Flight 29 Down
By Joly Herman,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Teen tale of deserted island survival.
Add rating
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Flight 29 Down
Community Reviews
There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What's the Story?
FLIGHT 29 DOWN follows the travails of a handful of teens from Los Angeles who have gone on an eco-camping trip to Micronesia. When their plane is downed, the group must go beyond its comfort zone in order to survive. But unlike adult shows such as Lost and Survivor, which clearly inspired this program, the characters here are given little to work with, and survival seems like a second thought.
Is It Any Good?
Flight 29 Down is cotton candy for the brain, and no lessons in courage and strength will be learned when human suffering isn't written into the script. Kids watching this show might appreciate the escape that it allows them, but they may not be so easily duped by the cheesy video soliloquies that the passengers record about their experiences. Parents may roll their eyes but will probably appreciate that nothing terribly offensive occurs here.
Rather than being scared out of their wits when they endure an airplane crash, the passengers of Flight 29 regret that the comforts of home are no longer available to them. "I want a pizza!" one character exclaims. But in wake of true tragedies like tsunamis and hurricanes, such whining about pizza rings false. "Staying alive is obviously going to take a lot of work," comments Jackson (Johnny Pacar), the elected group leader. If someone in the group had yelled "duh" in response, then this program might have gotten more interesting.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how realistic the series is or isn't. How would real survivors react in the face of such a tragedy? What do kids think about how the characters work together? What are some basic survival techniques?
TV Details
- Premiere date: October 1, 2005
- Cast: Allen Alvarado , Corbin Bleu , Hallee Hirsh
- Network: Discovery Family Channel
- Genre: Drama
- Topics: Adventures
- TV rating: TV-Y7
- Last updated: June 21, 2023
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.
Suggest an Update
Where to Watch
Our Editors Recommend
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate