Parents' Guide to

Dynasties

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

Visually stunning docu about struggling animal families.

TV BBC America Educational 2019
Dynasties Poster Image

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

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What's the Story?

DYNASTIES is a BBC five-part series that focuses on five different species of endangered animals. Narrated by naturalist Sir David Attenborough, it follows chimpanzees in Senegal, lions in Kenya, painted wolves in Zimbabwe, Emperor penguins in Antarctica, and tigers in India, and reveals how they're fighting for survival against the elements, natural rivals, and lack of space due to the expansion of the modern world.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
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This beautiful and fascinating docuseries offers intimate looks at how five different species of animals struggle to survive in their natural habitats. From following the Kenyan Marsh Lion pride as it tries to survive after being abandoned by the adult males, to capturing the political and powerful fights for leadership among the males in chimpanzee social groups, it reveals how different groups of animals preserve their "dynasties" in the wild. It also shows how the natural elements, and the destruction of natural habitats, impact these processes.

The visually stunning footage, combined with well-constructed storylines, creates experiences viewers can easily be drawn into. However, the show's conservationist messages, despite being more subtle than those featured in the Planet Earth: Blue Planet series, are still clear. Dynasties is both family-friendly and entertaining, but still serves as an important reminder: It is the responsibility of human beings to protect every living thing on Earth.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about nature shows and documentaries. What messages do they send? What are the different ways these messages are communicated to viewers?

  • What does Dynasties teach us about the way animals protect themselves and their families and social groups? Were you surprised by any of the behaviors they exhibited?

  • How do documentarians manage to get close-up footage of animals without interacting with them? How do they create stories based on the footage they collect over the years?

TV Details

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