By Lenny Ann Low, Kerrie O'Brien and Craig Mathieson
With the school holidays upon us, and the rain appearing to never end, there’s never been a better time to, well, stay inside and sit on the sofa. But what can you watch that will keep everyone, including grown-ups, happy? Our critics have some new, old and classic TV and film ideas …
YOUNG KIDS: 5 TO 10-YEAR-OLDS
There is no-one I would rather watch TV with than my daughter. She is an honest critic, cackling if something is truly funny, still as stone if it’s heartfelt or moving. TV theme songs, movie scores, character catchphrases or wisecracks, all repeated in the kitchen, the car or drifting off to sleep. Onscreen kisses, even between Bluey’s mum and dad, are not tolerated. Nine years on the couch together brings the following choices. Lenny Ann Low
The humour of the Goodies, (from left) Bill Oddie, Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor, still endures.
THE GOODIES Three men, a three-seater bike, and as many adventures involving giant kittens, walking bagpipes, fake legs, exploding pants, mined scones, menacing bulldozers, dogs singing Anything You Can Do and bicycle-powered hot air balloons, as is allowable in 30 minutes. First aired in the 1970s, The Goodies is an education in classic comedy for all ages, nimbly using sped-up film, elaborate props, original songs and wildly meandering plot lines to allow the late Tim Brooke-Taylor, as the posh one, Graeme Garden, the “mad scientist” and Bill Oddie as the “scruffy little oik” to do anything, any time. Highlight episodes include Pirate Radio Goodies, in which the only record played on their offshore station is A Walk in the Black Forest; Lighthouse Keeping Loonies, involving mumps and a flight to the moon, and Bunfight at the O.K. Tearooms, with a suspenseful western-style climax involving tomato sauce. (G) Britbox
Cupcake and Dino is a witty fever dream about friendship.
CUPCAKE AND DINO Two brothers running a general services business has a tang of The Goodies, but this Brazilian/Canadian cartoon series, a fast-paced, neon-hued jamboree of adventurous silliness and meaningful life lessons, is its own everyday heroes universe. Set in Big City, Cupcake and Dino’s lead characters are Dino, a yellow dinosaur with an infectiously optimistic attitude, and Cupcake, a pink cupcake with limbs and great ambitions. Together they’ll paint your fence (Ya please!), save a town from a huge house-eating monster (You betcha!) or face a gang of bullies, formed from junk food, sunglasses and bandannas, at the local pool (It’s what we do, we do!) Beware the theme tune’s ability to trigger involuntary re-singing. Rejoice in the show’s portrait of true diversity. Cupcake and Dino are brothers and best friends, their grandmother is a slice of sirloin with a tennis visor, and the chief of police is a tough-talking bee. Merging live action and animation with dreamily simple songs, this is a witty fever dream about friendship, individuality and the free-flowing mindscape within every child’s brain. (G) Netflix
Bing the rabbit (left) and his bunny friend Flop offer wisdom beyond the pre-school years.
BING At first glance, an animated show aimed at preschoolers, featuring a collection of seemingly stuffed animals’ micro-dramas, might not interest those attending big school, or even big work. But, every single time Bing, a rabbit in overalls, asks Flop, his much smaller, orange bunny carer, about a problem, it’s worth listening in. Flop’s gentle, caring listening, and his ability to give Bing and other characters validation for their query or predicament, is as inspiring as it is practical for everyone’s life. (G) ABC Kids
Raya and the Last Dragon melds the heroic quest of Raya with the snappy self-deprecating chat of water dragon Sisu.Credit:Disney
RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON A chutzpah of a fantasy adventure, melding the heroic quest of Raya, a warrior princess trying to repair a divided world, with the snappy self-deprecating chat of water dragon Sisu, whose siblings became stone forms to save the world. Blending several south-east Asian cultures, and vibrant in detail, colour and music, Raya and the Last Dragon is smart, immersive fun, exploring hope, fallibility and wisecracking as vital life tools. (PG) Disney+
THE TWEENS: 10 TO 13-YEAR-OLDS
As a writer specialising in arts and culture, and having consumed pop culture voraciously since my teens, I figure I have a wealth of material to choose from when looking at what to watch with my kids. Turns out, not so much. The insane number of screen options available through the many streaming services mean we find it tricky to agree on anything and often go our separate ways. (Sounds sad, but we’re OK.) Thankfully, these picks broke that pattern. Kerrie O’Brien
The 1970s classic The Hardy Boys has been given an update, starring Alexander Elliot as Joe (left) and Rohan Campbell as his older brother Frank.
THE HARDY BOYS Series two of the new adaptation of The Hardy Boys has just dropped. Originally written in 1927, the books became hugely popular in the 1970s thanks to a TV series starring teen heart-throb Shaun Cassidy. Two brothers for whom crime solving is clearly in the blood, as Dad is a detective, move to a small town and uncover a series of frightening and mysterious crimes which they set about solving. It’s aimed at ages 10-plus, although some critics advise it may warrant an older age classification. Honourable mention for mid-teens and up: the Emmy-award winning Stranger Things is also back on May 27, with kids on bikes, mysterious paranormal activity and nostalgic appeal – think Winona Ryder in fine form and a cracking ’90s soundtrack. (PG) Disney+
Chris Perfetti and Quinta Brunson in the breakout mockumentary Abbott Elementary.Credit:Ser Baffo/ABC via AP
ABBOTT ELEMENTARY Talk about meta. The first episode of season two of this mockumentary has actors looking knowingly at the camera and speaking directly into it, all the while being filmed by a film crew for a documentary. It’s a laugh-out-loud take on life in a poor school, which sounds unlikely but works thanks to great writing and comic timing. Set in Philadelphia, most of the staff and students are black and the school’s budget is woefully inadequate. The cast includes a social media hungry principal, a naively optimistic but good-hearted freshie – played by the show’s creator, 32-year-old writer and actor Quinta Brunson – jaded but caring older teachers, a casual teacher slightly out of his depth, and a work-to-rule janitor. TV critic Craig Mathieson describes it as 2022’s best new sitcom and each episode is a forgiving 22 minutes, in stark contrast to much on offer. (PG) Disney+
Celia Pacquola and Luke McGregor write and star in the evergreen comedy Rosehaven.Credit:ABC
ROSEHAVEN Celia Pacquola and Luke McGregor could be filmed chatting over a cup of tea and have us in fits of laughter. Luckily, they created Rosehaven, the story of two 30-something friends who move back to McGregor’s character’s hometown in Tasmania to work in his mother’s real estate agency. It riffs on soap opera tropes, but each episode stands alone, the backstory unnecessary to enjoying a single show. Both are very funny – unlucky in love, hapless and loveable – and the ensemble is impressive. So terrific are the performances that the creators – who devised, wrote and appear in the show – seem like authentic besties; Pacquola has said the main characters are basically heightened versions of themselves. She and McGregor describe the series as “an accidental family show”: there’s no nudity and minimal swearing. An absolute joy. (M) Amazon Prime Video
Inspired by Japanese cinema, Wes Anderson’s film Isle of Dogs is a joy for adults and kids alike.
ISLE OF DOGS A story about a group of alpha dogs living in a garbage dump may not have worked in the hands of anyone other than Wes Anderson. But Isle of Dogs, a stop-motion animation film from 2018, is a standout, beautifully made in his visually rich, quirky trademark fashion. Set in Japan, it’s also funny, fast, intriguing and soulful. A homage to dogs and our relationship with them, it follows a boy’s quest to find his pooch, along the way exploring love, loyalty, greed and corruption. Inspired by Japanese cinema of the ’50s and ’60s, it’s one of the best animated movies ever made – big call, I know – and a joy for parents and kids alike. (PG) Disney+
THE TEENS: 13 TO 18-YEAR-OLDS
As a television and film critic of multiple decades, I have a deep love of visual storytelling and a well of knowledge that I’m proud to share with my children. They, on the other hand, entirely ignore me. A casual mention by a friend carries more weight than my most impassioned endorsement. But I have lucked out a few times with my offspring, leading to these shared screen time successes. Craig Mathieson
The Gogglebox crew of Jad (left), Sarah-Marie and Matty, with baby Malik and Bane the dog.
GOGGLEBOX Hear me out. Yes, Gogglebox is a television show where you watch people watch television shows, but from another angle it’s also a terrific primer on what you should and should not consider putting on your list. The expertly edited summaries of what the home viewers are watching often tell you much of what you need to know about a series (especially the bad ones). Gogglebox is a great conversation starter – “would you watch that show?” feels like less of a challenge to a teenager and more of a query. Sometimes laughing at a bad show and the reactions it draws segues easily into a discussion about what might be a better option. (MA15+) Ten/Foxtel/Binge
Tyler Alvarez, Taylor Dearden and Griffin Gluck star in the true crime mockumentary American Vandal.
AMERICAN VANDAL This true crime mockumentary is Beavis and Butt-Head meets Serial. Set in an American high school and played with a straight face, it’s about a pair of students who undertake an investigation into whether their meathead classmate really spray-painted male genitalia onto the cars of 27 teachers. The tone and format perfectly duplicate the true crime genre, even as these very Hardy boys puzzle over the significance of a second y in a “heyy” text (turns out it’s a lot). There are some sexual references and hilariously juvenile gags, but the first season especially is also an incisive examination of social media’s pervasiveness and the ease with which we mistakenly pigeonhole others. (MA15+) Netflix
The US version of The Office, starring (from left) Angela Kinsey as Angela, Kate Flannery as Meredith, Steve Carell as Michael Scott, Phyllis Smith as Phyllis and Jenna Fischer as Pam Beesley, is still a classic.Credit:Paul Drinkwater
THE OFFICE Are we ready for the workplace of the future, where every new arrival has grown up watching the American version of The Office? The show’s open-plan high jinks and the acknowledgment of employment being a truly bizarre accommodation you share with strangers is perfectly suited for family viewing, especially with the average episode running for all of a handy 22 minutes. The outrageous follies of Steve Carell’s delusional boss, Michael Scott, cut through the generation gap. My children still crack up talking about the dinner party episode (season 4, episode13). (M) Netflix/Stan/Amazon Prime/Binge
Saoirse Ronan (left) as the caustic and judgmental 17-year-old and Laurie Metcalf as her mum in the film Lady Bird.Credit:AP
LADY BIRD There’s an endless selection of coming-of-age movies, but Greta Gerwig’s 2017 comic drama hits the bittersweet spot in capturing how the certainty of youth and the hopes of parents can make for the complex of bonds that only reveal their strength with hindsight. Saoirse Ronan is the year 12 student in Sacramento, California, who rails against her mother (Laurie Metcalf, note perfect) and her situation, in a story that seeds turning points instead of signposting them. You can empathise with these characters even as you shake your head at their blind spots. It’s also highly educational, because at some point, every teen will meet a charmingly sketchy dude like the one played by Timothee Chalamet. (M) Binge
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