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The Naked Brothers Band

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 7, age appropriate for kids over 10; suggested age 10.

  • Is it any good?

    3.0
  • Common Sense says

    Tween rockumentary series has a bit of edge.

Themes in this show include:   dating/crushes, family relationships, friendship, growing up

Why We Rated This on for Ages 10 and Up

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Although overall the series celebrates the friendships within the band, the characters' individuality, and their love of music, there's plenty of iffy behavior -- from pranks and strong flirting to arguments and name calling.
  • Role models:

    The main characters are fairly typical (or at least stereotypical) tween boys -- they make fun of their friends, ogle girls, plan pranks, etc. And the lone parental figure is absent most of the time. On the up side, the cast is notably diverse, and the characters have strong friendships.
  • Violence:

    Injuries are sometimes played for laughs. For example, after a light fixture falls on an obnoxiously loud man's head, he's shown covered in an abundance of ice packs and gauze bandages. There's some slapstick-type humor, too (i.e. crotch hits).
  • Sex:

    A fair amount of innuendo for a tween-targeted show. Mild flirting scenes highlight the awkwardness of young love. One female character wears very short skirts and skimpy, midriff-baring tops. Alex has a crush on a babysitter.
  • Language:

    "Oh my God"; name calling ("booger," "jerk") is common.
  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Not an issue.

What Parents Need to Know

This review of The Naked Brothers Band was written by Emily Ashby

Parents need to know that this series picks up two years after the The Naked Brothers Band Movie. Because much of the material is inspired by the real-life group of friends who star in it, tweens (especially boys) will find a lot that parallels their own experiences. The show has friendly "pranks" (like rigging a bucket to dump water on a boy's head), short-lived (though heated) verbal arguments, and some adolescent sexy-ish references. On the positive side, each episode showcases the stars' impressive singing and songwriting talents.

Families Can Talk About

Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
  • Families can talk about the characters' relationships. Do any of the relationships within the band resonate with your tweens?
  • Are the band members' lifestyles far-fetched? Tweens, how do you feel about fame? Would you like to be famous, or is it not worth it?
  • Are the characters good role models? Why or why not?
Did this review help you decide?

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More on The Naked Brothers Band

What’s the Story?

Billed as a "rockumentary" about the celebrity lifestyle of kid rock 'n' rollers, THE NAKED BROTHERS BAND takes a fantasy look at the behind-the-scenes stuff that fans rarely see from their musical idols. Cameras follow the band members from their hangout to rehearsals to music award shows, capturing their struggles with friendship, loyalty, fame, love, and all the uncertainty of early adolescence. Real-life brothers Nat and Alex Wolff star as themselves, along with longtime friends/onscreen band buddies Thomas Batuello and David Levi. Quassim Middleton (who replaces original group member Joshua Kaye) and Allie DiMeco (who plays Nat's love interest, Rosalina) round out the cast. The show picks up two years after where its parent movie, The Naked Brothers Band Movie, left off. The band members have resolved their differences and reaffirmed that their friendship and shared love of music are more important than fame and fortune. Nat (age 11) and Alex (8) continue to write all of the songs, which are featured in each episode's performances and music videos.

Is It Any Good?

Written and directed by the Wolffs' mom, Polly Draper (thirtysomething), The Naked Brothers Band was inspired by the boys' youthful musical talents, which date from their preschool days. The series keeps it all in the family, with Draper's jazz composer husband, Michael Wolff (The Arsenio Hall Show), co-starring as Nat and Alex's musically inept (onscreen, that is) dad. And Draper's niece, Jesse, lends her talents as the Wolff boys' flighty-but-devoted babysitter.

All in all, the series fares far better than the parent movie did. A little maturity has gone a long way for the young stars, who now tend to steer clear of divisive subject matter and stick to topics that their tween audience will relate to -- like the awkwardness of a budding romance between Nat and Rosalina and the occasional playful prank among the guys (vapor rub instead of hair gel -- ouch!).

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in New York
    I rate this title on for age 9 and give it 5.0

    I owe my love of music to this show!

    When I was in elementary school, I couldn't have cared less about music (aside from a few showtunes, but that was about it...) until this show came out when I was in the fifth grade! I instantly fell in love with the music-- never before had I actually been able to call a singer or band my favourite. And this show was amazing! Yes, it wasn't 100% realistic, and yes, sometimes it could be slightly inappropriate, but it was interesting, funny, and the music was great. I would never miss an episode and always make sure-- come hell or high waters-- that I got the CDs and DVDs the day they came out. It's my favourite band and favourite show of all time for sure, even after four years.

  2. Kid Reviewer Age 8
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 1.0

    i hate it

  3. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    I rate this title off for age 8 and give it 1.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive consumerism
    • Negative role models

    STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!

    This is the worst show EVER! IT IS HORRIBLE! I feel like I want to stab myself with a spork when I hear their music. My point is, AVOID IT AT ALL COST!

  4. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    I rate this title on for age 13 and give it 5.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate language
    • My highlights are:
    • Good role models

    I LOVE IT

    I LOVE THE NBB, I DON'T SEE IT ANY MORE BUT I LOVE THE SHOW AND I LOVE EVERY BODY IN IT. ROSALINA

  5. Kid Reviewer Age 11
    I rate this title off for age 8 and give it 1.0

    Dont let you Tweens watch this show.

    Parents need to know that this series potrays a little boy(7-8) and a tween boy(11-12) having sexual relations with girls.A 14 yr.old girl has an intimate relationship with a 25yr.old britash man.Tweens do have intrest in the other sex sometimes but this is rediculouse.

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