Anton and I Are Watching the Most Life-Affirming TV Show
Last night, after playing the board game Outfoxed (not to brag, but we won against the fox three times), 12-year-old Anton and I decided to turn on a show…
We chose America’s Got Talent, which just finished its 20th season. Have you watched it? They have the emotional rollercoaster down to a science — for example, Simon stopped the 12-year-old singer, above, twice, saying he didn’t like her song choices. She nervously headed backstage, tried a few other options, and returned to sing an original song about her dad. The tears rolling down my cheeks!
When these four older men from Detroit introduced themselves, we figured they were singers, so our jaws dropped when their act began! Wouldn’t you love to see them perform in person?
And this cutie Benjamin Hightower sang his version of Chappell Roan’s Pink Pony Club. During the line, “Won’t make my mama proud, it’s gonna cause a scene; She sees her baby girl, I know she’s gonna scream,” he looked right at his own mother in the audience. Gahhh, this show really knows how to tug on the heartstrings.
What other shows are you into these days — for kids or just grown-ups? Freddie recently enjoyed Task, but I thought it sounded too scary!
P.S. Freddie and I have a movie-watching strategy, and do TV jobs seem real? We asked a doctor, chief, priest and therapist.
Comments
178 commentsWe just finished the most recent season of the Bear and watching those people figure out how to share their feelings is so inspiring to me. And gah that scene where *spoiler incoming* Carmie’s alcoholic Mom apologizes and tries to make her amends squished my heart into a billion pieces. I know some folks who have been waiting for that kind of apology their whole lives. Love love loved it.
Did you love Kpop Demon Hunters? Do you love Rom Coms? Try the K-Drama on Netflix – Business Proposal. Delightfully absurd and only 12 episodes. Caveat that I am only on Ep. 8! I’d also share that I am NOT a Rom Com movie girl but i enjoy this!
Watched half of the first episode of Business Proposal. Didn’t really enjoy it, it seemed a little too absurd/cartoonish? Should I stick with it?
Currently watching “Worn Stories” on Netflix – each episode is a series of mini documentaries about people and their clothing, organized around themes such as, “Lost and Found” or “uniforms.” It’s fascinating, moving and completely life-affirming!
We watch OG reality TV This Old House. Both the preschooler and gradeschooler love the show. While we watch, we talk about design, architecture, building, and are always impressed with Tom Silva’s amazing carpentry skills he teaches on the show. We live abroad, so it is also fun to talk about how differently houses are built and maintained in different countries.
Renegade Nell!!
I love love love watching a Youtube channel called Homeworthy. It’s video tours of homes mostly in the US and England.
we all (kids from 11-16 y o) LOVE father brown (watch it on Britbox)! and Poirot!
Our family (and 13 yo) have really enjoyed Only Murders in the Building, Ted Lasso, Wednesday, All Creatures Great and Small, Bob’s Burgers (so so good and so many seasons, and good all the way thru) and recently Chad Powers, which I was ready to not like, but have been pleasantly surprised by. We’ve re-watched Only Murders and Ted Lasso numerous times, and they stand up :)
There are quite a few ”content warnings” for Chad Powers. One of the worst things is when one character tells another “you should have killed yourself” after they made a mistake…yikes for young people!
I was just playing Outfoxed with two of my kids this evening! It’s so fun, and we all get so into it! We always want the thief to be Belvedere, and it never is!
Our family is obsessed with the UK panel game show, Taskmaster! Start with Series 19 and work your way back. So fun.
Jo, if Anton gave you permission to talk about his faith journey, I’m so curious! I first noticed him wearing a cross necklace (different from the one featured here, I think) earlier this year. As someone who grew up with religious parents but is no longer religious, I am intrigued by families where the opposite dynamic plays out and always find the stories so interesting and thought-provoking. Of course this is a more private topic than most, and involves a kid, so I understand if the topic is staying off the blog. <3
Same!
I would love to hear specifically from parents who are atheist whose kids take up a monotheistic religion. But generally when a child takes on a belief system that is in deep contrast with their parent’s belief system so anyone that can share on that dynamic!
Well said, Lauren Courtney. And same. (Even if not focused on Anton, which would make sense!)
Oh I forgot: RAJIV SURENDRA’s YouTube channel. I mean, I don’t want to spoil it, but if you want to learn and be mesmerised by the multiverse of life & joy, please give it a go :). This is the episode I am watching right now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPz_FrdF4Ts Also, COJ if I might make a request: Would you like to interview him? He lives in NYC :)
YES PLEASE INTERVIEW RAJIV!!! One of my teenagers loves his channel. They have similar spirits. Watching one of his videos together is such a wonderful change of pace.
Oh! And if you like Rajiv’s videos, I highly recommend checking out the youtube channel of Liziqi. Her videos are have the same mesmerizing quality. They are beautiful, restful, and so interesting.
Yessss, love Rajiv!
Poldark. A period drama set in Cornwall (which we all care about because of you Joanna)! Ross Poldark is the HOT, idealistic hero I need right now.
I got my 12 year old son into watching this with me! He’s awaiting knee surgery and can’t play sports so he’s couch potato often these days. At first he was all, “this is so boooriiing.” And then he was like, “wait, which one is George Warleggan?” Then it became, “Francis is gonna die. I just feel it.” To, “Mom, come on, let’s watch our show!”
Has anyone else watched Long Story Short on Netflix? It’s an animated comedy about family life and Jewish identity (it’s by the Bo Jack Horseman) people. Almost every episode makes me cry in a good way. Good for adults and kids I think.
Somebody feed Phil. A kind, light but not superficial at all series about food & people around the world. It makes me want to travel everywhere, eat and try everything and be kind to everyone.
Task was soooooo good. Not too scary!!!! Try it!!!
Has anyone seen a YouTube show called Imamu room? She’s a Toronto homemaker who’s a Japanese expat. She taught herself to embrace cooking when she got married, and her results are always the most creative and committed dishes – I must admit that I’d rarely go to as much effort as she does. That being said, there’s absolutely nothing pretentious or boastful about her show – I find it incredibly comforting, and appropriate for all ages. I’ve been following for years!
And Young Sheldon!
Is it cake!!
Yes! We are midway through the Halloween special!
Family viewing with my 9-year-old usually means food and/or travel shows. We’ve been enjoying the Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy on Apple TV as well as Somebody Feed Phil and GBBO. On her own, she’s been heavily into the Snoopy Show (Apple). My husband and I are loving Slow Horses (Gary Oldman is a delight) and looking forward to the Lowdown next!
Over the last few years, my 10yo boy and 12yo girl have both enjoyed: The Middle, Young Sheldon, Secrets of the Zoo, Planet Earth, Heartland Docs, Is it Cake. My daughter and I love watching Dancing with the Stars, Great British Baking Show, Stranger Things, and just about anything on HGTV.
We Are Ladyparts is so so good. About a group of young Muslim women in London in a punk band. The characters are real and full and have different personalities and challenges that feel true. It shows a lot of vulnerability and hope. Two seasons, on Peacock. So good.
Kay have you seen Polite Society? It’s Nida Manzoor’s movie. It’s really fun!
I loved We Are Lady Parts! Everything you said above plus the music is also genuinely good. I streamed both seasons while on having an extended hospital stay after having my baby, it was exactly the right show to get my mind out of hospital for awhile.
My goal is to get everyone to watch this wonderful show!
Not show related, but if you and the fam haven’t yet, you should check out Sky Magic! It’s one of my favorite Peaceable Kingdom games.
Recently really enjoyed Black Rabbit and the latest season of The Diplomat. I tried desperately to watch Nobody Wants This and could not get into it. It felt like ChatGPT wrote it or something. I’m late to the party with Man on The Inside, but randomly started that tonight and it seems promising?
I am so with you about Nobody Wants This. Predictable and expected.
I agree 100% on the chat GPT vibes of Nobody Wants This. I can’t believe that show is so popular.
After watching the second season of Nobody Wants This, I’ve also found it to be pretty intolerable.
YES! Nobody Wants ChatGPT
Yeah I couldn’t believe I couldn’t get into Nobody Wants This after all the hype ! I was not interested at all. I really like Leighton Meester though and she’s in season 2. But I most likely won’t revisit this series. I didn’t make it past the 1st episode Season 1.
I found “Nobody Wants This” super enjoyable and compelling. Didn’t feel AI vibes at all, and I have a good sensor for that.
I saw the Benjamin Hightower performance online and watched it over and over. Soo good! These recommendation comments are my favorite to accompany a cup of tea or glass of wine. In no particular order, some recs: 1) If you have a kiddo in the 3-6 yo crowd, Small Potatoes on YouTube is totally heartwarming and life affirming. Some videos are just songs and some are compilations with songs and skits. 2) The perfect family show for fall and winter is All Creatures Great and Small (Masterpiece reboot). Every season ends on Christmas Day. It is a GREAT show. 3) Wheel of Fortune is such a fun family show. My parents and I watched every.single.day and they still do now. 25ish minutes of intergenerational peace. My 4.5 year old and 20 month old both love it, too. They know after dinner at the grandparents, we gather around the TV for “clap, clap”. The baby claps and calls out letters of his own invention. My daughter always tells me “You won, mama!” when I guess correctly before the contestants (which, humble brag, is almost always). 4) Recently, loved Task and couldn’t wait for Sunday nights to watch. Mark Ruffalo always tugs at my heart, even as The Hulk. I’m going to chase that feeling and start Mare of Eastdown soon. 5) When my daughter had norovirus, we binged “Girl Meets Farm” with Molly Yeh and made a list of recipes to try and new dishes she would be adventurous enough to taste. “If her daughter likes eggs, maybe I will, too.”
I recently heard Molly Yeh on a podcast and really want to wath “Girl Meets Farm”! That’s so sweet re your daughter’s comment!
We love AGT and BGT too. But we adored The Assembly Australia!
If you have access to the ABC Australia, This is Going to be Big is an exceptional doco featuring a bunch of autistic teens who throw a belter of a John Farnham musical. I bawled. I think it’s on Netflix too.
Joanna, Task is really good. And it’s not scary! I get scared really easily but I wouldn’t say it was scary at all.
Agreed, it’s really good and intriguing/thrilling but also calm and touching too at times. I would say it’s more violent sometimes than scary, but the violence isn’t constant!
Anon said it well! You can also cover your eyes and ears during the violence which is what I do. It is a beautiful acted show.
All adults in our house are delightedly watching Slow Horses, and also The Lowdown (Sterlin Harjo’s new series, with Ethan Hawke). The Lowdown is just perfectly excellent, in every way.
Slow Horses is A+ television!!!!
The Lowdown!!!! So much talent in this show, so much heart.
Thank you for the reminder about The Lowdown! I loooved Reservation Dogs, and told myself I needed to keep up with everything he does!
Slow Horses!!!!! +1
The Chair Company on Max
Yes!!!!
Highly recommend Derry Girls – characters to fall in love with, music from the 90s and you come away with a much greater historic and personal understanding of “the troubles” in Ireland
Just here to say we love Outfoxed and have played it a billion times in the last five years. It never gets old!
Have you seen the BBC show Ludwig? It’s a cozy detective show about a somewhat reclusive puzzle maker who impersonates his identical twin who is a missing detective to try and figure out where he is and since he’s so good at puzzles he has a knack for figuring out other crimes, but is also v awkward. I really enjoyed it!
Always try to find shows my kids and I can watch. They are 15, 12, and 10. We watched all of AGT and loved it! Now we are watching The Voice! Just as good. All the competition shows are fun. Is It Cake was a hit! American Idol! Shark Tank reruns!
Has anyone watched Portrait Artist of the Year??? Its a British painting show similar in tone to GBBO – comforting, artistic and competitive without being mean. Highly recommend!
Yes!! And there is Landscape Artist of the Year (same crew). I also love Great British Sewing Bee (on Roku), and the Pottery Throw-Down (makes me happy-cry).
LOVE Portrait Artist! There is a sister series, Landscape Artist of the Year, equally wonderful. so gentle, easy on the senses, kind, encouraging, and fascinating. And so many seasons of it! My daughter (12) is in a film class in 7th grade, and she made a list, IN ORDER of storytelling, of all the Marvel Universe movies she is currently watching with her Dad. I do not even know where that came from, but she is fascinated, determined, and so far not only keeping track of all the stories, but enjoying it! I have never understood the appeal of the Marvelverse, but they are having fun, and that’s what matters. Color me puzzled but content!
Oh I love Portrait Artist of the Year so much! It’s so relaxing. Plus, my oldest child just entered his freshman year of art school, and this show helps me to better understand him and his craft.
Thank you for this suggestion! I just watched the first episode and I’m hooked!
I LOVED Monk when I was Anton’s age and still love it as an adult. Seven or eight seasons, so lots to go through, and Tony Shalhoub is so endearing. All those USA Network shows from those era might be fun for other teens/tweens – Psych and White Collar especially are a lot of fun.
Monk is my comfort show!!! My teen boys really liked Psych as did I
My husband and I rewatched all of White Collar during the blurry postpartum phase with our first several years ago and it really made me miss that era of USA Network shows! Also a miracle that we were equally invested in the same show because that NEVER happens 😅
We love all three of these, especially Psych. Shawn and Gus forever! I burst into tears when Lassie breaks Shawn’s confessional tape in the final episode.
Another vote for Psych. It is so silly and goodhearted. Both my kids adore it and I enjoy watching with them
Psych is my favorite show of all-time. Grew up watching it with my parents, and it’s still my ultimate comfort show. The jokes hold up so well!
My 16 year old and I are watching Dollface and loving it. It’s a perfect show to watch seeing the main character re – joining her girl friendship group after a breakup. There is a cat woman who is her guide and it’s quirky and shows the real awkwardness that navigating social situations can bring as well as being a love letter to friendship.
We are loving The Floor with Rob Lowe. Also love All Creatures Great and Small. Have watched and like the new version on PBS Masterpiece but really loving the original (1978) version on BritBox. I absolutely adore Robert Hardy’s Siegfried. Such fun!
My nine year old and I are watching some of the classics from my childhood – and he loves it! We finished Full House, and are currently watching Boy Meets World, and Family Ties. I was surprised how much he is into them!
My 7-year-old daughter loves Dancing with the Stars and this season Danielle Fischel is on it. So she started watching Boy Meets World, which she likes…. aside from the “hahahahahas” in the background. (The laugh track). It’s wild to me that she even noticed that as an odd thing!!
We stumbled upon Little Lunch (Amazon Prime) a while back and the whole family loved it! If they remade The Office for kids, this would be it.
We loved The Inbestigators, too- another Australian kids’ show with a similar vibe!
You can also buy Outfoxed at Rainbow Resource Center or Atomic Empire for $10 cheaper, and the $$ doesn’t go to Mr. Bezos!
Oh that’s a bummer, I had thought COJ had stopped with the Amazon links a while ago. Disappointing to see.
As a family we are into LEGO Masters (or any low stakes competition show) – as they do the intros in episode 1 we write down the names and either draft or pick from a hat to assign the teams to each of us. Then we become very personally invested in the outcomes of each episode because – if you’re the lucky person with the winning team at the end of the season you get an *undisputed* pick of dinner and movie for the family night (which is a BIG deal for us! It was the only way I was able to foist Sister Act 2 on them and the only time we acquiesced to my youngest’s constant request for “YouTube videos of old Burger King commercials”)
Ok WOW, we have been missing out on draft picks, going to start on that now!
oooh, the bracket is such a fun addition!
Is it life-affirming?? Well… no. But Real Housewives of Salt Lake City is the most incredible show ever lol. It has it allll!!! For something more wholesome, I love Dancing With The Stars, The Voice, and alll the baking shows.
I still can’t believe that one lady married her grandfather.
My 12 year old daughter just discovered The Middle on Amazon Prime. Not sure how we managed to miss 9 seasons of this! We had never even heard of it. Regardless, it’s hilarious! Well written, witty, timely, accurate portrayal of a real family. My 14 year old son as well as my 80 year old parents really enjoy it! Also, we LOVE All Creatures Great and Small as well!!
My whole family loves.The Middle. So touching and hilarious. Watched it through several times. I didn’t know about it either when It was on TV weekly.
We are big fans of The Middle! My then-9yo and 11yo loved it, and I loved it too!
Another oldie but goodie is Freaks and Geeks.
Enjoying The Lowdown with Ethan Hawk by Sterlin Harjo, creator of the amazing Rez Dogs. Also watched both the doc series on Martin Scorsese by Rebecca Miller and the one by Ben Stiller about his parents and family (called Stiller and Meara I think) and they both were incredible. Definitely interested to check out Task. And for sitcom comedy both Abbot Elementary and English Teacher are really great.
Love the English Teacher! As a former teacher and an Austinite, I can confirm that this is nothing like school and is nothing like Austin (they barely try to make it seem like Austin, and it’s filmed elsewhere) but I love good workplace comedy and it always makes me lol.
My family and I love to watch both Survivor and The Amazing Race! In recent years both shows have left behind the bad aspects of reality TV (trash talking, backstabbing, etc.) and now they’re positive and inclusive. My son (5) and daughter (7) get SO into it, they jump around and root for their favorite players. It’s great!
As a proud Pennsylvanian I could not NOT watch Task. It was perfect, absolutely perfect except they pronounced my city’s name wrong. Tom Pelphrey was incredible, as was the entire cast. Mark Ruffallo – chef’s kiss as a crotchety old investigator. Other than desperately waiting on Love is blind, I’ve got nothing on my TV or movies radar.
Kim, did you watch the Colorado one? it was so hard to watch!
LIB Denver was a trainwreck I couldn’t look away from. At least no one got married!
LIB Denver was a train wreck. Can one really get away with those sort of communication skills? Yet I watched till the bitter end!:)
*** spoilers for Denver season of LIB***** I am generally always disappointed with LIB. I love it, but I also think it’s ridiculous. Yes, I am watching the Denver season! I just cannot wrap my head around how 3/4 of these people get into the show! The weird undercurrent of tradwifery this season really bothers me. I’m almost glad none of them What’s your take Joanna? Do you think ANY of the, get married this season?
OMG I did not realize that the two failed weddings were it! That makes me kind of proud of the contestants.
Which city ? PA is my home state too. :) I just read the setting is Philly ?
OMG – my younger son and I used to watch this every summer and into the school year until he went away to college. He is 28 now (the show has been on a long time) but it was “our thing” and a fond memory that we both share. <3
I really like the first season of Wednesday on Netflix. The set design, cinematography and Jenna Ortega are fantastic. The script has just enough bite (and Wednesday’s sarcasm), but it’s ultimately a fantasy you can get lost in.
Is anyone else watching dancing with the stars right now? I’m so obsessed!
Yes!! And for some reason I cry every week!
The Diplomat on Netflix, we just watching Season 3, Keri Rufus, Rufus Sewell, Allison Janey and the rest of the cast superb performances, great storyline. The Great British Baking Show, you can’t binge watch this one, new episode comes out every Friday. I haven’t watched the previous few seasons but this one has a great mix of contestants and all are very supportive of one another, a joy to watch!
Because of your AGT recommendation a while back, we started watching it as a family and became obsessed. We live near Pasadena and took my daughter to one of the semi-final live tapings this year. She said it was one of the BEST NIGHTS of her life. The thrill of being in a live audience, and the TALENT (including our fave, Chris Turner). We will never forget it! Our shared screen shows are also Traitors (every season from every country), Deal or No Deal Island, The Floor, 99 To Win, and the 1% club. Thank you for always sharing your family-friendly recommendations!
My husband recently watched Task and said he liked it. I tried watching an episode but it was too dark for me. Eek!
it has a dark depressing vibe. we drifted away.
OMG how was that dad not sobbing his head off?! Sooo sweet! I watched American Idol last season for the first time in 22 years and it was so much fun!
Can’t wait to dive into Season Two of Nobody Wants This! Any show ideas for a preschooler that won’t make me gag? I’m not sure how much more Octonauts I can watch. It’s great, but there are not nearly enough seasons and I’m tapped out. We also do Bluey, Thomas, and Daniel Tiger. I need a few more! Hard pass on Paw Patrol or Blippy.
We do very little TV, but some that I’ve loved – Little Bear (an old 90s show – so so sweet), Wild Krats has been going strong in our house for 3 years, Mush Mush and the Mushables is pretty cute
Puffin Rock is absolutely lovely! Trash truck is pretty good too. Lucas the spider is cute too but not as sweet/touching. All on Netflix!
Stillwater on Apple (from 5?) Puffin Rock on Netflix for the younger set The movie Here We Are on Apple The movies for the Gruffallo, Smail and the Whale, Zog If your kid likes nature / animals – Tiny World is a series of documentaries narrated by Paul Rudd
Trash Truck on Netflix. Short episodes, no annoying voices or loud noises. So sweet.
Would the preschooler like nature shows? My kid really liked Tiny World on Apple+ at that age, despite not typically being an animal show kid. I think it was the novelty of “wow that’s small!” Narrated by Paul Rudd :-).
Apple TV has high quality preschool programming that doesn’t feel like watching a slot machine OR too didactic. Love their Frog and Toad series, and Goldie about a giant girl in a small town is sweet and hilarious.
We loved Tumble Leaf! Just beautiful animation.
Backyardigans! And Curious George… and Puffin Rock! Those got us across the country on the airplane for years.
Going way back here! But I loved watching Oswald, Kipper the Dog, and Rollie Pollie Ollie with my preschoolers. They’re very calming. I loved Oswald so much, I bought the stuffed animal…for myself haha! I think you can find them all on You Tube or streaming somewhere.
If you haven’t broken up with Prime – Tumble Leaf Netflix – Trash Truck, Puffin Rock
My kids are 6 and 3, and they love: Little Bear The Magic School Bus Rainbow Bright Avatar: The Last Airbender Pokémon She-Ra Princess of Power Vampirina Anything Studio Ghibli (they’re movies though, not shows) And, of course, Bluey the ultimate best!
Someone else already mentioned it and I also wanted to put in a strong recommendation for Curious George (PBS). It’s a fabulous, sweet show that I found myself enjoying as well when my son was little. It was his absolute favorite and holds a special place in my heart.❤️ Educational, too! STEM concepts are introduced through the stories. I cannot recommend it enough!
I second Kipper the Dog! Both of my kids are in college now, but I still remember how so many of their shows GRATED. Kipper is sweet, funny, and calming, without being boring. I always sat down with them when they watched it. :)
Curious George has been on in our house until just this year. My kid is TWELVE! Bubbleguppies was fun when she was little. Dinosaur Train, Wild Kratts for sure, pinkalicious (not my fave but fun for her), and Fancy Nancy. Room on the Broom and Stickman (30 minute shorts) are lovely. The Floor is Lava might be fun, since all toddlers play The floor is Lava, (don’t they?)
I’ve never seen America’s Got Talent, or a Real Housewives, for that matter. I’ll be scoping this chain once Only Murders is over (last episode of Season 5 tonight)! Watching Wednesday Season 2 with the 17 year old because she’s too scared to do it by herself. :)
Wednesday S2 started out off-puttingly dark for me. I didn”t finish ep1 and no plans to watch again. A shame because S1was just right. There’s just no need to go so dark, it adds nothing.
You need to give Task a chance! I didn’t think it was “scary,” but there was definitely violence and suspense. But it’s also a beautiful story about redemption, compassion, empathy. It hit a LOT of spots. I have not been able to stop thinking about it. And Mark Ruffalo? Yes, please!!
Oh couldn’t agree more re Mark Ruffalo! Oh yeah. He’s fun to watch in an.y.thing. Task is tough for me to watch as I find it heavy, but I do enjoy it!
Echoing this. It is so good.
Mark Ruffalo’s character does a monologue in the last episode and it brought me to tears.
love ruffalo but i didnt like the show. to dark and depressing.
Agree with all these folks! Task is so good. Not scary exactly, though definitely very tense at times–Sopranos kind of tense. It is a heartbreaker though. What surprised me most about it was how much better I understood the Catholic practice of confession after watching a short-run TV show than going to Catholic school for 12 years.
AGREE this show is amazing intense yes but SO good (Also love slow horses!)
Not a show per se, but my tween and teen and I love watching music videos from the 80s and 90s! Leads to great conversations. (And Jo – you must watch Task! The acting is PHENOMENAL.)
Side question – how does Anton achieve that cool hair? Asking for my tween son:)
It looks great. Can I say that his hair has rizz? Is that using the term correctly? – middle aged woman
Task sounds too scary…may I suggest Taskmaster on YouTube instead? Obscure British celebrities doing ridiculous tasks, and there’s a season w Jason Mantzoukas on! Or The Great Pottery Throwdown for GBBO vibes and my personal favorite judges. Tiny World on Apple TV narrated by Paul Rudd is also really excellent!
Huge co-sign for taskmaster!! I love it so much. I clicked on Task wondering if it was an American version and nope nope, wrong vibe entirely. Bring me allll the British humor and absurdity please and thank you.
Taskmaster lovers at our house too, though, we had to stop watching with our 5 year-old bc he just repeats all the iterations of eff word usage. Certainly a hit with our older kids.
+1 to Taskmaster!! We are even rewatching now because we’ve gone through everything!
Yes! We’ve been watching Taskmaster with our 11 year who is very into it (and thankfully doesn’t repeat the profanity)! We are also a big fan of all the LegoMasters variations here :)
Came here to recommend Taskmaster. We started it because we love Jason Mantzoukas and then went back and binged every season. The current cast is SO good!! I cry laugh just thinking about the guess the name of the person in the lab task :)
After Simon became a father AGT became much more fun. He seemed to soften much of his judge style and the show seemed more about the acts than Simon’s almost predictable harsh reactions. The camera used to Zoom right to his face. I enjoy it much more now. Have you watched the tv series, Malcolm in the Middle yet? How about the OGs. Lost in Space or My favorite Martian? Black &White tv series still hold up on fun storylines.
English Teacher is on it’s second season and I’m not sure why more people aren’t talking about it. Shades of Somebody Somewhere but with more jokes and a great soundtrack. Love!
Agreed! I’ve been singing its praises for over a year and pushing it on everyone I can!! Brian Jordan Alvarez is amazing and the entire cast is perfection.
I’ll watch it GV! Why not?
+1
It’s so funny, plus it covers real issues in high schools like gun violence, AI and the stress of college applications.
I think it hasn’t gotten as much press for the second season due to the SA allegations against the creator. I would be surprised if it got a third season.
Oooh I didn’t know season 2 was out. Loved 1!
I love English Teacher so much!
Yeah my husband and I have been watching English Teacher. The students are hilarious. We’re watching the newest King of the Hill season too. Comfort vibes from our family’s earlier years. <3 We watched Northern Exposure last Spring and fell in love with it. I used to watch it in the 90s. We were both sad to see it end. My whole family watched Righteous Gemstones together and that was hilarious. I want to watch Task and all these shows mentioned here. No time! I used to stay up late into the night watching shows by myself ( The Sopranos , Gossip Girl last fall. ) But now I work. Insert triple sob emojis.
Yesss, English Teacher deserves all the hype!!!
One of the best comedies on TV in my opinion- very under-rated.
Gals if you can find a way to get The Celebrity Traitors UK you MUST watch along with us. The whole of the country is reunited in loving it! So camp! So silly! Perfect for the longer nights.
Omg the biggest +1!! I never watch shows like this but the casting and whole vibe is perfect.
We love All Creatures Great and Small. In almost every episode, everything works out and everything is fine. It’s wholesome and sweet. Plus, there are animals and accents. What’s not to love?
Perfect maternity leave show! Then once I could handle a bit more complicated plot, I switched to Miss Scarlet. Both are on PBS Passport!
This is our absolute favorite family show. I wish there was more in this vein. The Durrells in Corfu is slightly less wholesome (there’s some mild sexual innuendo here and there) but it’s also very charming and cozy.
Our family absolutely LOVES All Creatures Great and Small. Jess’s summary is perfect. My college-aged son is always saying things like, “Oh no, might a kitten get lost in this episode?” and then happily squeezing onto the couch between me and my husband to find out.
I think All Creatures Great and Small might be up my family’s alley (my husband and I LOVED Durrells in Corfu). But would a 9yo be into it? She does love animals…
Joy, I think a 9 yo might like it. There are a fair amount of children/young people in the episodes, mostly families of the animals they treat, and cute /pretty animals of course.
This Old House is the BEST calming show for active and curious elementary-aged boys. Tom Silva is the kindest teacher–steady and funny. The episodes are slow burns, and the project takes a whole season. 10 out of 10 would recommend. It should truly be on PBS Kids!
I have such fond memories of watching this with my dad!! And the New Yankee Workshop.
We just binge watched all five seasons of Only Murders in the Building with our ten year old. There are some off-color jokes, but it somehow still feels really wholesome – the funny, sweet relationships among Selena Gomez, Steve Martin, and Martin Short’s characters, the wacky personalities in the building, Selena Gomez’s outfits.
That Pink Pony Club rendition – instant tears!
We just started this season of Dark Winds. Oooh, it’s SCARY. Not in a true horror way but in an atmospheric, dark, “is that real? Or a vision?” kind of way, and the stories and characters are just so good. The ghost of Robert Redford, who was a producer for the show, makes an appearance and both my husband and I teared up and had to rewind and watch a few times. Just hearing his voice…… it truly felt ghostly, especially in this season. Also watching Fisk. Australian comedy. My gosh do the Aussies do comedy neuter than just about anyone. Now I want to rewatch all of Rake, again. My gosh what a rolicking INAPPROPRIATE, in the best possible way, wild ride. Cleaver Green is one of the greatest love to hate anti heros of all time. What a duck up lol. British Bake Off is also getting exciting as it beats the end of this season. Putting my money on Tom, but kinda pulling for Toby?? My very favorites have already been eliminated sadly. As always, hard to dislike any of them. Everyone is always so NICE.
We enjoyed Dark Winds too. The main actor was so perfect for the role. Rez Dogs he was equally suited.
The GBBO contestants are so lovely every single season, I’m always rooting for them all. Nadia’s win made me tear up unexpectedly. I was worried Tom might go too and I really like him. And Jasmine is going to make the best doctor with her attention to detail and empathy from her own health experiences.
Our family (kids – 14, 11, 8) LOVE the Great British Baking Show. We watch one episode each week (and then we have to wait a year once it’s over, gah!). We’ve also recently started watching Alone on the History Channel. Talk about teaching resilience and pushing through hardships. What a good teacher that show is.
If they live GBBO I really recommend the Great Pottery Throwdown!! Exact same company makes it. The Repair Shop is also excellent, cozy and British and heartwarming
Oh yes, all of these! My nearly 5 year old loves GBBO juniors, too. One of the only shows she has the attention span for (sometimes we skip ahead to the judging). Repair shop is so good!
Seconding Great Pottery Throwdown! I prefer it to GBBO because you can’t taste the food, but you can see the pottery results. plus it’s so funny and heartwarming, and they make lovely things.
Task was SO good! Totally unrelated, but for those of you working in an office and seeing a therapist over video, how/where do you talk to your therapist? From the car? From a conference room? What if you cry during the session, do you just wait until you look presentable-ish before returning to your desk? The last therapist I saw was in-person before the pandemic, but most seem to do remote only nowadays (which I totally understand and don’t mind at all, just figuring out the logistics!).
If you can get away with it, schedule it for the last hour of your day and take a late “lunch”. That’s what I have to do. When I tried to see one in the middle of the day, it was too much emotionally and so I stopped going.
I’ve taken many therapy sessions from my car!
Video therapist here. I see a ton of people in their cars. :) For some it’s the only private space.
My boys (8 & 11) and I really enjoyed Beast Games – it was really fun to talk about how you would handle each situation, whether you’d take the bribe, and how you think you’d perform in a challenge. Was looking for another option and remembered an OG reality show – Survivor! I had never really gotten into it over the (many) years, but I searched for the best seasons. We started on Season 16… so far we’re really enjoying it!
We watched Beast Games when it came out (exposed to it by cousins, otherwise we had no idea who Mr. Beast was!). It was so fun for the reasons you mentioned, and turned us on to reality competitions shows that are family friendly–The Amazing Race, and now we are hooked on Survivor as well! It’s so fun and starts so many great conversations with my 9 year old.