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Parents' Guide to

100 Things to Do Before High School

By Emily Ashby, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 7+

Funny tales of tweens' adventures celebrate friendship.

TV Nickelodeon Comedy 2014
100 Things to Do Before High School Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

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age 5+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Gregory Nelson
Gregory Nelson Adult
September 13, 2015
age 2+

Another One of the "Good" Modern Nickelodeon Shows

Nickelodeon has been really dumb these years, taking away good shows, including good sitcoms with no laugh tracks, Every Witch Way, one of Nickelodeon's latest sitcoms, didn't have a laugh track, yet it had a real plot, and they did it again with this, 100 Things has no laugh track, it has a plot, yet it teaches kids and adults good and smart things, it has morals that are life learning and always remembered, it's fun and not one bit boring (except for the camera used to film it, as it is Film, which is unrealistically choppy in playback and expensive, unlike video), and there's still the music that Scott Fellows always uses, and the special effects, It's a good show for anyone who misses the days of Ned's Declassified, and it's the best replacement that Nick make at the time? Unfortunately, Nickelodeon just HAD to cancel it after the 1st 25 episodes, which shows us how greedy and stupid they’ve become. Not to mention many good shows they made are gone now and the channel’s gone downhill.
winfieldw
winfieldw Adult
June 7, 2015
age 7+

best from Nick in a long time.

I will not write too much from my phone but I will say that this is the best show displaying friendships since the days of Ned's Declassified. I am much older than the age group it's target is but I was nor bored for one moment. Enjoy!
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What's the Story?

For newly minted seventh-grader CJ (Isabela Moner), high school always seemed like the much-anticipated reward for making it through the trials of middle school. But when her older brother bursts her bubble with tales of copious homework, hectic schedules, and disappointments at every turn, she starts to worry it's not all it's cracked up to be. Even worse? There's talk that high school spells the end of lifelong friendships as people find disparate interests and begin to drift apart. CJ can't imagine life without her BFFs, kid genius Fenwick (Jaheem Toombs) and newly popular Crispo (Owen Joyner), so she sets out to make the rest of middle school a series of epic adventures the three will never forget.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (12 ):

100 THINGS TO DO BEFORE HIGH SCHOOL has a lot going for it: a talented cast of quirky but endearing characters, an ample level of outlandish unreality, and a comically dystopian vision of teen life that flies in the face of rosy-glasses offerings such as High School Musical. Even though the show hints at legit high school woes such as over-scheduling, tough classes, and social anxieties, it does so in such a lighthearted way it's unlikely they'd cause angst for your tweens the way they do for CJ.

What the show does do is reaffirm the value of strong friendships that have stood the test of time. CJ is flanked by her two best friends -- both boys -- for every adventure, and there's no boy-girl awkwardness or hints at anything besides a refreshingly comfortable companionship. Even though the show's setup promises their situation is doomed in the future, thus inspiring their list of last-chance adventures, their clear devotion to each other suggests that really won't be the case. Given the many laugh-out-loud moments, viewers will most remember a decidedly positive view of tween relationships.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how the show presents the social hierarchy in middle school and high school. What groups exist within the school populations? How do they interact? How does the show's example compare to your tweens' experiences?

  • Kids: Why is CJ afraid of losing her best friends as they get older? Have you observed relationships drifting apart as you've grown up? Is this an inevitability, or can you do anything to control it? With whom do you share a longtime friendship?

  • When you watch a show or a movie, do you compare the characters' experiences to your own? What about their appearances? How does what we see in the media shape our self-image?

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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