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Some Assembly Required (Discovery Channel)

common sense media says

Science series is smart, but lacks extra spark.

parents & educators say
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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this educational series offers simple-but-educational scientific explanations about how everyday products are assembled and mass-produced in factories and workshops around the country. Many of these products are familiar/known brands, like Les Paul guitars and Burt's Bees lip balm. The series will probably be appealing to kids interested in the sciences or those who simply like to know about how things get made.

Positive messages: The series features informative explanations about how various products are created and mass produced throughout the United States. The scientific explanations are simplified and intended to educate more than entertain. Most factory managers are male and Caucasian, but factory workers are both male and female and from various racial and ethnic backgrounds.
Violence & scariness: Not applicable.
Sexy stuff: Not applicable.
Language: Not applicable.
Consumerism: Features specific, branded products like Les Paul guitars and Burt's Bees lip balm. Includes some brief discussions about how popular these products are.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not applicable.
Our ratings and reviews are informed by child development guidelines. Learn more.

More on Some Assembly Required

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about how television can promote science and learning. What did you learn from the show that you didn't know before? How can TV shows geared toward educating the public be informative while also being interesting and fun? Families can also discuss how the different products they use everyday are made. What things do you use that make you wonder how they were created? How could you find out more about them?

What's the story?

What's the story?

SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED is an educational series that shows how everyday products are created and mass produced for the consumer public. In each episode, humorist Brian Unger and University of Virginia physics professor Lou Bloomfield work alongside people on factory floors in order to learn how to make items like guitars, lip balm, and hurricane-proof windows. The pair shows how the featured products are created from start to finish, while offering some historical background and scientific explanation about how each thing works.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

While the series is very informative, it lacks some of the spark needed to make it fun viewing for kids who don't already get a kick out of science. Its focus on almost every step of the product-assembly process sometimes makes it a little tedious. But the uncomplicated scientific explanations give interested tweens and teens a real chance to learn the physics behind how the products we use every day actually work.

TV themes & details

TV Details
TV Rating: TV-G
Network: Discovery Channel
Cast: Brian Unger, Lou Bloomfield
Genre: Educational
Where to watch: Discovery Channel
This review was written by Melissa Camacho
 
 

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ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child, some content may not be right for some kids
OFF: Not age appropriate for kids this age
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