Parents' Guide to

4th and Long

By Scout Davidson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Players' competition for NFL is too rough for young kids.

TV Spike Reality TV 2009
4th and Long Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

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What's the Story?

In 4TH AND LONG, 12 former football players -- all of whom were "on the path to the NFL" but got sidetracked for different reasons -- get the chance to compete for one spot on the Dallas Cowboys team. Guided by ex-Cowboy/Hall of Famer Michael Irvin, they're put through an extraordinary set of paces by coaches Bill Bates and Joe Avezzano. Each week the player who shows the least amount of promise is cut from the team.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

In borrowing the formula of more family- and female-oriented reality shows like So You Think You Can Dance and Top Chef and applying it to professional football, any network would naturally try to ramp up the testosterone levels until they're off the chart. Spike, of course, does its levelheaded best to obliterate the chart.

Players are pushed until they literally throw up on the field (repeatedly and in full frame), bone crunching tackles and gruesome injuries are displayed in stomach-churning slow motion, and every jump cut is accompanied by pounding drums and screaming guitars. Still, anyone who ever lived through the visceral experience of high school or college football will immediately connect with the incredible difficulty that these players face in trying not just to emerge victorious, but to simply survive.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about whether the show glorifies professional football or makes it seem glamorous in any way. Did watching change your impression of the NFL or its players?

  • What does it mean to give every ounce of energy to reaching a goal? How far would you push yourself to achieve your dreams?

TV Details

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