Parents' Guide to

Rising Star

By Emily Ashby, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Real-time voting gimmick can't save singing contest.

TV ABC Reality TV 2014
Rising Star Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

age 13+

Based on 2 parent reviews

age 18+

Ur music quality i

Music system quality is seems week because contestants singing well and musicians playing awoesom but I don't know but I can't connect with music M sorry and may m wrong!!!
age 7+

Music competition show has unique twist but hits a sour note.

Rising Star needs to be commended for its original concept. In this show, the fate of the aspiring singers rests in the hands of the viewers (with some input from the judges, of course), with the decisions made live, on the spot. It is a very intense competition, and some of the contestants have amazing stories or have overcome obstacles in their lives to get where they are now. The judges also stress the importance of never giving up on your dreams, and the support of family and friends is highlighted as well. The content is definitely the least of your worries, besides the fact that a few of the song choices contain questionable lyrics. Moreover, there is surprisingly a bit of sexual innuendo and subtle jokes that take place between the host Josh Groban and Ke$ha, who is one of the three judges on the show (along with Brad Paisley and Ludacris). Sadly, the entertainment value is just not there. Kids and teenagers might be pleased to see their favourite artists on the judging panel, but Rising Star simply falls flat. It does not have the same appeal or grandeur you would expect from "American Idol" for instance. I would suggest you check it out for yourself, and like I said, quality is the bigger concern with this one. I would not be shocked if Rising Star was cancelled after the end of this first season.

This title has:

Great messages
Too much consumerism

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (3 ):

More than a decade ago, American Idol forever changed the nature of television by putting viewers in control of crowning a new pop-culture star. A lot has changed since then, and plenty of like-minded series have tried to match wits with the alpha show, but, despite new gimmicks at every turn, few stand the test of time. So seems the destiny of Rising Star, which suffers from a gracious but slightly awkward first-time host in Groban and three celebrity panelists who at times seem desperate for the spotlight themselves. This translates to far too much juvenile bantering among them and ridiculously dramatic reactions to the mediocre singers in particular, all of which seems like a ploy to kill time between performances.

Of course, many viewers will tune in just to see how the show manages real-time voting, and this does add a much-needed element of excitement to the otherwise mundane package. For those performers who hit the 70 percent mark, there's the instant gratification of seeing an adoring audience before them. For those who don't, it just makes the moment that much more uncomfortable given that they're sent packing a mere two minutes after they step onto the stage. As for viewers, because you must watch the show live to vote (and only those who vote stand the chance of seeing their profile pictures flash on the performers' walls), there's no chance of recording the show and taking part in the voting process. What's more, West Coast viewers' votes only matter for contestants who fail to move on in an earlier time zone, which makes for pretty anticlimactic reality TV for later viewers.

TV Details

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