Are There Any New Family-Friendly TV Shows This Fall?

By Amber Ortega on September 4th, 2009

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Each fall brings a slew of new television programs and sometimes it is difficult to decipher which are “family-friendly.”

Watching the previews that bombard commercials during the weeks leading up to the premieres, I can usually tell what I feel will be appropriate for my children.  So what shows are we looking forward to watching this fall? Honestly I don’t see much that I would feel comfortable with my very young children watching.  Most of the shows are geared to children that are tween on up.

Fox will be air the show “Glee”  on September 9, which is about a struggling high school glee club.  My son saw the pilot awhile back and loved it because of all of the music.  It seems family-friendly and many kids will probably enjoy watching because of the music and dancing.

ABC has a mockumentary called “Modern Family” that seems to be a hilarious look at three unique families.  One of families is two homosexual men, which may bring up many questions in young children.  This may also open a door to talk about differences in relationships.

For tweens obsessed with “Twilight”, the CW will have “The Vampire Diaries”.  Although there is a different story line, the commercials remind me of the popular movie.  I think this show will help many people who are impatiently waiting for “New Moon” to come in November.

ABC is premiering “The Middle” that follows a dysfunctional family through their every day lives.  The show will uncover the funny things that families go through, along with the struggles a parent has while raising their children.  This show looks hilarious and reminds me of a modern-day “Roseanne”, showing what a normal family deals with.  Too many shows are based on a perfect family and are not realistic as to what a family really goes through.

Overall there are not many shows that seem family-friendly debuting this season.  There are a lot of shows that will be great for adults, from “Cougar Town” to “Flash Forward” with story lines that follow many adult-themed scenarios.  Even watching ABC Family, I will not allow my children to watch a majority of the shows.  “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” is a great show for teenagers, but my younger children would have too many questions with the word “sex” being used in almost every conversation.

Many shows I would say you need to watch yourself before allowing your children to see it.  Don’t trust a show because it is on ABC Family or whatever channel.  It is up to you to know what is right and wrong for your children to be watching.