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 what was undoubtedly the most talked about moment from this year’s Oscar telecast: the assertion tha...
Apr 19, 2022•34 min
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? In Screen Time in the News, we discuss Nickelodeon’s upcoming projects. Contact us and subscribe t...
Apr 05, 2022•44 min
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 new show Making Fun and the potential appeal of extreme building shows for kids. Contact us and subscr...
Mar 22, 2022•37 min
Big Nate by It's My Screen Time Too 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
Mar 08, 2022•40 min
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 fact that you don’t need to wait for black history month to enjoy Hidden Figures. Contact us and subscr...
Feb 22, 2022•35 min
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 fraggles in Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock. Deborah, our longtime fraggle fan, explores how the new versio...
Feb 07, 2022•44 min
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 kids catalog from Dreamworks Animation. In Screen Time in the News, we tackle the recent New York Time...
Jan 25, 2022•44 min
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.com Connect with us on Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com...
Jan 11, 2022•44 min
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 Screen Time In the News, we chat about Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses and whether we really...
Dec 21, 2021•1 hr
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 Connect with us on Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@gmail.com...
Dec 07, 2021•41 min
We review Paramount’s big screen take on everyone’s favorite big red dog, Clifford. We have some digressions about The Martian, Apollo 13, and the Berenstain Bears, but rest assured that Katie continues to be a curmudgeon, and Deborah continues to be the kindhearted soul we know her to be. In Screen Time in the News, we discuss an opinion piece by Jessica Grose about the value of watching so-called inappropriate movies with our kids. Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentime...
Nov 23, 2021•41 min
On paper, Amazon's preschool music show should be a five star prospect for us, but it's a kids· show on Amazon Prime, so we'll bet you can see where this is going. Does the birdie trio of Do, Re, and Mi have us tapping our toes to the beat or tapping our toes while impatiently waiting for the end? In Screen Time In the News, we discuss a Scary Mommy article that includes quotes by actual psychologists encouraging us not to freak out so much about screen time. Katie's favorite! Contact us and sub...
Nov 02, 2021•41 min
Our watch list has once again grown unwieldy, so join us for a spooky lightning round of new Halloween shows and movies: Addams Family 2; A Tale Dark and Grimm; Lego Star Wars Terrifying Tales; and Ghostwriter. Plus, a discussion of whether holidays make us want to send our screen time limits to the nearest graveyard. 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...
Oct 19, 2021•40 min
We’re joined in this episode by Sarah Gage of the Coco and Dalts podcast to review Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. on Disney Plus. Does the gender flipped cast and exotic location set it apart from its predecessor, Doogie Howser, M.D.? In Screen Time in the News, we question a Forbes article that claims increased screen time can actually help kids make friends. Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com Connect with us on Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter or by email at myscre...
Oct 05, 2021•58 min
Katie only has one question during our review of Amazon Prime’s new Cinderella musical starring Camila Cabello: Why? In Screen Time In the News, Deborah marvels over China’s new law limiting children’s screen time to only one hour on the weekends. 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...
Sep 21, 2021•42 min
We take some time to ponder a unified theory of quality for family movies and TV before jumping into our review of Paw Patrol: The Movie. Big questions tackled include: Where are the girl pups? Does Chase really need to be the main character? And where do the Fast & Furious and Real Housewives franchises fit into all of this? 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...
Sep 07, 2021•41 min
We join Dwayne the Rock Johnson and Emily Blunt on a cruise down the Amazon to discuss whether Disney’s latest attempt to base a successful film franchise on an existing theme park attraction holds water. In Screen Time in the News, Katie uses the release of Spidey and His Amazing Friends as cover to continue her rant against Marvel’s storytelling tentacles reaching into every corner of our lives, and we forgive ourselves for forgetting about the movies based on Mattel’s American Girl dolls in l...
Aug 24, 2021•42 min
In our review of Disney Plus’ new series Monsters At Work, we discuss whether we really need a workplace comedy for kids and whether a secret friendly monster sneaking into a kid’s room at night is creepier than a scary one. Deborah is overwhelmed by her return to bookstores, and Katie is underwhelmed by her return to theaters to see Black Widow. In Screen Time In The News, we are honestly shocked at our enthusiasm for an upcoming slate of Mattel movies, and our gritty HBO reboot casting involve...
Aug 11, 2021•44 min
Author and second time guest Amy Padden takes us through her family movie night strategy of discussing problematic content from old movies in the moment, and we try to follow her example as we review Mel Brooks’ parody classic: Spaceballs. Katie unearths a not totally unexpected love of goofy sight gags and Deborah wonders whether Mel Brooks wasn’t predicting our current climate crisis. We argue over Zach Galifinakis and chat about Kenny’s latest obsession, Rainbow Rangers, and why Captain Plane...
Jul 27, 2021•48 min
We indulge in our well documented love of John Cho in our review of Netflix’s Wish Dragon, an Aladdin story set in modern China, with a small detour to praise Pixar’s latest, Luca. In Screen Time in the News, we discuss an Insider article praising increased representation of LGBTQ characters in children’s shows while bemoaning the presence of paywalls that keep these representations from low income kids and families. Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com Connect w...
Jul 13, 2021•32 min
Check out our latest episode, where Julia of the Pop Culture Makes Me Jealous podcast joins us to review Netflix’s new robot apocalypse family road trip movie, The Mitchells vs. the Machines. 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...
Jun 22, 2021•46 min
It’s the return of our lightning round segment! We give you bite-sized reviews of Donkey Hodie; Animals on the Loose: A You vs Wild Movie; Astronauts; and the new Saved By the Bell. In Screen Time in the News, we talk about the soon-to-launch Mimo Studios and whether the lessons learned in making kids’ hits on cable can really be applied to streaming. Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com Connect with us on Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter or by email at myscree...
Jun 08, 2021•33 min
In this week’s episode, we review Disney Jr’s Mira, Royal Detective and bemoan the fact that great shows we would’ve once happened upon while idly channel surfing get unfairly overlooked in the glut of streaming content. In Screen Time in the News, we wonder whether Netflix’s new Play Something feature represents a welcome return to the old days. We fawn over Mira’s stellar voice cast, puzzle briefly over anachronistic seat belts and lifejackets, and digress to emphasize that goats’ creepy eyes ...
May 25, 2021•37 min
Repeat guest and animation nerd Shehla Faizi gives us a crash course in the work of Craig McCracken to prep us for this episode’s review of his new Netflix series, Kid Cosmic. We talk superhero fatigue, serialization in animation, rehabilitating cats’ evil image, and loving things despite ourselves. 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...
May 13, 2021•48 min
We just can’t resist a classic 90s reboot. Mighty Ducks Game Changers on Disney Plus brings back an old formula that works: a team of scrappy underdogs who’re just in it for love of the game. Can Lauren Graham help Emilio Estevez rediscover his love of the game? 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...
Apr 28, 2021•37 min
We’re reviewing the Obamas’ splashy first foray into children’s media, Waffles & Mochi, on Netflix. We discuss whether it’s weird to watch a food show starring food, whether kids know who Jack Black is, and whether this charming show has a hope of improving our kids’ eating habits. In Screen Time in the News, we invite Amanda from the Pod Appetit podcast to help us counteract recent fear-mongering articles about how increased screen time is making our kids fat by talking about how food TV ca...
Apr 13, 2021•51 min
We’re so excited to review yet another new release movie! Join us as we dissect the latest entry into the Disney princess canon: Raya and the Last Dragon. Is this whole movie an apology to Kelly Marie Tran? Are Falcor, the luck dragon, and Sisu, the titular “last dragon,” secretly siblings? In Screen Time in the News, we discuss a new entry coming to Disney Plus, helmed by Ron Moore of Battlestar Galactica and Outlander fame. Can he make us care about the Society of Explorers and Adventurers? Co...
Mar 30, 2021•32 min
We are joined by Jess of the Only You: A One and Done Podcast to discuss the latest adaptation of a beloved story of an only child and her horse, Black Beauty. The Disney Plus retelling foregrounds female characters and gives the classic tale a modern twist. Is it enough to make this nineteenth century tale resonate with your hardened hosts? Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com Connect with us on Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter or by email at myscreentimetoo@g...
Mar 16, 2021•48 min
Join us as we discuss how making 100 episodes of the podcast has changed how we approach screen time with our kids and in our grown up lives. To celebrate, we introduce a new segment - Lightning Round - in which we give bite-sized reviews of Hero Elementary, Finding Ohana, On Pointe, and Gabby’s Dollhouse. 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...
Mar 02, 2021•32 min
We review Nickelodeon’s newest swashbuckling adventure, Santiago of the Seas. How do we feel about idolizing pirates? Is it enough to call them good pirates, sit back, and admire their cool clothes and catchy slang? We chat with Niki Lopez, the show’s creator, about representation, creating bilingual content, and how to get grown ups interested in a preschool show. Contact us and subscribe to our newsletter at www.myscreentimetoo.com Connect with us on Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter or by em...
Feb 16, 2021•38 min
