Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Breezy beach comedy is cute, has retro gender roles.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 9+?
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Gidget
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Based on Federeck Kohner's 1957 novel about his daughter, the classic comedy series GIDGET (1965-1966) follows a teenage surfer and her widowed father in Southern California. Fifteen year old Francis Elizabeth Lawrence, a.k.a. Gidget (Sally Field) lives with her father, UCLA professor Russ Lawrence (Don Porter) by the beach in Malibu, California. Living alone with Dad is far from quiet, especially since her older and overprotective sister Anne and her husband, psychology graduate student John (Pete Duel) often stop by. Gidget loves to surf and hang out with her best friend Larue (Lynnette Winter) and date boys, especially Princeton college student Jeff, a.k.a. "Moondoggie" (Stephen Mines) when he's in town. Growing up by the beach is a lot of fun, and Gidget makes sure that there's never a dull moment.
Is It Any Good?
This breezy series, which launched Sally Field's acting career, is one of the first situation comedies to offer an authentic teen perspective on television. In addition to featuring storylines about friendships, dating, and other youth-oriented narratives, Gidget often breaks the fourth wall, talking directly to the audience as she makes sense of the world around her. However, the heart of the show is the close relationship between Gidget and her father, which is expressed with warmth and wit. Meanwhile, its youthful beach vibe also helped popularize Southern California surf culture. But thanks to low ratings resulting from airing at the same time as The Beverly Hillbillies and The Virginian (which both aired between 1962-1971), Gidget only lasted one season. But this hasn't kept generations of viewers from enjoying the reruns.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the unwritten rules that the Hollywood industry followed in the 1960s. There was no written rule that prevented women from showing their navels on primetime TV, so why were women prevented from doing so?
Did you know that Gidget is one of the first TV series to air in color? How did this contribute to the series' storylines?
What do you think a reboot of Gidget would be like? What would be different? The same?
TV Details
- Premiere date : September 15, 1965
- Cast : Sally Field , Don Porter , Lynnette Winter
- Network : Tubi
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : Book Characters , Family Stories ( Dads , Siblings , Single Parents ) , Friendship , Sports
- TV rating :
- Last updated : August 5, 2026
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