, we consider whether kids even care that the cast includes heavy hitters like Lakeith Stanfield and Jamie Lee Curtis as well as whether the grim grinning ghosts in this new PG-13 Haunted Mansion are too scary for kids. In ScreenTime in the News, we bemoan the state of the magazine industry while discussing a Good Housekeeping article about the benefits of scaring our kids.Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
We check in with Apple to see how they’re handling the Peanuts legacy with a review of Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-Kind Marcie. Does it have the charm and weight of the Peanuts specials we remember from our childhoods? In Screen Time in the News, we discuss the state of the family film in theaters.Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
In our latest review, we try our best to follow the plot of the overstuffed animated adventure The Monkey King on Netflix. In Screen Time in the News, we discuss the evergreen newsworthiness of parents expressing befuddlement at their kids’ tastes in media by way of a Wall Street Journal article about popular Youtube channels.Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com
Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com
We debut a new segment called One For Me, One For You in which we pair YouTube channels beloved by our kids with ones we think have a greater appeal for parents. This week’s theme is animals, and we review Hammy and Olivia and Nat Geo Kids. We discuss a Wired article about YouTube as the future of kids TV, and Katie has an update about her kids and the music of Parry Gripp, a musician we first discussed way back in episode 90 in our review of Emily’s Wonder Lab.
We didn’t expect to have quite so many complicated feelings about the new Apple TV+ preschool show Frog and Toad. Find out whether we thought the Frog and Toad stories, originally penned in the 1970s, made a successful transition to the small screen. In Screen Time in the News, we discuss PBS Kids’ expansion efforts into streaming, gaming, and podcasts.
We observe our annual summertime tradition of covering a made-for-streaming Disney live action musical with our review of World’s Best. Utkarsh Ambudkar’s tale of a math-loving tween exploring his dead dad’s love of rap had us considering some weighty questions about the legacies we leave our children, but it also had us bobbing our heads to some seriously catchy tunes. Find out whether you should factor this one into your family movie night schedule.
We’re joined once again by Julia Washington of Pop Culture Makes Me Jealous for our review of Barbie. We discuss PG-13 movies, when and why we feel comfortable sharing them with our kids, and whether Barbie can be enjoyed by the whole family. We represent a full range of Barbie fandoms - from superfans to casual observers - and cover everything from the appeal of midcentury dream house architecture to the importance of Alan to dream ballets to what actors could best represent aging Barbie and Ken.
We review Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank, the somewhat improbable animated adaptation of Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles. We discuss the place of sanitized remakes in our family screen time canons, whether and when we’ll feel comfortable sharing Mel Brooks movies with our kids, and the timeless hilarity of cat jokes. In Screen Time in the News, we revisit the current state of Pixar, and Katie shares her recent forays into PG-13 movies with her kids by way of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
We review Pixar’s latest blockbuster: Elemental. Are we ready for animated rom coms? We also get into our feelings on the throwback short before the feature, Carl’s Date. Katie is not interested in an Up story without Russell and Kevin, but we are both interested in a lot of the trailers we saw before the movie. We talk about the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles installment, the newest Paw Patrol movie, and Disney’s upcoming musical Wish. In Screen Time in the News, we discuss a Hollywood Reporter interview with one of our favorite creators for the preschool set, Chris Nee.
This week’s lightning round episode is jam packed with our reviews of The Little Mermaid; Spiderman: Across the Spider-verse; and Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai as well as some follow-up about American Born Chinese. In Screen Time in the News, we speculate about the strategy for kids’ content at Max (formerly HBOMax) and where it will fit in the hierarchy of streamers with family-friendly fare.
We review Disney’s star studded adaptation of the graphic novel American Born Chinese and discuss how the writer’s strike might affect kids’ movies and television.
In our latest episode, we discuss whether Disney’s Peter Pan and Wendy is just another in their long line of largely disappointing live action remakes and if we really needed yet another retelling of the Peter Pan story. Is the idea that boys never really want to grow up all that charming anymore? In Screen Time in the News, we talk about frame rates and whether they should really be of concern to toddler parents.
We review the conservation-minded Apple TV series Jane. Are an adorable 9 year old’s efforts to save endangered species enough to make a dent in Deborah’s climate pessimism? In Screen Time in the News, we discuss The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s box office dominance and whether it means we’ll see greater investment in family films.
This week, we review The Super Mario Bros. Movie - a box office smash we saw in actual theaters and not on our couches. Find out whether it was as big a hit with us as it was with our kids. In Screen Time in the News, we speak with author Phillip Maciak about his upcoming book and how having kids has changed our attitudes toward and relationships with the screens in our lives.
We review the animated adaptation of Kate DiCamillo’s The Magician’s Elephant and get into what makes a good book-to-screen adaptation in general. In Screen Time in the News, we add our two cents to Matt Singer’s complaint in ScreenCrush that there are no movies for kids in theaters.
We return to our first love - preschool television - to review the Paw Patrol spin-off, Rubble & Crew. Can the charm of Rubble’s construction-loving family match that of the original heroes of Adventure Bay? In Screen Time in the News, we talk over an interview with Paw Patrol’s creators celebrating the show’s ten year anniversary and its seismic impact with the under-five set.
For our 150th episode, we take a moment to look back at how our approaches to screen time have changed and how the landscape of children’s movies and shows has changed. We talk about the things we thought would be major hits that never panned out, the things we’re surprised have caught on, and the things we wish would go away already. To celebrate the upcoming Oscars, we look back on past episodes and give out our awards for best movie, best show, best voice talent, and more.
We get back into the baby game thanks to a listener’s suggestion that we check out Ms. Rachel’s Songs for Littles YouTube channel. How does this educational baby content stack up against the ones we’ve covered in the past (like Cosmic Kids Yoga or our old nemesis, Blippi) or the ones that were popular when our kids were younger (like Cocomelon)? And do we detect shades of the idealism embodied by Danny Joe’s Treehouse (check out our interview with Danny LaBrecque way back in episode 91)? In Screen Time in the News, we discuss an article about the perils of YouTube for its young reality stars.
In our latest episode, we review the big screen adaptation of the stage musical based on Roald Dahl’s Matilda. In Screen Time in the News, we discuss a Michigan State University study of teen self esteem in rural communities with limited internet access and tightly controlled screen time. We also catch one another up on two Asian imports we stumbled upon via Netflix: Gudetama and Brown and Friends.
We’ve got so much to cover after our holiday break. We catch up on what we watched with our families (Strange World, Avatar The Way of Water, National Treasure: Edge of History, and Trivia Quest). We’re pretty nervous to watch Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, so we have friend of the pod Amy Padden on to discuss how to introduce scary content to our kids before we jump into our main review. Our gritty recastings include Awkwafina, Aubrey Plaza, and Jennifer Coolidge, and we somehow manage to compare this dark, twisty take on Pinocchio to Dirty Dancing. Happy New Year!
It’s a super-sized episode to get you through the holiday season! In our main segment, we review Disenchanted, the long awaited sequel to the 2007 musical Enchanted. Was this story of after “happily ever after” worth the wait? In Screen Time in the News, we discuss a roundtable conversation between directors of some of the year’s best and most anticipated animated films like Pinocchio, Strange World, Turning Red, and My Father’s Dragon. We wonder whether the complex stories they’d like to tell are a good fit for their audience and whether it’s fair to expect kids and families to always be ready to tackle weighty topics. In a bonus interview, Katie talks to her favorite boomers (her parents) about A Christmas Story Christmas, and in her gritty reimagining Deborah casts Katie’s nightmare - a mumblecore princess movie.
The holidays have brought us tremendous screen time riches, so we’re sharing quick reviews of four new holiday releases: A Christmas Story Christmas; The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special; The Santa Clauses; and Spirited. As a bonus, Katie gives a mini-review of the latest Disney animated release: Strange World. In Screen Time in the News, we chat about the Canadian Pediatric Society’s decision to ditch strict time-based recommendations for toddler screen time.
For the second episode in a row, we review content inspired by a children’s book from the 1940s. Come to hear us talk about how beautiful Netflix’s My Father’s Dragon is; stay to hear Deborah dunk on the Despicable Me franchise and Katie wonder what the appropriate term is for a group of tigers. We take issue with extreme poverty as a plot device in children’s programming and delve once more into the “animation for adults” vs “animation for kids” debate. In Screen Time in the News, we wonder what it means that Disney’s latest live action remake - Hercules - is being made to appeal to TikTok users.
We tie ourselves in knots trying to find good things to say about the bland Pretzel and the Puppies on Apple TV+. Gritty reboot casting throws a bone to Conan O’Brien and the cast of the dear, departed Togetherness. In Screen Time in the News, we wonder whether the inclusion of ads will make us want to banish streaming services to the doghouse.
It’s been awhile since we reviewed a total stinker, so we were probably overdue for a show like Netflix’s Phantom Pups. The latest entry in the Air Bud franchise inspires us to mention 1995’s Casper a whopping 3 times, question Netflix’s PR machine, and wonder why this couldn’t have been just a scary movie about the perils of DIY home renovation. In Screen Time in the News, we discuss the lack of family friendly live action movies being released in theaters and streaming’s efforts to fill the gaps.
Like every mom of our generation, we were super excited for the return of the Sanderson sisters in Hocus Pocus 2. They’re back, looking as good as ever, but does the new movie live up to the 1993 original? In Screen Time in the News, we discuss Romper essay that argues for the upsides to eating in front of the TV.
In our review of Secret Headquarters on Paramount+, find out whether Katie’s superhero fatigue extends beyond the MCU to Owen Wilson’s new family flick. We lament the underuse of Michael Pena and finally reintroduce John Cho into our imaginary reboot casting. In Screen Time in the News, we address the disappearance of animated titles from HBOMax. RIP Esme and Roy.
We review our first ever kids’ reality competition show: Junior Baking Show on Netflix. How does it compare to the much loved grown-up version? Is even the gentlest of children’s competition shows too much for Katie’s nerves?
We travel to infinity and beyond in our review of Pixar’s latest blockbuster: Lightyear. Is it a valuable extension to the Toy Story brand or just another run of the mill space adventure? In Screen Time in the News, Katie apologizes to Deborah (and our listeners) for neglecting to cover every parents’ current favorite preschool show: Bluey.
We have a lot to say about Screen Time in the News this week. Deborah fills us in on a new Minnesota law about screen time in preschools, and Katie wonders about a once-loved Pixar executive making new (and maybe better?) movies at a different studio. We review the third installment of the Zombies franchise on Disney Plus. Our favorite cheerleader and zombie couple survived werewolves, but can they survive teenage aliens? And do we care? Find out!
This week, we bravely explore one of our kids’ favorite YouTube genres: Minecraft videos. From narrating gamers to intrepid hamsters, we desperately try to find something to like in the endless sea of content about everyone’s favorite block-based video game. In Screen Time In the News, we turn to an article by statistics guru Emily Oster to interpret the study behind those attention grabbing headlines about IQ and video games.
Katie is dragged kicking and screaming into the Marvel Cinematic Universe to review Ms. Marvel, and we feature a fascinating interview with a mom who watches everything MCU with her kids.
We’re excited to introduce our kids to the structure of mystery shows with Netflix’s new Creature Cases from some of the team behind Octonauts. Two animal detectives teach us things we didn’t know about the more bizarre members of the animal kingdom, and Deborah accidentally invents the best crossover ever: the crime-fighting duo of Julia Child and Jason Bourne. Genius! In Screen Time in the News, we give some recommendations to the author of a moms.com article who is afraid to branch out from her kids’ tried and true preschool favorites.
Join us as we indulge our inner theater kids and tackle the important issues in Disney’s Better Nate Than Ever, like “Are rabbit’s feet still a thing?” and “How short are the layers in the classic Rachel hairstyle?” In Screen Time in the News, we talk more about what it means for animation to be made for grown ups and get into the turmoil at Netflix.
We're re-releasing a favorite from our archives this week. Educational TV can be a slog for kids and their grown-ups. Not so with UK export and Katie-favorite, Numberblocks. Listen as she raves about twelve, bags on three, and convinces Deborah to give nineteen a chance. In Screen Time In the News, we discuss Slate’s call for media mentors in this age of rampant online disinformation.
It’s time for another lightning round! We review four shows that have been lingering on our watch list and let you know whether they’re worth your time: Making Fun, Ridley Jones, The Snoopy Show, and Head of the Class. We’ve got some scathing criticism, some overly deep thoughts on the origins of children’s museums, and a spirited defense of grumpy women. In Screen Time in the News, we reflect on what was undoubtedly the most talked about moment from this year’s Oscar telecast: the assertion that animation for adults exists and should be called cinema.
In our first in-person recording in far too long, we excitedly welcome back our friend Leah to discuss the ABC remake of a childhood classic: The Wonder Years. The new version takes place in 1968 like the original but follows a black family in Montgomery, Alabama instead of a white family in the nameless suburbs. How does it stack up against our childhood memories of Kevin Arnold and Winnie Cooper? In Screen Time in the News, we discuss Nickelodeon’s upcoming projects.
Pixar may have burned us in the past, but we are still excited for our review of their latest - Turning Red. We get into the controversy over critiques of the film and have some truly great comparisons to movies made for grown ups (has anyone seen Nice Girls Don’t Explode?) and gritty re-castings (spoiler: we cast one of our favorites not once, but twice!). We have a brief aside about Netflix’s new show Making Fun and the potential appeal of extreme building shows for kids.
We jump in late to another long-running franchise and review Hotel Transylvania: Transformania. Are the classic sight gags enough to keep us interested in the antics of Drac, Mavis, and Johnny? Spoiler alert: we love Drac’s dad bod and are always on board with jello-related humor. In Screen Time in the News, we cover a variety of topics including William and Kate’s screen time policies and the fact that you don’t need to wait for black history month to enjoy Hidden Figures.
We cover a lot of ground in our latest episode: a Slate article about the mental gymnastics parents go through to make preschool TV interesting; Pixar’s Turning Red and whether or not there is still an artistic judgment made against movies that are released on streaming instead of in theaters; our enduring hatred of Blippi; and - in our main segment - a review of the Apple TV+ reboot of the fraggles in Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock. Deborah, our longtime fraggle fan, explores how the new version stacks up against the original, and Katie tells you what all this has in common with Grey’s Anatomy.
We finally review something from the How To Train Your Dragons universe! Dragons: The Nine Realms tries to live up to the franchise’s legacy, but we’re not so sure about the reckless teen protagonist and the 1300 year time jump. We speculate once again about why famous actors choose the children’s projects they do and wonder briefly what Netflix will look like without new contributions to their kids catalog from Dreamworks Animation. In Screen Time in the News, we tackle the recent New York Times Magazine profile of Ryan Kaji of Ryan’s World fame (with commentary from two of our kids).
Sometimes we unearth hidden gems, and sometimes we simply must review the latest splashy Disney musical. In this week’s episode, we consider Disney’s Encanto. In Screen Time in the News, we discuss the troubling idea that for animation to be deemed “good,” it has to leave the realm of kids’ entertainment and be made for grown ups.
We are joined once again by Julia of the Pop Culture Makes Me Jealous for a super-sized holiday episode reviewing A Christmas Story for the Nintendo generation: 8-Bit Christmas. How does this tale of 11-year-old Jake’s quest for a Nintendo Entertainment System in the 1980s measure up to Ralphie’s pursuit of the Red Ryder BB gun in 1940? Will we be trading in our leg lamps for power gloves? In Screen Time In the News, we chat about Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses and whether we really need more of the boy wizard in our lives.
We tackle real prestige TV for kids in our review of Maya and the Three on Netflix. In Screen Time in the News, we discuss an Axios round- up of the latest trend of big streaming platforms making deals with YouTube kidfluencers and ponder whether it is our duty to once again dip our toes into those turbulent YouTube waters.
We review Paramount’s big screen take on everyone’s favorite big red dog, Clifford. We have some digressions about The Martian, Apollo 13, and the Berenstain Bears, but rest assured that Katie continues to be a curmudgeon, and Deborah continues to be the kindhearted soul we know her to be. In Screen Time in the News, we discuss an opinion piece by Jessica Grose about the value of watching so-called inappropriate movies with our kids.
On paper, Amazon's preschool music show should be a five star prospect for us, but it's a kids· show on Amazon Prime, so we'll bet you can see where this is going. Does the birdie trio of Do, Re, and Mi have us tapping our toes to the beat or tapping our toes while impatiently waiting for the end? In Screen Time In the News, we discuss a Scary Mommy article that includes quotes by actual psychologists encouraging us not to freak out so much about screen time. Katie's favorite!
Our watch list has once again grown unwieldy, so join us for a spooky lightning round of new Halloween shows and movies: Addams Family 2; A Tale Dark and Grimm; Lego Star Wars Terrifying Tales; and Ghostwriter. Plus, a discussion of whether holidays make us want to send our screen time limits to the nearest graveyard.
We’re joined in this episode by Sarah Gage of the Coco and Dalts podcast to review Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. on Disney Plus. Does the gender flipped cast and exotic location set it apart from its predecessor, Doogie Howser, M.D.? In Screen Time in the News, we question a Forbes article that claims increased screen time can actually help kids make friends.
Katie only has one question during our review of Amazon Prime’s new Cinderella musical starring Camila Cabello: Why? In Screen Time In the News, Deborah marvels over China’s new law limiting children’s screen time to only one hour on the weekends.
We take some time to ponder a unified theory of quality for family movies and TV before jumping into our review of Paw Patrol: The Movie. Big questions tackled include: Where are the girl pups? Does Chase really need to be the main character? And where do the Fast & Furious and Real Housewives franchises fit into all of this?
We join Dwayne the Rock Johnson and Emily Blunt on a cruise down the Amazon to discuss whether Disney’s latest attempt to base a successful film franchise on an existing theme park attraction holds water. In Screen Time in the News, Katie uses the release of Spidey and His Amazing Friends as cover to continue her rant against Marvel’s storytelling tentacles reaching into every corner of our lives, and we forgive ourselves for forgetting about the movies based on Mattel’s American Girl dolls in last episode’s segment.
In our review of Disney Plus’ new series Monsters At Work, we discuss whether we really need a workplace comedy for kids and whether a secret friendly monster sneaking into a kid’s room at night is creepier than a scary one. Deborah is overwhelmed by her return to bookstores, and Katie is underwhelmed by her return to theaters to see Black Widow. In Screen Time In The News, we are honestly shocked at our enthusiasm for an upcoming slate of Mattel movies, and our gritty HBO reboot casting involves method acting.
Author and second time guest Amy Padden takes us through her family movie night strategy of discussing problematic content from old movies in the moment, and we try to follow her example as we review Mel Brooks’ parody classic: Spaceballs. Katie unearths a not totally unexpected love of goofy sight gags and Deborah wonders whether Mel Brooks wasn’t predicting our current climate crisis. We argue over Zach Galifinakis and chat about Kenny’s latest obsession, Rainbow Rangers, and why Captain Planet is due for a reboot.
We indulge in our well documented love of John Cho in our review of Netflix’s Wish Dragon, an Aladdin story set in modern China, with a small detour to praise Pixar’s latest, Luca. In Screen Time in the News, we discuss an Insider article praising increased representation of LGBTQ characters in children’s shows while bemoaning the presence of paywalls that keep these representations from low income kids and families.
Check out our latest episode, where Julia of the Pop Culture Makes Me Jealous podcast joins us to review Netflix’s new robot apocalypse family road trip movie, The Mitchells vs. the Machines.
It’s the return of our lightning round segment! We give you bite-sized reviews of Donkey Hodie; Animals on the Loose: A You vs Wild Movie; Astronauts; and the new Saved By the Bell. In Screen Time in the News, we talk about the soon-to-launch Mimo Studios and whether the lessons learned in making kids’ hits on cable can really be applied to streaming.
In this week’s episode, we review Disney Jr’s Mira, Royal Detective and bemoan the fact that great shows we would’ve once happened upon while idly channel surfing get unfairly overlooked in the glut of streaming content. In Screen Time in the News, we wonder whether Netflix’s new Play Something feature represents a welcome return to the old days. We fawn over Mira’s stellar voice cast, puzzle briefly over anachronistic seat belts and lifejackets, and digress to emphasize that goats’ creepy eyes make them poor pets.
Repeat guest and animation nerd Shehla Faizi gives us a crash course in the work of Craig McCracken to prep us for this episode’s review of his new Netflix series, Kid Cosmic. We talk superhero fatigue, serialization in animation, rehabilitating cats’ evil image, and loving things despite ourselves.
We just can’t resist a classic 90s reboot. Mighty Ducks Game Changers on Disney Plus brings back an old formula that works: a team of scrappy underdogs who’re just in it for love of the game. Can Lauren Graham help Emilio Estevez rediscover his love of the game?
We’re reviewing the Obamas’ splashy first foray into children’s media, Waffles & Mochi, on Netflix. We discuss whether it’s weird to watch a food show starring food, whether kids know who Jack Black is, and whether this charming show has a hope of improving our kids’ eating habits. In Screen Time in the News, we invite Amanda from the Pod Appetit podcast to help us counteract recent fear-mongering articles about how increased screen time is making our kids fat by talking about how food TV can expand both our palettes and our minds.
We’re so excited to review yet another new release movie! Join us as we dissect the latest entry into the Disney princess canon: Raya and the Last Dragon. Is this whole movie an apology to Kelly Marie Tran? Are Falcor, the luck dragon, and Sisu, the titular “last dragon,” secretly siblings? In Screen Time in the News, we discuss a new entry coming to Disney Plus, helmed by Ron Moore of Battlestar Galactica and Outlander fame. Can he make us care about the Society of Explorers and Adventurers?
We are joined by Jess of the Only You: A One and Done Podcast to discuss the latest adaptation of a beloved story of an only child and her horse, Black Beauty. The Disney Plus retelling foregrounds female characters and gives the classic tale a modern twist. Is it enough to make this nineteenth century tale resonate with your hardened hosts?
Join us as we discuss how making 100 episodes of the podcast has changed how we approach screen time with our kids and in our grown up lives. To celebrate, we introduce a new segment - Lightning Round - in which we give bite-sized reviews of Hero Elementary, Finding Ohana, On Pointe, and Gabby’s Dollhouse.
We review Nickelodeon’s newest swashbuckling adventure, Santiago of the Seas. How do we feel about idolizing pirates? Is it enough to call them good pirates, sit back, and admire their cool clothes and catchy slang? We chat with Niki Lopez, the show’s creator, about representation, creating bilingual content, and how to get grown ups interested in a preschool show.
In this episode, we are joined by graphic designer and host of the I’m a Muslim and That’s Okay podcast Shehla Faizi to discuss the latest Pixar blockbuster: Soul. Is the burden of representation too much for the plot to bear? Does the jazz music meet Deborah’s standards? And where could we shoehorn John Cho into the cast? In Screen Time in the News, we discuss our hopes and fears for Common Sense Media’s coming streaming platform: Sensical.
We’re joined by librarian extraordinaire, Katie Kiekhaefer, to discuss Netflix’s animated feature Over the Moon. We celebrate blended families and diversity, wonder whether John Cho would be a good dad, lament our lack of vocal range for sing-alongs, and wish for more Margaret Cho and Awkwafina in our lives. In Screen Time in the News, we discuss an Undefeated article about 2020’s strides for blackness in animation.
We’re joined by registered dietitian and personal trainer Leslie Urbas to discuss ABC’s reboot of Supermarket Sweep. Deborah’s love for Leslie Jones propels her through supersized episodes, and Katie is highly confident in her skills as a potential competitor. We touch on the old truism that men can’t grocery shop and ponder the Criminal Minds Supermarket Sweep mash-up we never knew we always wanted. In Screen Time in the News, we discuss a New York Times article that asks whether YouTube kidfluencers are making our kids fat.
Can a stellar cast, joyful dancing, and beautiful design make up for the plot holes and excessive run time of Netflix’s Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey? In Screen Time In the News, we point out any bright spots in the more than 80 new holiday movies that premiered in 2020.
In this episode, we’re joined by Sandy Nussbaum, host of the Let’s Talk Dis Podcast and Disney expert, to discuss the LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special on Disney Plus. We really get into the Life Day spirit, contemplate purchasing Star Wars themed ugly Christmas sweaters, and lament the absence of Adam Driver. Sandy gives us pro tips on the merch shopping Disney so expertly primes us for, and we chat a bit about Chris Columbus’ sour grapes over the planned remake of Home Alone on Disney Plus.
In this episode, Katie unleashes some populist rage and Deborah expresses sympathy for the misfits on Disney Plus’ much-promoted “Secret Society of Second Born Royals.” We admit that our rating system is very much dependent on moods and context, and we bemoan the movie’s lack of zingers and selection of lame superpowers. In our Screen Time in the News segment, we discuss teens’ mental health and screen time with Punam Saxena of the Edu-Me podcast.
Take a deep, calming breath, and join us as we review Disney Plus’ attempt at blending highly recognizable intellectual property with mindfulness and meditation: Zenimation. In Screen Time in the News, we see whether Deborah is skeptical of the Wall Street Journal’s claim that TV before bedtime isn’t necessarily a recipe for poor sleep.
In this episode, we review a new Netflix show with a surprisingly genuine heart despite its truly bonkers premise: Julie and the Phantoms. We talk about coming around to fanny packs and jumpsuits, soundtracks we can sing along to, and what a good time it is to be a tween (TV-wise, at least). In Screen Time in the News, we run through the best reality TV to watch with our kids according to the New York Times.
In today’s action packed episode, we interview Danny LaBrecque, creator and star of the show on YouTube voted (by us) most likely to give you serious Mr. Rogers vibes, Danny Joe’s Treehouse. We talk about creating thoughtful content for kids; consuming media with kids; and how TV can do more than focus on ABCs and 123s. In our main segment, we review Netflix’s new slow-paced, cuddly antidote to today’s trying times, Izzy’s Koala World. Deborah questions Lena Dunham’s cavalier attitude toward pets, and, as usual, Katie is mean.
We review Netflix’s new bite-size science show, Emily’s Wonder Lab, in which a charismatic scientist encourages our kids to make giant messes while also - maybe? - actually learning something. In Screen Time in the News, we discuss a Washington Post article about the pitfalls of constant screen time for kids during distance learning.
We revisit Animal Crackers with the movie’s writer and director, Scott Sava. He answers some of our biggest questions about the Netflix animated film: Where did those Ian McKellen musical numbers come from? Is it really okay to set a modern story at the circus? Why is Owen’s hair blue? In Screen Time in the News, we welcome some good news from the Hollywood Reporter that children’s shows are leading the way in increasing diversity on screen and behind the scenes.
We decide whether Disney Plus’ attempt to make the muppets appeal to YouTube loving kids is a success in the new show, Muppets Now. Plus, Deborah makes an impassioned plea for Miss Piggy’s dignity. In Screen Time in the News, we discuss a new crop of TV shows for grown ups made during the pandemic. Are we interested in seeing our own Zoom-centric lives reflected back to us on screen?
Shannon Vasconcelos joins us to discuss Netflix’s new movie, Animal Crackers, and whether a circus story makes sense for today’s audiences. Plus, whether lots of different hair colors count as diversity, why Ian McKellan gets two musical numbers in a non-musical, and whether hoary “bad dad” plot tropes will go out the window in post-pandemic storylines. In Screen Time in the News, we forgive a parenting expert for judging us on our screen time habits before the pandemic upended her ideas about the role of screens in our lives.
We weep for the long ago days when we could hire babysitters and leave the house while watching HBO Max’s enthusiastic monstersitting duo, Esme & Roy. In Screen Time in the News, we explore parenting advice aimed at the men in our lives on Fatherly.com.
We revel in Netflix’s reboot of our childhood favorite: The Babysitters Club. Reimagined for a new era but still faithful to the original, we can still get lost in important questions like: are we Kristy and Maryann or more Stacy and Claudia? We welcome some guest commentary on trans inclusion and discuss whether twelve year olds are really still considered reliable babysitters.
It’s been awhile since we covered a show we loved with as much ardor as Katie brings to UK export, Numberblocks. Listen as she raves about twelve, bags on three, and convinces Deborah to give nineteen a chance. In Screen Time In the News, we discuss Slate’s call for media mentors in this age of rampant online disinformation.
We revisit the world of Fraggle Rock and discuss the Hulu Original, Doozers. What did we miss out on as children when we neglected to interrogate the inner lives of those tiny, radish loving architects? In Screen Time in the News, we discuss CNN’s town hall with Sesame Street, Standing Up to Racism.
Are Pixar’s charming Forky Asks a Question shorts on Disney Plus enough to finally get us to watch Toy Story 4? In this episode, you may not learn “what is cheese?” but you will learn whether Katie can cut hair, whether Deborah was good at playground games as a child, and whether the Washington Post has anything new to tell us about the screen time debate.
Are our stomachs strong enough for a show about the science behind snot, farts, and belly button lint? Netflix’s single season Oh Yuck tests our constitutions while not teaching us very much at all. In Screen Time in the News, we discuss the fight between AMC and Universal provoked by the wild success of the digital release of Trolls World Tour. We follow up on our last episode with a chat about whether Disney’s fabled “gray stuff” is, in fact, delicious.
Join us as we explore #DisneyMagicMoments, a hashtag and website Disney has created to keep us immersed in Disney content even as theme parks and trips to movie theaters become only fond memories during our time of sheltering in place. Character drawing tutorials, celebrity storytimes, goofy skits starring Olaf, recipes, crafts! If it involves a Disney property, they’ve got it. We’ll let you know what’s worth your attention and what’s better skipped. In Screen Time In the News, we explore the phenomenon of Zoom fatigue and how it affects us and our kids.
We review our first sequel, Zombies 2, after reviewing the original way back in Episode 32. We decide whether punk rock werewolves are a compelling addition to the zombie-ridden, cheerleading obsessed town of Seabrook and whether stellar dance moves can make up for a lackluster plot. We discuss strides in women-led family films in Screen Time in the News and delve more fully into Kristof’s rock ballad moment in Frozen 2.
Cooped up inside and looking to see some spaces that aren’t our homes, we journey through some of the many virtual tours recommended to us by well meaning teachers, friends, and online publications. Is the Metropolitan Museum, the National Aquarium, or the International Space Station worth the online trip?
We explore whether Mystery Doug’s once weekly, bite-sized science lessons can entertain and educate us during emergency homeschooling. Could Tiffany Haddish or Carrie Bradshaw do it better? We sing the praises of Cosmic Kids Yoga, complain about YouTube Kids, share some COVID-19-necessitated distance learning stories, and - in our Screen Time In the News segment - rejoice that USA Today has confirmed that, thanks to a global pandemic, screen time limits are obsolete.
Join us as we explore the Disney+ vault for the first time and watch the 1960 classic, Pollyanna. Will the relentless cheeriness of a plucky orphan combined with the filmmaking of old make us want to play the Glad Game? We discuss Disney’s complicated place in the streaming landscape in Screen Time in the News, and we take time to weigh in on important topics like Weezer covering a song in Frozen 2 and whether or not Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is still worth a watch.
We trust LEGO Batman himself, Will Arnett, to lead us into primetime as we review the new reality competition series, LEGO Masters on Fox. Will bickering builders, tricky challenges, and harsh judging make us fans? In Screen Time in the News, we discuss Sesame Street’s new content for Syrian refugees, and Katie gives a side rant about parents as constant playmates in the otherwise charming Disney Jr. show, Bluey.
Classic adventure tale meets high school fish-out-of-water comedy as Dora the Explorer gets the big screen treatment in Dora and the Lost City of Gold. We’re so excited to review a movie that was actually released in theaters (and fairly recently!). We talk CGI monkeys, actors who play perfect dads, and the Brad Pitt Lizzo buddy picture we never knew we always needed. In Screen Time in the News, we get skeptical about a Healthline article warning parents about “secondhand screen time.”
We explore the world of preschool shows once again. In Screen Time In the News, we learn about the psychology behind the dreaded teletubbies. In our main segment, we review Netflix’s Puffin Rock, a charming show that sends us drifting on a cloud of relaxation to the sound of Chris O’Dowd’s narration as we learn that seagulls are evil and preschoolers should probably not be trusted to babysit their toddler siblings.
Inspired by reports of LGBTQ inclusion, we review Hulu’s The Bravest Knight. We talk trolls, knights, nostalgia for the water cooler TV shows of the nineties and early aughts, Rufus Wainwright style theme songs, and how it’s possible that Deborah doesn’t know who Ian McShane is.
The new year is time for new projects, so what better show to start off with than Universal Kids’ home makeover show, Get Out of My Room? We explore whether interior design shows for kids are really any different than our made-for-grown-ups favorites on HGTV; decide which themes would drive us the most crazy when plastered all over our own rooms; and take time to fondly remember when they glued hay on the walls in that infamous episode of Trading Spaces. In Screen Time In the News, we take a look at what’s next for children’s television according to the creator of Blue’s Clues.
Last Christmas, we gave our hearts to Netflix’s The Christmas Chronicles. Can the streaming service top it this year with their animated feature, Klaus? Also, we take a peek at Netflix’s other holiday offerings in our Screen Time in the News segment and give quick takes on Disney+ (home of Baby Yoda) and Frozen 2.
We find out whether teens can cope with the apocalypse better than Rick Grimes and company in our review of Netflix’s The Last Kids on Earth. We discuss the appeal of gamifying our everyday lives, how to domesticate a monster, and why the girl can’t save the guy every once in a while.
Can Tiffany Haddish make mocking children fun? Shirley Temple cosmos in hand, we’ll see as we review the ABC reboot of Kids Say the Darndest Things. How does it stack up against Netflix’s similar A Little Help with Carol Burnett?
Is GoNoodle’s collection of online videos enough to get us dancing along with music videos, nerdy raps, and hipster dance numbers? And in our Screen Time In the News segment, we discuss LGBTQ representation in children’s TV.
We discuss whether 2011’s puppy-centric romp, Spooky Buddies, deserves a spot with Hocus Pocus and It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown in the Halloween movie canon, or whether it deserves to be pushed into a magic mirror, never to be seen again. Also, Geena Davis’ efforts on behalf of representation in children’s TV, the lifespan of owls, and the unrealistic expectations set by Mom Tiger.
It’s been almost 40 years since Jim Henson introduced viewers to the world of Thra with his combination of dense fantasy plotting and intricate puppetry. Is Netflix’s new prequel, Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, a worthy successor to the original? Can a series starring puppets hold its own in today’s CGI world? Are skeksis still terrifying when rendered in HD? All this plus screen time in schools and our utter failure to make time for grown-up fall TV.
We celebrate the end of our YouTube-filled summer with PBS Kids’ new Molly of Denali. We talk representation in kids’ programming, whether a search engine is ever an interesting plot device, and whether watching TV about outdoorsy people inspires outdoorsiness in us.
We cover slime videos in the final installment of our YouTube for Summer series. We consider videos from Karina Garcia, Slime Explorer, and Will It Slime? Join us as we ponder the true definition of slime; whether slime is just dough; and whether it’s all too messy for us to deal with anyway. In our final segment, we look back on our favorite YouTube videos from the summer. Have our feelings about YouTube changed?
Will YouTube’s cooking tutorials give us the inspiration we need to convince our kids to eat vegetables? Guest host (and Katie’s sister), Laura Petter helps us explore this question and more: Is solo travel with our kids ever worth it? Is Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead an underrated classic? Are graham crackers cookies?
It’s our first foray into the wonderful world of YouTube art tutorials! With Art for Kids Hub, we perfect our horses, emojis, and Batmen(?) and surmise that we could probably both get into art school now. Plus, we discuss whether teens are a better fit for YouTube stardom than the under five set, and whether there’s anything to love in Disney’s newest Lion King.
Not only do we discuss Toddler Fun Learning’s Gecko’s Garage videos, we also cover the strange phenomenon of family screen time coaches; the case for communal living; Disney’s new live action Aladdin; and much, much more.
Is yoga more tolerable when accompanied by a story about a fish or a Jedi? We see if we can find our centers with Jaime in Cosmic Kids Yoga.
How do we feel about upbeat, sanitized versions of today’s pop hits? Find out when we cover Kidz Bop.
We review a parental favorite for the preschool set: Blippi. What is it about this manchild that makes us long for the good old days of Pee Wee Herman?
Brothers John and Hank Green make learning fun for the youths and we discuss whether it’s more successful than that time my AP European History teacher rapped.
Guest host Natasha Preckajilo of MyTrybe, LLC joins us to discuss Netflix’s animated celebration of the music of Motown and the joy of free range parenting.
We explore the seedier side of stop motion animation while continuing to delight in the potential of interactive content with Netflix's Buddy Thunderstruck.
We explore the world with Andy, Leo, Carmen, and a walking moon sporting a stylish hat in PBS Kids’ Let’s Go Luna.
We discuss Oscar winner Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse with guest host, Leah Ujda, and speculate on the effects of the Disney Fox merger on the future of kids' content.
We check out Netflix’s rebooted She-Ra and see whether it lives up to our memories of that magical sword, the rainbow pegasus, and those luxurious blond locks.
In which we, the two most qualified people you can imagine to be tackling such a subject, review YouTube gamer videos for Minecraft and Mario Odyssey and the concept of gamer videos in general. We take a minute to remember that our hearts truly lie in the world of good, old fashioned movies as Deborah reviews The Lego Movie 2 and Katie gives her take on Will Smith’s look for Disney’s upcoming live action Aladdin.
Nostalgia gets us again! We watch Netflix's new version of Carmen Sandiego, if only to find out if it lives up to the BEST THEME SONG EVER. In Screen Time News, we discuss how to lean in to our wired children.
Mysteries abound as we discuss this Nickelodeon import from the Netherlands. What happened to Kate and Eric Hunter? Are over the top acting and wooden dialogue just givens in teen programming? Is the meathead stereotype better or worse than the dumb blond? Is Donna Tartt’s “The Goldfinch” awesome or awful? We solve some and ponder others on this episode of It’s My Screen Time Too.
What can we add (see what I did there?) to the conversation about the math-centric PBS show for preschoolers, Peg + Cat? Is understanding math more important than morality? Could Kristin Bell teach Deborah how to properly calculate tips when her brother and Katie have failed? And can Katie defeat the stigma against single ladies living with cats with the help of Moana? All this and more on this episode of It’s My Screen Time Too.
We’re headed back to the Lego-verse that has occupied so much of our kids’ lives with a review of Cartoon Network’s Unikitty. She may not be a competent ruler, but no one can fault her energy levels.
Does Netflix’ latest entry into the family Christmas movie canon land them on the Nice list? In this episode about The Christmas Chronicles, we discuss the merits of a foxy Santa, what helps a holiday movie stand the test of time, and the superior Chicago-based holiday romp, Adventures in Babysitting.
Does the world need another Star Wars property? Probably not, but we need to discuss the latest: Star Wars Resistance. We tackle questions like: What does it take to be a good spy? Could Deborah hack it on a Star Wars quiz show? What does this Disney cartoon have in common with a show about a divorced comedian in crisis? And we introduce a new segment: Screen Time in the News.
We discuss the 2017 movie everyone loved, Paddington 2. Other topics include: whether or not a kid can genuinely be “supergood”; our mutual love of Hugh Grant; if Hollywood should keep its grimy mitts off our beloved childhood classics; and Wes Anderson: awesome or awful?
It’s our first foray into so-called family programming as we watch A Little Help with Carol Burnett. Is comic legend, Carol Burnett, enough to save this advice show starring a panel of pint sized experts? How about said pint sized experts - adorable or exploited? And most importantly, where can we score Carol’s collection of tasteful scarves and cashmere sweatshirts?
We watch Zou, a preschool show imported from France, on Hulu. We discuss how Zebra rhymes with Deborah in French; fall TV for adults, like Maniac, Dr. Who, Ozark, and The Good Place; and French vs. American attitudes toward baking, parenting, and the patriarchy. Also, is sculpturing a word?
We're probably not sporty enough to appreciate the nuance of the Dude Perfect YouTube channel, but we try anyway. We do, however, want to explore the possibility of tossing waffles into the toaster from across the room and throwing perfectly folded towels onto the rack.
Katie and Deborah review Netflix’s animated remake of White Fang, discuss the best dog-themed movies and books, why Jack London’s classic doesn’t pass the Bechdel test, and how Grumpy Cat and Justin Bieber are related to Manifest Destiny.
Turns out YouTube is more than a home for unwrapping videos and charming animation - smart people go there too! Can TedEd’s animated shorts drill new knowledge into even our calcified brains?
What’s not to love about a reboot of a game show that involves picking a giant nose and sliding down a chute of nacho cheese? Nothing, that’s what.
We watch our first Cartoon Network show, the charming Apple & Onion, and realize it’s high time Katie created a marshmallow-filled jello mold, just like Grandma used to make.
Teen girl falls for charming zombie: disgusting concept to contemplate or perfect fodder for an awesome dance musical?
Do awesome interactivity elements make up for the weak plot and characters in this Netflix series based on everyone’s favorite 1970s musclebound stress toy? Is pressing buttons on your remote to make a choice more satisfying than reading Choose Your Own Adventure books or dialing in for your favorite on American Idol? And, most importantly, would we make better decisions than the writers if put in charge of the doctors’ decisions on Gray’s Anatomy?
We dip our toes back into the vast world of YouTube content with Pencilmation. We revel in the idea of the cruel animator and do zero soul searching regarding what that means about us as human beings.
Is Sid the Science Kid a fitting successor to the Jim Henson products we loved as kids? Can annoying voice talent kill a show for us? How wealthy are Sid’s parents that they can afford the improbable 4:1 student teacher ratio at that preschool? We ask the tough questions about Sid the Science Kid.
Special guest, Amy, helps us realize that maybe we’re not the best people to be reviewing apps. Did wandering through Dav Pilkey’s world of underpants, wig factories, and living trash bins leave us feeling lost? Katie further explores her love of Jack Black in an enthusiastic review of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, and Deborah refuses to pull over and ask for directions.
Can we get past styrofoam sets and Halloween store costumes to enjoy this goofy teen comedy? Or are our adult tastes too jaded to appreciate the simple beauty of enthusiasm and aerial somersaults?
Is British import Horrid Henry too horrid for our saccharine American tastes? Where does it fall on the scale from “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” to “We Need to Talk About Kevin?” And does Deborah really have designated laundry time?
So many reviews! We discuss Early Man, Nickelodeon's School of Rock, and how to watch tween shows without paying for cable.
Katie finally learns how the internet works, and other tough questions answered, compliments of the StoryBots.
If you scored big with a poppy, Christmastime hit more than a decade ago, wouldn’t YOU want to continue to capitalize on it with an animated movie about puppies?
Reboots of shows beloved by Gen Xers/Old Millennials are all the rage. How are we just getting to My Little Pony now?
Ninja bros brought to you by Lego. Is there any more to say? Yes, obviously we say more than that.
It’s a Disney animated movie about a dog learning to accept his own mediocrity. What could go wrong?
Does the world really need another Wizard of Oz interpretation? More importantly, do we?
We enter some deep territory on our quest to follow the plot of Nutri Ventures: Quest for the 7 Kingdoms.
We explore teen content for the first time with Teen Beach Movie, a Disney Channel mash-up of all the movies we loved as kids.
We brush up our (atrocious) English accents to discuss the preschool favorite, Peppa Pig.
We travel back to a simpler time and see whether it makes us want to shop by watching Maryellen 1955: Extraordinary Christmas
We get our capes on to discuss DC Superhero Girls, superheroes in general, legos - it’s all here, folks.
It’s time to give Amazon’s original programming a try. Or is it? We reluctantly explore Creative Galaxy.
It turns out kids are transfixed by YouTube videos of disembodied hands opening toys. Can grown ups like us see the appeal? We welcome guest host, Leah!
We watch our first movie! Listen as we lavish praise on the instant classic, Nine Lives.
In our 5th episode, we give PBS’ Word Girl a chance and find out whether a multisyllabic zinger is the key to defeating a supervillain.
In our 4th episode, we learn important lessons with the help of Mr. Grouper and a team of mer-kids.
Is episode 2 too early to introduce a ringer? Katie, supernerd, tries to sell Deborah on the charms of Shaun the Sheep.
In this episode, we see whether it’s worth it to understand the complicated world of Elena of Avalor.
In our pilot episode, we discuss Wonder Pets and whether a catchy song about teamwork is enough to get us through the antics of Linny, Tuck, and Ming Ming.