Family shows have been kind of a dying breed, for the last few years. “Grown up” shows have gotten progressively more daring and risque, making them wildly inappropriate to watch with your kids. Children’s programming has followed its own trajectory as well, featuring groups of children who spend their days wisecracking, and outsmarting the dimwitted adults who are their caretakers. There are a couple of kid’s shows that I can sit down and watch with my kids, like “iCarly“, or “Victorious“, but they aren’t something I necessarily look forward to. Other shows, like “Suite Life on Deck” I find actively irritating, and have to restrain myself from making very rude and immature comments, if my kids should watch them. I’m not saying that I would actually stab myself in the ears with hot forks rather than listen to London Tipton insult Zack, and Cody; just that I really, really want to.
This television season has brought a couple of new shows, though, that are a little different. They are based on classic fairy tales, but presented in a grown up way that creates an enjoyable viewing experience for the whole family. Now, a word of warning, neither of these shows are what I would consider appropriate for young children. If you have toddlers or pre-schoolers, these are probably not the shows for you. They center the stories around fairy tales, but they can be fairly dark, and deal with more grownup themes that your little ones wouldn’t appreciate, or understand.
Once Upon a Time tells the story of a young woman, Emma Swan who is a bail bondswoman, living in Boston. As she is spending a lonely birthday evening in her apartment, she hears a knock at the door. When she answers it, she finds a ten year old boy, Henry, who is very anxious to meet her. It is her biological son, that she gave up for adoption when he was an infant. He is clutching a large, illustrated book of fairy tales. He tells her a story that is incredible, to put it mildly. He is convinced that she is the actual daughter of Snow White, and Prince Charming. Fairy tales are real, and 28 years prior, the Wicked Queen put a curse on Snow White and Prince Charming, that transported all of the people and creatures from the fairy tales to a “terrible, horrible” place.” Our world, or at least a little corner of it, in Storybrooke, Maine. All of the characters from the fairy tales that we grew up with are there, Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Rumpelstiltskin, Jiminy Cricket, the Seven Dwarves, etc. The twist is that none of them, know their real identities. Their memories of the magical realm they lived in were wiped away as part of the curse. Snow White is now Mary Margaret, a schoolteacher. Rumpelstiltskin, is Mr. Gold, a local businessman. And the Wicked Queen, is Regina, the town’s mayor, and Henry’s adoptive mother.
Emma thinks that Henry is just a lonely little boy, who has imagined a fantastical tale, to escape his unhappy home life. She decides to stick around Storybrooke, though, because he is convinced that his adoptive mother doesn’t love him. She quickly makes friends, and realizes that maybe she should settle down there for a time.
The show travels back and forth between two settings; our world, and the magical land that they all came from. We find out more about the characters in flashbacks that tell the story, usually in a context that relates to the inhabitants current circumstances, in Storybrooke. My kids look forward to watching this show every week, and we enjoy it, as well. It is really nice to have a show that we all genuinely like to watch, together.
Grimm is another show that deals with the possibility of fairy tales being real. In this show, the main character is a police detective, who one day begins seeing monstrous creatures, that look like ordinary people to everyone else. He thinks that these visions are just his imagination, but soon finds out that he is a Grimm, a human that is part of a family that sees, and fights these monsters, and have for generations. He is visited by his aunt, shortly before her death, and she tells him of his legacy, leaving him with a trailer filled with medieval weaponry, and a book, describing the various creatures, and their habits.
Grimm is a series that is very much like other crime procedurals, like CSI or Law and Order; it follows a crime that has occurred and the investigation and hunt for the criminal that follow. All of the crimes, though, have a supernatural, or fairy tale element. One week, it might be The Big Bad Wolf, another week it is the Pied Piper of Hamlin (or more accurately, their descendants.) This show is very dark, and is certainly meant for an older audience. It is still a great family show, if your kids are in their teenage years. It does have some mature aspects that make it inappropriate for young children. I wouldn’t be comfortable letting my elementary-school aged kids watch it, but if your kids are in high school, this is probably an enjoyable show that you can watch together!
These shows are new this season, and are available to watch at ABC.com, NBC.com and on Hulu, as well, so you can catch up on episodes that have already aired. I recommend checking them out, if you would like to have a show to watch, that the whole family can enjoy together!
Tracy Maher is a party planning guru and director of marketing for DiscountPartySupplies.com. She has a husband, three children, and a cat that should be registered as a lethal weapon. She throws many parties, mainly as an excuse to cook (and eat) a lot of food!
