As a father of tweens I have had a hard time finding something on TV that we as a family can watch together. Most of the shows today have degraded themselves to sexy, drugs and violence to shock the audiences instead of hiring creative and thought provoking writers. They focus on shocking the audiences by pushing how gross or disturbing they can make their shows. Very little thought has gone into real moral thought provoking stories. Sensationalism has overtaken the beauty of a simple story with strong characters with convictions or a strong moral compass.
Recently I noticed that Netflix has started stream old episodes of the Twilight Zone. Produced in the 1960(s), this series has 30 minute (22 minute) short stories that make you think and you can watch with your family. Because the shows are in Black and white I wasn't sure my kids would actually sit through a 30 minute episode. Even though the show did not have the fast moving "flash bang" graphics or loud sensory overload that the kids normally enjoy, I was presently surprised when they started asked to watch Twilight Zone.
The shows typically move methodically through character building and leaving you with a moral message or a thought provoking quandary. This has lead to some pretty great discussions with our three kids about things we would normally not discuss. Like "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" where a human race of what my kids called "Ugly Pig faces" was considered desirable and a beautiful woman was ostracized because of the way she looked. I simple message about acceptance lead to some interesting discussions about inclusion, beauty and the pressures of society to fit a norm.
Nothing political or sensational, just a simple message that made for a good discussion with my kids.
When I sit down with my kids and watch an episode I don't have to worry about exposing them to profanity, nudity or gratuitous violence. Which is so prevalent in the shows from Hollywood lately. As we have seen a decrease in viewership of current shows, and movies, maybe Hollywood executives and writers will get back to basics. Entertain and educate us don't just shock us.
DWP
