It's My Screen Time Too

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...

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. Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.mys...

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...

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. Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com Connect with u...

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. Contact us and subscribe to our n...

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? 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 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. Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscree...

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 the...

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 headl...

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. 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’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,...

Can Sneakerella rescue the modern Cinderella tale in Katie’s eyes? Spoiler: put in enough good dance sequences, and she’ll love anything. In Screen Time in the News, we discuss our collective terror at the prospect of an upcoming Web3 series that aims to familiarize preschoolers with the metaverse. Our reboot castings are full of favorite pairs we’d love to see tackle a musical romance like Bowen...

We dive into the endless pop culture references in the new Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers on Disney Plus. Is it a movie for our kids or is it really for us? Deborah gets into the for-bros-by-bros vibe, and Katie can’t get enough of Captain Putty. In Screen Time in the News, we wonder if a new study claiming video games can actually raise kids’ IQs is too good to be true. Contact us and subscribe to...

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. Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at w...

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. Contact...

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...

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...

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 ne...

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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 fac...

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 fraggl...

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 ki...

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. Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.c...

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 Scre...

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. Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com Conn...