Beakman's World - TV-Y7
TV Rating: TV-Y7
Network: Syndicated Cast: Paul Zaloom, Mark Ritts, Senta Moses
Genre: Educational
Available on: 
DVD
Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that while it makes science entertaining, this show also dives headfirst into all things disgusting. Bodily function jokes are part of the fun, as are entire segments devoted to topics like sewage treatment, snot, and head lice. The requisite "don't try this at home" line precedes many of the experiments, but some kids still might be tempted, for example, to drop a cat upside down to see if it will land on its feet. Remind them not to.
Families can discuss how science plays a part in our everyday lives. What questions do you have about how the world works? What is it about science that makes Beakman so excited? Why do some kids think science is boring? Parents can help kids formulate their own questions to send to Beakman, or help them find out the answers on their own via the Internet or a trip to the library.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Leanne Mos
It's still hip to be square on the Emmy Award-winning BEAKMAN'S WORLD, a science show featuring a wacky professor (Paul Zaloom) who's devoted to answering his viewers' questions about the physical world. With the help of the obnoxious Lester the Rat (Mark Ritts) and one of three dizzy female assistants, Beakman takes viewers on a trivia-packed thrill ride, unraveling everyday mysteries such as what makes fire and what causes those creaky noises in the night.
Beakman's World ended its original run in 1998, but it still airs in syndication, and it's so alive with energy that it continues to feel fresh. The series uses every tool imaginable to illustrate concepts and keep things exciting. There are nonstop sound effects, animation, slow-motion replays... and plenty of gratuitous burp and fart jokes (kids love 'em).
The pace is lightning-fast and might lose the youngest viewers, but older kids are sure to love the action (explosions! smashing tomatoes!). They might even learn something from Beakman's silly impersonations of historical figures like Alfred Noble and Robert Bunsen.
For Beakman, no question is too stupid -- or too gross -- to answer. "Snot is your friend," he says in one episode. To explain, he enters a larger-than-life-sized nasal passage dressed in a yellow biohazard suit and emerges covered in slime and debris.
In another truly gag-worthy segment about sewer systems, Beakman asks viewers to rise for the "National Sewage Anthem." With his electric-shock hairdo poking above the rim of a toilet bowl, he and his assistant Phoebe sing a song about conserving and caring for our water supply.
Despite its sometimes-crude antics, Beakman's World is packed with educational value and positive messages. The squeamish should simply take cover.
Kids who like Beakman's World should also check out Crash! Bang! Splat!, Popular Mechanics for Kids, and Zoom.
Rate It!
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ViolenceCharacters get charred by explosions and bop each other on the head, but it's all in good fun. |
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LanguageSome snide remarks and potty humor. |
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Social BehaviorPlenty of playful put-downs, but otherwise the characters work together to answer questions. Some gross-out humor (nose-picking, farting, and burping). |
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