Amusement

n: pleasurable diversion

I love watching TV with my son. He’s five, so he picks up on a lot of details and remembers everything. I’m always impressed by what he takes away from a show.

We do what we can to limit screen time; however, sometimes it’s just easier for my son to watch something while I do the dishes or fold a load of laundry.

But I do admit that I enjoy some of his shows, too.

Nickelodeon’s PAW Patrol has been a big part of our lives for a while. My son received some toys for Christmas the year he was two and it was an instant hit. We had a PAW Patrol-themed birthday party when he turned three and we continue to have a stockpile of episodes on the DVR. But lately, he’s also been a huge fan of Disney Junior’s PJ Masks and Puppy Dog Pals, as well as Peppa Pig on Nick Jr.

I can be easily entertained by all of them, but at the same time I am forced to overlook a few glaring plot holes. Here, I offer my thoughts on these digital miracles that are capable of keeping my son quiet for 30 minutes (at one time!).

PAW Patrol

As my son’s first “favorite,” PAW Patrol will always have a special place in my heart. I do love the idea of the show and, as the network suggests before each episode, the way it promotes “being a helpful part of the community.” My son wants to be a firefighter when he grows up, so he’s a big fan of Marshall; I’m fond of Zuma (a lab like our own dog) and Rocky (a scruffy mutt). I also love the catchy theme song.

But, I have many questions about this group of pups, their 10-year-old “leader” Ryder, and the overall societal structure of Adventure Bay, the city where they all live. And looking at other blogs, I am not alone in addressing several of these issues:

• Where are Ryder’s parents? Why doesn’t he go to school?

• Why doesn’t Adventure Bay have their own fire or police departments? Why do the citizens trust a boy and his group of dogs to help them in an emergency?

• Who funds the PAW Patrol’s operation: the state-of-the-art Lookout, Paw Patroller, Sea Patroller, etc.? Those aren’t cheap!

• Why does Mayor Goodway carry a chicken in her purse?

Overall, I am willing to look past some of these pretty important questions for the sake of seeing my son’s excitement when the show is on. And I admit that once I get into an episode, I do need to watch it until the end—how else will I know if the pups save the day? They could do away with Daring Danny X, though. Everything about that kid annoys me and he needs a time out.

PJ Masks

Who knew the world needs so many nontraditional superheroes? This show follows three school-age friends, Connor, Amaya and Greg, who are regular kids during the day, but become skilled superheroes at night—Cat Boy, Owlette and Gecko, respectively.

This trio solves all kinds of problems, which are caused by one of the kid “villians”: Romeo, Night Ninja (and his band of Ninjalinos) and Luna Girl.

Similar to PAW Patrol, these kids are well financed. While no one in town seems to know that Connor, Amaya and Greg are the PJ Masks, they have an incredible amount of state-of-the-art transportation and technology—everything from tricked-out individualized vehicles to their own space-capable rocket.

Again, I question where the parents are? How do they not realize that their children are leaving their homes in the middle of the night to fight crime in the city? And how do they still manage to make it to school the next day if they’ve been up all night?

And it’s unfortunate that the PJ Masks have to wait until the night to actually solve the “case”; anyone who has ever watched an episode of 48 Hours or Dateline knows that those first few hours are critical.

But, each episode promotes teamwork and friendship and doing the right thing, so I can’t argue with that.

Puppy Dog Pals

This is a fairly new show featuring two pug brothers, Bingo and Rolly. What I immediately liked about the show was the adorable voices; sometimes, they get really excited and talk so fast that’s it’s tricky to understand every word.

Each episode, Bingo and Rolly undertake a mission and head off to finish it before their owner, Bob, gets home from work. Sometimes, their mission takes them down to the street to the pet store, where they talk to their guinea pig friend Cagey, or to the dog park, where they cross paths with Cupcake, a grumpy Maltese dog who could be considered the pups’ antagonist.

But other times, their missions take them across the world, like to Egypt. In one episode, Bingo and Rolly traveled there to find the pyramids after they had mysteriously disappeared. (Spoiler alert: The pyramids were basically just buried under the sand and they reemerge when one of the pups started digging nearby—phew!)

A few things I love about the show:

• Hissy, who is Bingo and Rolly’s “kitty big sister.” She is sometimes annoyed with the pups, especially when they interrupt her many planned naps, but it’s obvious that she loves them and wants the best for them.

• Frank and Esther, secondary characters who show up at least once in every episode—no matter what is happening. That Egypt episode? Yeah, they were there. They also showed up in Ireland when the pups traveled there to find a four-leaf clover for Bob. (Incidentally, Esther is voiced by former Saturday Night Live cast member Cheri Oteri.)

• The overall tone of the show. It’s all about love.

I do have a few issues, though. Why is Bob so skinny and why does he only have four fingers? What is the purpose of A.R.F., which stands for Auto Doggie Robotic Friend? How do Bingo and Rolly make it around the world and back all in a single work day? Questions that may never be answered.

Peppa Pig

I am not going to lie. I love this one. I don’t know if it’s the accents or the quirky British humor or the fact that each “story” is only like seven minutes, but Peppa Pig is one of my faves.

Peppa has a pretty standard family structure: Mummy Pig (British spelling), Daddy Pig and her little brother George. They also have Granny Pig and Grandpa Pig, who live nearby.

Peppa goes to playgroup (or preschool, I guess) and has lots of diverse friends. I think there’s one family for each type of animal: Danny Dog, Edmond Elephant, Suzy Sheep, etc. There’s also Mrs. Rabbit, who holds nearly every job in town.

Really, there’s not a lot I don’t love about this show. The animation style is weird, but endearing, and I love that what brings Peppa and George the most joy is simply “jumping in muddy puddles.”

There’s a lot of humor for adults to appreciate, too, and I have found myself laughing out loud on several occasions. No complaints on this one!

So, if you have to watch a show with your kid, there are worse options. These four would make for an enjoyable half hour any day.