Family TV Shows

We have started watching TLC and Discovery at night. My little boy loves Dirty Jobs, How its Made, and Destroyed in Seconds. Hope that helps. :)

I found this and thought it was interesting. http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/publications/reports/top10be...
You asked a great question! Guess the classics would be best unless you had older children.

I really loved 7th Heaven also. The person who created 7th Heaven has created a new show that I just love. The Secret Life of the American Teenager. It is on ABC Family on Monday nights at 7:00. I don't let my 8-year-old watch it because I think it discusses things that are too mature for her, but if I had pre-teens or teenagers I would let them watch. Like 7th Heaven it has real-life issues and they always try to put across the right choice in the end.

Jerrilynn, Sorry to say but no. I don't have any little ones at home but do have a son that is 23 here, it's hard to watch much of anything with him. If the show doesn't show something sexual to embarass me, a commercial will. You would think that any show that had children in it, would be ok for another child to watch. I enjoy According to Jim, but he's constantly lying to his kids, corrupting them and Sex is going to be mentioned during every episode. I also enjoy "My wife & kids", they do try & teach kids some values but every arguement between the parents becomes a sex issue. In front, of their kids. He does something she objects to, she's cutting him off from sex. I don't have cable, maybe there's more out there that's not as bad. I wasn't the biggest "Walton's" fan. But would give anything if there were more of those kind of shows back on. Glad to find a Mom who is concerned about what's on TV these days.
Hopefully, you will find something.

My husband and I watch Tyler Perry's House of Payne. It is on the CW. Reruns are on at 5:30. They are getting ready to start a new series. Some of the content is a little heavy but the show always tells/ shows the correct way to handle the situation. It is family- friendly for older kids or yourself. It has good moral value.

Your tastes in TV shows is much like mine, and to be honest I really dislike a LOT of what is on TV nowadays.

I DVR shows like The Cosby Show and Little House on the Prairie so we can watch them when we want. In addition, Verizon (our cable carrier) has On Demand so I can play Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Tigger & Pooh for her whenever I feel like it :)

TV nowadays is too scary to watch (LOL).

My daughter and I watch nickelodeon at night for repeats of George lopez, home improvement, fresh prince, etc. Other channels ha e old Cosby shows, really old timer andy Griffith on tv land

We enjoy a lot of regular shows together as well . Watching oscars now!!!

After seeing your response, I must have misunderstood. I thought you meant with your child. As for me, I LOVE the CSI shows, we watch a lot of History and Discovery channel, and reality tv. I don't get into teh shows when are often "continued" like Desperate Housewives or a soap because I like to see it and be done with it. I never know what the next week holds for me on my time so I don't like to get hooked on a show. I prefer 1 that is shown and done the same night.

Sad to say, I don't really think there are any scripted prime time shows that are appropriate family viewing, especially not on broadcast nets. I used to work in Audience Research for PAX TV and it is truly funny how everyone claims to want family friendly fare, but it just doesn't get the ratings now that it used to. If it did, I'd still have my job!!! :) You may be interested in the Parent's Television Council http://www.parentstv.org/ I am not a member, and to be honest I think they take things a little too far sometimes, but they are a good group to watch for getting a heads up on this kind of thing. Viewers For Quality Television was a much better group, however is now defunct. Good luck finding what you are looking for.

Man oh man..I think my hubby and I have this conversation all too often!! Even shows on Disney channel, which could fall into this category (like Drake and Josh, Wizards of Waverly Place, etc..) bother us..there is too much name calling and bratty behavior for my tastes!! We really dont watch a lot of t.v., esp as a family, but one thing my kids have gotten interested in is on TLC. They will watch "Little People, Big World" or "Jon and Kate plus 8", or the Duggar family show "17 and Counting". It is not perfect, I sure do miss the days of Family Ties and The Cosby Show..but it is better than a lot of other things!! BTW, dont forget "Full House" if you ever see that in reruns..the kids get a kick out of it sometimes! Ahh..the good old days...~A.~

Not exactly the fiction, drama category, but we watch Extreme Home Makeovers as a family on Sunday nights because I like my boys to see (12 nad 7) that others have tough situations and the joy in doing something nice for someone. We also watch Suite Life of Zach and Cody and Drake and Josh.

I agree with the TLC comment. Little People Big World, John and Kate Plus 8 (if you can stand the way she speaks to her husband) and 17 kids and Counting are very family friendly.

on the family channel the secret life of the american teenager reminds me of 7th heaven. it comes on monday nights at 7 i believe and they show it again later that night at 10 or something like that. oh and i love the show "chuck". that also comes on modays @ 7pm on channel nbc, thats what i watch. ncis and the unit. good shows. also, privleged is cute. but they just had their season finale last night. just so you know, i don't just sit around watching t.v. all day. lol

Hi J.,

My son is 15 years old, quite a bit older than your daughter, but here are some of the shows that we watch together. I'm not a fan of all of them, but I watch them because it gives us a chance to spend time together after homework, dinner, and chores. Some are reruns that we get on TWC cable. The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Drake and Josh, That's So Raven, Cory In The House, Zooey 101, Smart Guy, I Carly, The Cosby Show--reruns, Kenan and Kel--reruns, Family Matters--rerun, . I don't know which channels they're on or which nights they come on.

I hope this helps.

Yours sounds much like mine. . .and we haven't found anything like them. ABC Family has re-runs of Full House that we watch sometimes, but even it (very rarely) has words that are inappropriate for our 3 year old. So there's not much tv here as far as family shows. REmember good ol' TGIF with boy meets world, family matters, etc? Those were the days.

We stick to the Sprout channel and Video on Demand because they are all shows we've seen before. At night, my husband and I watch Nick at Nite, but we still don't think those shows are appropriate for our son.

Everything out there pretty much sucks. I find myself using the DVR and taping episodes of Little House on the Prarie and watching them. There are 3 episodes a day--Channel 12? I think and the Hallmark Channel. I also found myself flipping through a bunch of junk on TV and ended up on the Cosby show. There is defintiely a lack of moral based TV shows these days that don't have violence, etc.
You can also probably rent these episodes at your local library.

Another vote for the Parents Television Council. Everyone who feels like you do should give to this dedicated organization. There is nobody else out there really standing up to the networks and demanding they be accountable for the trash that's on TV these days. I watch my own videos or movies on Turner Classics, because regular TV is a real wasteland.
My teens & I really enjoyed "Who Wants to be a Superhero?" which was a lot of fun, but it's not on anymore. My husband still watches reruns of Star Trek when we can find them. :)
You have to really do your Mommy homework to find appropriate fare for younger children.
Good luck!
B. G. (mother of 8, grandmother of 4)

My four year old loves Wheel of Fortune, Wipeout(when it is on) and America's Funniest Home Video's. We just watched it last night. My husband and I ended up watching it long after my son fell asleep and laughed for an hour! We, also, let him watch(with supervision) The Amazing Race and Survivor. He really only likes the competition aspect of the shows and usually loses interest during the boring parts where you would be more likely to hear something inappropriate.

This is not a show but a DVD - and is for you and your daughter PAMELA'S PRAYER. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. NPR had a program and said for smart children...turn off the t.v. and read. I also have problems finding good shows so am trying to turn off the t.v. or use the radio for "noise".