When my first child was born, I like most parents, became reacquainted with television for children. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Sesame Street had a new character that shared a name with my oldest and at the same time, disappointed at not being able to find anything as entertaining as Electric Company. So, in the style befitting, the King of TV, I began a search for shows that my kids could watch and, more importantly, that I could watch with them.
After pouring over the offerings on PBS Kids and other channels that catered to little ones, I decided to look outside of that particular box. I started looking at channels that played things I liked and found a lot of great stuff.
Over on the Hallmark Channel, I discovered reruns of The Muppet Show and I was ecstatic. I set my VCR to record every episode and looked forward to laughing at the antics of Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo and the rest alongside my little girl. Sadly, those dreams were dashed pretty quickly.
For some reason, my daughter failed to appreciate the brilliance of Henson, Oz and their pals. While she enjoyed the colors and funny voices, the humor was completely lost on her. As she got older, her interest continued to wane and the Muppet tapes ended up being packed away with the VCR.
I decided to give it another try when I saw an ad for Free to be, You and Me on TV Land. I thought, “How could anyone not enjoy a mix of uplifting songs and stories mixed with the hilarious comedy of Mel Brooks and Marlo Thomas?” To my pleasant surprise, she loved it.
The talking babies and cartoons with morals were a huge hit She was particularly fond of Ladies First and I was ecstatic. We watched it together, sand the songs and had a great time. I even went so far as to buy the soundtrack to play in the car while we ran errands.
Sadly, that joy ended soon enough. As kids do, she quickly lost interest and moved on to shows that she found more compelling and I found unwatchable. This tradition continued when her sister was born and still lives today. So, as they watch Rihanna videos and Khloe and Lamar in the living room while I watch old episodes of Dr. Who in the office, I am forced to ask myself, “What part of awesome don’t my kids understand?”
Hear more from the King of TV on The Paul Goebel Show podcast and at his website, www.TheKingofTV.com. You can also follow Paul on Twitter @PaulGoebelShow.