Parents' Guide to

Dinosaurs

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Dino puppet-driven sitcom deals with modern issues.

TV Hulu Comedy 1991
Dinosaurs 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 11+

Based on 3 parent reviews

Alfie D.
Alfie D. Parent of 13 and 14-year-old
April 2, 2023
age 18+

Bad for kids

bad for kids

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much consumerism
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
bobalish
bobalish Adult
April 12, 2021
age 2+

nightmares in a bottle

i believe that in this trying times our toddlers must understand that fruit cakes should not be tolerateed and clearly the green man is half way decent including dinosaours. Our own children have already experienced the pain of this show but now enjoy seeing the baby get thrown against a wall. As the baby dinosaur says in the first episode " not the momma" our own children say this on the phone to us when we dont know where they are. as i have stated, the dinosausr is one very

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much consumerism
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

DINOSAURS features a clan of dinosaurs residing in a working-class suburb of Pangaea in 60,000,003 BC. Megalosaurus Earl Sinclair (Stuart Pankin) works for the Wesayso Corporation pushing down trees to support his Allosaurus wife Fran (Jessica Walter) and his kids, a Hypsilophodon named Robbie (Jason Willinger), a Protoceratops named Charlene (Sally Struthers), and Baby (voiced by Elmo's Kevin Clash), an obnoxious infant Ceratosaurus. But sometimes life as a modern-day dinosaur isn't all it's cracked up to be, especially when his dinner escapes, or he has to face his Triceratops boss, Bradley P. Richfield (Sherman Hemsley). Dealing with his mother-in-law, Ethyl (Florence Stanley), an annoying Edmontonia, is no picnic, either. Luckily, when Earl needs to take a break, he's got his buddy Roy (Sam McMurray), a rather slow T. Rex, to hang out with. Dealing with the day-to-day grind can be challenging, but in the end, Earl knows that the most important thing in his life is his family.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3):
Kids say (3):

This unique sitcom, which was conceived by Jim Henson a year prior to his death, features life-sized dinosaur puppets dealing with modern-day issues. As in any sitcom, some of the storylines are silly and mundane. But others are slightly more sophisticated, as members of the family think about their place in the universe, and their potential future.

Original fans of Dinosaurs may enjoy tuning in again, and might even be surprised by the range of topics discussed that are relevant today, including LGBTQ rights, racism, sexism, and environmental issues. But despite some moments of smart writing, viewers tuning in for the first time may find Dinosaurs a little slow-moving, or just a little too weird.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about family relationships. Even though these characters are dinosaurs, they deal with many of the same issues that most families come across. Wht makes your family special? How do you communicate?

  • Is a sitcom like Dinosaurs a good platform to address controversial issues? What are the benefits of doing so? Drawbacks?

TV Details

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