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Parents' Guide to

The Life and Times of Juniper Lee

By Sarah Wenk, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Buffy the Vampire Slayer for the tween set.

TV Cartoon Network Kids' Animation 2005
The Life and Times of Juniper Lee Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

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age 12+

Based on 4 parent reviews

hgwqhge03
hgwqhge03 Adult
September 19, 2013
age 5+

Not that bad but very hard to get into

this show wasn't that bad but there were some things that bugged me, this show is a rip off of Jake Long: American Dragon Some Of the similarities are: 1. there parents had there generations skipped 2. both are Chinese-American 3. both have a talking dog with magical knowledge 4. They have the same initials Juniper Lee Jake Long 5. their grandparents are their mentors 6. both are celebrities in the magical world 7. both have a troublesome sibling that also has magical powers 8. they have awkward friends 9. their responsibility is destroying their lives this show also has many plot holes and makes no sense at times and just gets odd, Also this is an American cartoon but Juniper can frequently be heard speaking Chinese and guess what, in one episode someone sees juniper using her powers and the show gets canceled just LOL
Al Jackson
Al Jackson Adult
April 15, 2012
age 11+

Great show!

This show is excellent! It has great animation and great voice acting.
See all 4 parent reviews

What's the Story?

The creators of THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JUNIPER LEE have clearly watched their Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The setup is nearly identical, featuring a young girl with mysterious powers and a sharp tongue that enable her to fight the demons and monsters that congregate in otherwise peaceful Orchid Bay City (which bears a strong resemblance to San Francisco). One twist: Juniper is the only one (with the exception of her younger brother) who can see the monsters, so she spends a lot of time apparently talking to herself and looking odd. But like Buffy, she has her helpers -- a younger brother who will take on any battle, and a Watcher-like character, complete with accent (but instead of a classy Englishman, this time we get a Scottish dog).

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4 ):
Kids say (7 ):

It's great to see a girl getting to be the hero, and doing it more or less on her own. Another big plus is the lack of racial stereotyping: Juniper is Asian, and the boy she has a crush on is African American.

The show's animation is rather flat, though there is an impressive array of monsters and demons, both good and bad. Overall, it's fun and entertaining and certainly a good lead-in for the more mature pleasures of Buffy.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about gender roles and stereotypes -- why aren't there more TV heroines like Juniper?

  • Kids: What powers would you want if you were a superhero?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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