Common Sense Media Review
By Joyce Slaton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Zesty hits-of-the-past show is fun whole-family fare.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Greatest Hits
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
The music of the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s lives again on GREATEST HITS, a six-episodes series of hour-long specials focusing on chart-topping music from past eras. Each episode focuses on a different five-year period -- say, 1980–1985. Musicians who had hits during that period, such as REO Speedwagon and Rick Springfield, appear to sing their original hits while hosts Arsenio Hall and Kelsea Ballerini keep things moving along. Sometimes the rock, hip-hop, Latin, and country stars perform with their original bands, sometimes with session musicians, and sometimes the show goes for crossover appeal by having an artist from a different era or genre cover the original hit, as when Jason Derulo covers Michael Jackson's "Human Nature." Short segments dig into the past of popular videos.
Is It Any Good?
With great energy and interesting pairings, this parade of musical stars and songs from the past scores -- which is not a surprise, since showrunner Ken Ehrlich has made this kind of crossover an art form on the Emmys. Siccing Pitbull on REO Speedwagon's "Take It on the Run" is appealing to the middle-aged-and-older and 20-something viewers -- pretty smart. Performers like Kim Carne, Ray Parker, Jr., and Kenny Loggins look and sound great as they reminisce about their past hits before performing them. Heaven knows Kenny Loggins must be sick of performing "Footloose," but even he can't resist the enthusiastically dancing crowd watching his live performance. The show is a lot of fun, particularly for a summer fill-in, just the sort of thing you can flip on after dinner for a multi-age crowd to watch and talk about.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why this show features hits from the past rather than current hits. Why do past hits have wider appeal? What types of people listen to current Top 40 hits? What kinds of people might know Top 40 hits from 20 to 30 years ago?
How would this show change if another art form were featured? Like, say, dance crazes from the past? Noted paintings? Scenes from plays or films?
TV Details
- Premiere date : June 30, 2016
- Cast : Arsenio Hall , Kelsea Ballerini
- Network : ABC
- Genre : Reality TV
- TV rating :
- Last updated : November 11, 2020
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