In today's TV environment, finding a scripted show the whole family likes -- that also doesn't bore or scandalize any of the generations -- can be a challenge. Reality has come to the rescue.
While many unscripted shows aren't suitable for families either, there are some genres and specific shows that are. Here are but a few.
NOTE: These are mainstream shows, so they feature people from a wide variety of backgrounds and lifestyles. But these are generally treated without sensationalism, and people of faith are ordinarily shown with equal respect and sympathy.
American Ninja Warrior (NBC and Peacock)
For those adventurous families, summer brings about a myriad of outdoor activities: riding your bikes miles away to the neighboring town, exploring rivers and creeks, risking life and limb climbing trees and jungle gyms.
American Ninja Warrior and its kid-centric spin-off, American Ninja Warrior Junior, recreate the obstacle courses of one’s youth, with high-tech obstacles, flash, and pizzaz.
In a contained studio environment, with legions of friends and family cheering them on, contestants leap and bound over the course. They also risk plunge to a watery elimination below if they fail to negotiate one of the obstacles. As a bonus, there’s Catholic contestant Sean Bryan, the Papal Ninja (more on him here).
Although there is some handicapping for female contestants in the adult version (which now includes teens), both sexes, and a variety of ages, face the same courses.
Parents have even been known to build backyard courses for their kids. Here's one of the wilder examples:
What's in it for families: The show demonstrates the values of hard work, practice, sportsmanship, and physical fitness -- and how to bounce back after disappointment (plenty of great competitors, even longtime veterans, have hit the water).
Also be prepared for children occasionally launching themselves off the furniture while watching. (Grade school and up)
Cooking/Baking Shows (various networks and streamers)
For winter months and/or families more inclined to indoor activities, cooking shows (both educational and competition ones) carry tremendous appeal. It was also recorded during the COVID shutdown that families were cooking and baking as a family more often.
It’s no surprise, then that a cooking show like Netflix/PBS' The Great British Baking Show (and Roku's spin-off version of it, The Great American Baking Show) is popular amongst families. Another show to try out that pulls in the family crowd is my (Father Vince's) showrunner friend Patrick Doody’s Emmy-nominated Nailed It! on Netflix.
Led by Fox's MasterChef Junior -- the kid-centric version of the network's hit MasterChef -- there are also cooking shows just for youngsters (here's a list).
What's in it for families: Cooking and baking are not just valuable life skills which can save someone from a lifetime dependence on drive-thrus and restaurant takeout, they're things that whole families can do together. They're also a great way to pass on family memories, recipes, and traditions. (Grade-school and up)
And these young cooks are just amazing:
Home-Improvement Shows (various networks and streamers, but a lot of the best are HGTV)
Fixer-upper shows combine a bit of both the outdoors and indoors. Renovations require outdoor work, then afterwards, an interior designer dresses the newly constructed space.
Carpentry and creative design then naturally bring together husband and wife, or son and daughter in refurbishing living spaces.
Check out Joanna and Chip Gaines' Fixer-Upper on HGTV for a show that best highlights this complementing of the genders (BTW, HGTV shows are also on the Max app, and the Gaines now have their own Magnolia Network).
Some of our other favorites are HGTV's Home Town, featuring small-town Mississippi spouses Ben and Erin Napier (read about it here); Roku's Honest Renovations, with actresses/BFFs Jessica Alba and Lizzy Mathis advising families how to redo their spaces (more here); and the grandaddy of them all, This Old House, born on PBS and now on Roku.
What's in it for families: Change doesn't happen overnight, and it involves effort, planning, teamwork, and the ability to cope with setbacks. These shows teach all of this, along with reviving interest in the building trades, where lucrative livings can be found. (Tweens and up)
Animal Shows
Jacques Cousteau produced underwater traveling documentaries over the course of two generations. Towards the end of his career (and life) in the 1990s, he moved inland and explored the natural world there. I imagine he inspired families to vacation to the woods, beaches, and mountains.
Today, the wildly popular Animal Planet cable network (it can also be streamed on Hulu) fits the bill of the indoor television watching depicting the great outdoors.
Other streamers, like AppleTV+ and Max have also produced big-budget nature shows. And there's always the venerable Nature on PBS.
What's in it for families: There's the obvious value of learning more about the world around us, but coming to understand animals on their own terms can increase compassion and sensitivity to the needs of others. It's also a great way for families to share their own experiences of nature and plan new ones. The wild is always just outside your door.
However, depending on the focus and content, some shows may involve political views, or scenes of predation, etc., that may be of concern to parents. A little prior research is always a good idea. (Grade-school and up, depending on the show)
But, you can never go wrong with Animal Planet's aptly named Too Cute:
The Amazing Race (CBS, Paramount+, and many other streaming platforms)
While shows like American Ninja Warrior and The Great British Baking Show are indeed competition shows, they take place under very controlled conditions. Even CBS' venerable Survivor only happens in one location, isolated from the rest of the world.
But, since 2001, for at total of 36 seasons, the multiple-Emmy-winning The Amazing Race has been spanning the globe. Up to 13 teams of two (aside from one season featuring families), with a limited budget, head out by plane, train, automobile, foot, bicycle, and a variety of other modes of transport, hopping from country to country, continent to continent.
Along the way, they face the ordinary challenges of travel, plus whatever exotic tests the show's producers, let by the inimitable Bertram van Munster, can set for them.
There is some mild profanity -- not hardcore, as this is a CBS show -- and the occasional skimpy outfit. But on the whole, The Amazing Race is more wholesome than much of network primetime.
Reportedly, the upcoming season begins at the (relatively) new Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles and wends its way through Asia. It's set to debut at midseason.
What's in it for families: Travel can bring out the best, and the worst, in people and relationships, and all of that is on display in The Amazing Race. Along with witnessing visits to many lands, kids and parents can discuss the right and wrong ways to cope with the stress of travel, and how to behave in different cultures (there's plenty of wrong ways and unfortunate behavior sprinkled throughout, along with the opposite).
It's also a painless way to learn geography, as kids can follow the contestants on maps and globes at home. (Tweens and up)
Here's a sample, from the season 35 preview, which also launched from L.A.:
Image: (L-R): Leticia Gardner and Rod Gardner. Photo: CBS ©2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Click here to visit Father Vince Kuna’s IMDB page.
Kate O’Hare, a longtime entertainment journalist, is Social Media Content Manager at Family Theater Productions.
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