Kids' Shows Aren't Prestige TV, So Stop Rating Them Like They Are
As happens more and more often, I found my daughters watching a TV show I had never heard of. A show about a fourteen-year-old who becomes the CEO of a toy company, leaving a group of kids in charge of the completely wacky, chaotic day-to-day operations, called Some Assembly Required.
It had everything you expect out of a kids' show: silly characters with silly voices, over-the-top acting, and the kind of brightly-colored, hyperactive pacing designed to keep a nine-year-old from glued to the screen. But to my surprise, I found myself chuckling. More than once. I actually ended up watching entire episodes alongside my daughters. With my curiosity piqued, I decided to look up the show on IMDb.
I found it sitting at a dismal 4.8 out of 10, which did not surprise me at all. Not because the show is bad and deserves such a low rating, but because this is just what always happens with kids' shows.
The reason is simple enough: kids do not log onto IMDb to leave reviews. Adults do. And when an adult reviews a show meant for nine-year-olds, they judge it against television meant for themselves. We assume that because children lack life experience and critical taste, the writing behind their shows must be mindless filler.
That low rating isn't a measure of the show's quality. It's just adult snobbery. We hand kids basic slapstick and assume that's as far as their sense of humor goes. In reality, kids have a fantastic tolerance for pure absurdity. If an adult sketch show spent thirty seconds sitting in something weird and completely unexplained without breaking the tension, critics would praise it for being bold and surreal. Put that exact same joke on a kids' channel, and adults log online to penalize it for being stupid.
So the next time you look up a kids' show, whether it’s Some Assembly Required with its 4.8, or Dora the Explorer with its 4.5, give it a chance before you dismiss it. Watch an episode without your kid in the room. You might be surprised to find that the rating isn't just inaccurate, it's far from fair.
-- Amir
