I recently re-discovered Home Improvement. As a kid, I watched the occasional episode, but I recently discovered the complete series on Hulu this past month. The show aired from 1991-1999 and follows the life of Time “The Toolman” Taylor as he struggles to navigate family and work. Tim is the host of a television show – Tool Time – that is known more for its comedy, not so much its educational value. Tim is always blowing something up, breaking something, or getting injured. In addition to his television show, Tim and his wife are raising three boys, who add to the chaos of life. Tim seeks advice from his next door neighbor, Wilson, who always has some philosophical advice to offer.
Packed with humor and good family values, this show is a breath of fresh air when compared to a lot of the other content on television today. This is definitely a must watch for any Tim Allen fans or for those who just want some good, clean, fun!
It has been a while since I’ve written a review because, quite frankly, I haven’t listened to or watched anything worth reviewing. I have been exploring different shows that are available through ACORN TV, which I have access to through my county library.
I’ve watched several shows, but nothing that absolutely stood out.
Agatha Raisin
Agatha Raisin is based on the book series by Marion Chesney. It tells of a well-known public relations manager who retires from her city life to live in a little town. While she desperately wants to fit in, Agatha’s city airs do not make it easy for her, and not long after moving there, she becomes the prime suspect in a murder.
The show itself started off promising. Agatha’s struggle to fit in and adjust to country life is highly entertaining, and the characters are kind of quirky. But as often happens with shows, it is not long before the characters are sleeping with each other and sexual innuendoes are frequent. It is a shame, because the show would have been perfect without it. (I would be curious to see if the books contained as much sleeping around and sexual references as the show, or if it was something simply added for TV. So I plan to check out the book series.)
My Life is Murder
Starring Lucy Lawless (Xenia Princess Warrior), this series tells of a retired cop who is constantly roped in to investigating cases for her former supervisor. This show is entertaining. It is not as comical as Agatha Raisin, but there are fewer sexual references, which makes it more enjoyable. (Just FYI: The first episode deals with a murder where the prime suspect is a prostitute, so their are quite a few sexual references in that one. But the rest of the episodes are relatively clean.)
There are a few instances of the “F” word in a couple of the episodes, but it is only said once in those two episodes.
I did enjoy this show and will watch it when future series are available. The characters are believable and the acting is good. Because of the lack of sexual references, I enjoyed this show a lot more than I enjoyed Agatha Raisin.
Mr. & Mrs. Murder
This show does not immediately draw you in like My Life is Murder or Agatha Raisin. But, I like it for an entirely different reason – the only reason I continued watching it actually.
The show is about a married couple who are crime scene cleaners; however, while cleaning up after crimes, they end up solving them.
What I like most about this show is that the married couple truly love each other; they are faithful and loyal, which is something you don’t see on TV these days. For that reason alone, I continued to watch it.
The story was entertaining enough, but the family dynamics were my favorite aspect of the show.
Trailer works (image just doesn’t display).
Queens of Mystery
This show was entertaining as well, a bit more engaging than Mr. & Mrs. Murder. I liked this show simply because it was a different style than most murder mysteries. In some aspects, it reminded me of Pushing Daisies in that it “read” like a storybook. It had a narrator voice over which gave the storybook feel. I also found it amusing how the show will “freeze” at times, and the narrator will tell you what the characters were actually thinking. While not one of my favorites, it is one I will still watch when more seasons become available.
Ms. Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries
For some reason, I couldn’t get into this TV series. I watched a couple episodes, and it seems relatively clean. If you like murder mysteries, it might be worth checking out.
Ever wondered what would happen if our favorite princes and princesses had siblings? Well, wonder no more. Disney’s Secret Society of Second-Born Royals answers that question. They would be super heroes!
This movie is enjoyable for all ages. While adults my spot a few plot holes, they are not so egregious as to prevent you from enjoying the movie. The ending does imply a possible sequel, and quite honestly, I hope they make one.
Be sure to check it out! It is available on Disney+.
Also, fun fact, there was no profanity in the film, something my sister pointed out to me at the end. She was right, and I am still blown away. The show is rated PG, but I think it could have easily been rated “G”, even with the action scenes.
Netflix’s The Baby-Sitters Club is a modern re-telling of the books originally written by Ann M. Martin in 1986. What started out as a cute, innocent TV series about four girls trying to earn some extra money by baby sitting, quickly became a platform for today’s controversial topics.
While their are aspects of this show that I like – each episode (of the five I watched) is from the view point of a different baby sitter, and each sitter has a particular issue/struggle in their life that they are dealing with – the series is not one I will continue watching.
Sensitive Reader Alert: Episode 4, Mary Anne Saves the Day, openly addresses transgenderism as their is a young boy (6-8 years old) that Mary Anne is baby sitting who identifies as a girl.
A couple of days ago, I was really grumpy and decided it was best to avoided human contact. So, I barricaded myself in my room and watched 3+ hours of Raising Dion, Netflix’s new TV series. I had started the series the week before and was about halfway through. Those 3+ hours of binge watching took me to the end of the series.
The series is about a boy named Dion (in case you didn’t figure that out) who finds he possesses magical powers. Together with his mother, Dion must learn to manage his powers while facing a mysterious magical creature (The Crooked Man).
There are so many things I liked about this show that it is impossible to list them all here. The show is well-acted, intense at times, and filled with humor. But my favorite aspect of this show was the values. Two things in particular stood out to me:
“You can’t shrink yourself to make other people comfortable.”
“You can be a hero if you want.”
“You can’t shrink yourself to make other people comfortable.”
This was said to Dion when he was suppressing his powers so he wouldn’t scare his mom. He was afraid the added stress of his powers would make his mom feel sad.
I thought this quote was appropriate because in today’s society, we focus a lot on changing who we are to make other people comfortable. We tiptoe around certain topics and avoid certain words because we are afraid of hurting someone’s feelings. However, in reality, we are not responsible for other people’s feelings.
This does not mean we can be rude and insensitive. This simply means that we are allowed to have opinions and values that differ from others, and if they are offended because we don’t agree with them, that is their problem and not ours. We should not feel obligated to hide our opinions, beliefs, or values simply because other people may feel upset.
The conversation continues in which Dion is told that his mom “is allowed to feel sad,” which I thought was a good reminder for us. It is okay if we feel sad or angry or scared. Just because a feeling is unpleasant doesn’t mean we should ask other people to shrink themselves by changing their values, beliefs or opinions, so that we can avoid experiencing an unpleasant feeling.
“You can be a hero if you want.”
Dion says this to Charlotte, another individual with powers, who lives in fear The Crooked Man will get her.
This particular quote stood out to me because we can all be heroes if we want to be. Our past does not determine our future. We have the ability to choose where we want to go from this point in our life. Our circumstances, no matter how dire, do not confine us to one outcome. If we want something, we can choose to go after it, to become it. We can choose to overcome despite the fear, the challenges, and the struggles in life. Our present and future are what we choose to make it.
If you are looking for a good show to watch, you might consider checking out Raising Dion. I know I am looking forward to seeing what the second season brings.
Sensitive Reader Alert: For those of you who have not discussed same-sex attraction with your children, you might want to skip episode 7. Kat Neese, Dion’s aunt, is a hard working woman who will do anything to help her sister and her nephew. There is a scene in episode 7 when Kat and her girlfriend are cuddling in a bed. While this scene is mild in terms of relationship scenes – clothes are on, there is no sex – if you haven’t discussed same-sex relationships with your children, it will raise questions.
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