Four TV shows you should be watching with your kids next to you on the couch

Don't have any kids? It doesn't matter - you should be watching these shows anyway.

We all need some comfort viewing in our lives right now, and what’s better than snuggling up on the couch with some little ones and taking in something you can all enjoy?

These are the TV shows that have been keeping my family entertained over the last few weeks, pre- and post-lockdown, and they’re so much better than boring walks and another game of Yahtzee, so I thought I’d share them around.

Kids aren’t crucial to enjoying them, but they’ll give you an excuse to avoid dark dramas like Ozark and The Outsider and indulge in something you might not otherwise watch on your own.

Besides, give me a call and you can borrow mine. I’m always up for some free babysitting.

(Also, snacks! Serve them up way too many treats then eat all the leftover popcorn, hundreds and thousands biscuits and marshmallows you can handle!)

Lego Masters

Two different versions of this reality show are on the market, one based in America that’s hosted by Will Arnett and gleaming with all the cheeseball spit and polish you’d expect from a reality show coming out of the States in 2020. Skip that one, and instead queue up the rough-and-ready Aussie version. Season two is streaming via Threenow, and it’s full of typical Aussie characters that mock the reality show format, including its prankster host Hamish Blake, who was born to blow Lego bits up.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

It seems ridiculous, but the best thing about Star Wars isn’t the original trilogy, or the new trilogy reboot, or Bady Yoda in The Mandalorian. It’s this, seven seasons of animated Star Wars carnage based around Padawan apprentice Ahsoka Tano that’s just come to an end. It’s all available over on Disney+, including the ropy 2008 film that kicked it all off that you should probably skip and just get into the show. Honestly if you’ve got a Star Wars itch to scratch, it doesn’t get better than this. It’s perfect.

Ask the Storybots

I tell everyone about how genius this show is and all I get are slow nods and confused looks like I’m a very sick person. I’m not, I just really love animated crayons hanging out with celebs like Snoop Dogg, Ali Wong and ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic while asking basic life questions that we all need to know the answers to. Yes, Ask the Storybots is educational! All three seasons are on Netflix right now but be warned: Storybots songs are so good they’ll get stuck inside your head for days.

Helpsters

Hands down, this is my six-year-old daughter’s favourite show right now. She can quote her favourite Helpsters characters and detail her favourite episodes, which I love. It reminds me of how much I adored The Muppets and Fraggle Rock at her age. So it makes sense that this is from the same crew, Sesame Workshop, and it’s very well done. You’ll need an Apple TV+ subscription to see this, but trust me, it’s worth it.

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