 | ON: Content is age-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. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Wild Deep
- Animal Planet
- Genre: Educational
Common Sense Media says
Oceanic nature series spotlights curious creatures.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Wild Deep is a collection of underwater footage of some of the ocean's most unusual creatures, all of whom demonstrate unique abilities to survive in a place that's teeming with danger. You will see many scenes of predators stalking and eating smaller species, which might upset younger viewers. The series ties in references to issues like climate change and conservation as they relate to the particular areas in which it's set. Because the show tailors its content toward the strange ocean inhabitants, it's more lighthearted than traditional nature series and caters to the shorter attention spans of younger kids.
What's the story?
WILD DEEP is a six-part nature series that explores the ocean in search of its most unusual inhabitants and fascinating stories. Sweeping landscapes of the Coral Triangle, surprising adaptations that give the ocean's tiny residents a fighting chance, rare footage of a slumbering whale pod -- these moments and more comprise this remarkable glimpse into a world that's churning with activity and, in many cases, is still waiting to be discovered.
Is it any good?
The goal of Wild Deep is obvious: Scan the ocean for the wacky and weird, and capture footage of them in action. In this way, it's more like Ripley's Believe It or Not! than it is like a more serious series like Planet Earth, and the show's brisk pace and 30-minute format (short for the standard nature documentary) reflect this style. At times it's unsettling, ushering you so quickly from one oceanic oddity to the next that you get little more than a three-sentence explanation of what you're watching. The upside is that you're introduced to a range of species and examples of animal specialization in a short amount of time, but this comes at the price of thorough reporting on the subjects themselves.
That's not to say that Wild Deep has nothing to offer viewers. It does what it can with what it's given: a truncated time frame on one hand and the planet's most expansive animal habitat on the other. What you get are amazing images of life forms large and small, each of which is specifically adapted to eat, reproduce, and evade predators. It's a fascinating tour of some of the ocean's hot spots, and ultimately it does its difficult job well enough that you're left wanting more of what it has to offer.
Explore, discuss, enjoy
Families can talk about the educational value of series like this one. Is there anything to be learned from a documentary that you can't find in another form of media? Does information seem more interesting if you get it from TV?
Take a trip to a nearby aquarium, zoo, or even your own backyard and learn about your local ecology. How are animals specifically adapted to thrive in certain environments?
Choose a species or two featured on the show and do your own research about it. What contributes to this animal's ability to survive? What outside factors could threaten it or its habitat?
There aren't any reviews yet. Be the first to review this title below.
| Topics: | ocean creatures, science and nature |
| TV rating: | TV-PG |
| Network: | Animal Planet |
| Cast: | Dave Fennoy |
| Genre: | Educational |
Review It
Great alternatives handpicked by our editors
More from Common Sense Media
Top advice and articles
