Parents' Guide to Small Fortune

TV NBC Game Shows 2021
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Common Sense Media Review

Marty Brown By Marty Brown , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 8+

Miniature game show is fun for short stretches.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 8+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

What's the Story?

Hosted by Lil Rel Howery, Small Fortune invites teams of contestants to compete in amusing yet gruelling challenges to win money. The twist is that all of the challenges take place on miniature sets with miniature props. Teams must flick, tweeze, and feel their way to success to accrue money before finally pulling off a tiny bank heist to walk away with their winnings.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say : Not yet rated
Kids say : Not yet rated

It's surprisingly fun to watch someone sweat while trying to flick a fingernail-sized newspaper into a thumb-sized wastebasket. The skills that Small Fortune puts to the test often are those that most people would use only while incredibly bored, but there are (small) thrills in watching contestants keep their cool while attempting to stack tiny cans with tweezers. Trouble is, Small Fortune is an hour-long show that's really only interesting in short increments. At length, it gets repetitive and winning can feel somewhat arbitrary. It would have been perfect for short-form or YouTube.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the challenges. What makes the challenges on Small Fortune fun? What does the show offer that couldn't happen if the events were at a larger scale?

  • What skills seem to be necessary to compete on Small Fortune? What types of people seem to do well? What strategies are involved?

  • What is the benefit of practicing or not practicing on the show? What kinds of choices do the contestants make about practice? What seems to work or not work?

TV Details

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