Image credit: Ludo Studios 2019
What was your favorite TV show when you were 5 or 6 years old? Did it essentially tell the same story over and over again? Just what was it about the show that kept you watching episode after episode? According to Kathryn VanArendonk, a critic who writes about TV, what makes Bluey the “best kids’ show of our time” is its refusal to take such a formulaic approach. Instead, Bluey’s unpredictability and quirky humor convince her that “these are real children,” ones she can learn grown-up lessons from. This review was first published in Vulture in 2021; this updated version was published on April 15, 2024, as Bluey’s popularity in the US reached a new peak.
Read it here.
EXPLORE, REFLECT, SPEAK UP.
1. The title of this review tells us exactly what Kathryn VanArendonk thinks of Bluey: that it’s “the best kids’ show of our time.” That’s no small statement! What reasons and evidence does she give to support what she claims?
2. VanArendonk opens her review by acknowledging that she’s “not great at playing with [her] kids,” and concludes by saying that Bluey has led her to reflect on “her behavior as a parent” and may inspire her “to be more capable of playing along.” What reasons might she have had for opening and closing this review on such a personal note? Did her opening get your attention and make you want to read on? help establish her credibility to write on this topic? something else? And how effectively do you think she concludes her review?
3. While she describes what she does not like about most other kids’ shows and what she and her kids love about Bluey, VanArendonk does not tell us what criteria she uses for evaluating these shows. Would her review be stronger or more persuasive if she named specific criteria? Why or why not?
4. LET’S TALK. Get together with two or three classmates and compare what you each think about this review: Has VanArendonk convinced you that Bluey is the “best kids’ show of our time”? If not, why not? Consider that she writes from her experience as a mom; do your experiences as college students lead you to different conclusions from hers—and if so, how?
5. AND NOW WRITE. Watch an episode or two of Bluey (or some other show) and choose one that you really like, or perhaps one that you don’t much like or have mixed feelings about. Then write (or record) a short review of that episode, explaining the criteria you’ll use for your evaluation and how the episode succeeds or not, or is good in some ways but not in others. Try to come up with a catchy title for your review and find an image or two that might illustrate it.
LetsTalkLibrary 