Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Real-life bros take dangerous rite-of-passage hunting trip.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Sons of Winter
What's the Story?
SONS OF WINTER is a reality series following 20-year-old Dale and 19-year-old Shane Barks, two young men setting out on a 90-day winter hunting and trapping trip in the Northern Canadian Territories. Years ago, teacher Randy Barks moved his young family to uninhabited Northern Saskatchewan to live like the pioneers of past. Now near adulthood, his two older sons arm themselves with a radio, traps, rifles, and their smarts and leave the family homestead to live and trap deeper in the wilderness hundreds of miles away. While the rest of the family works hard to find meat and sustain themselves throughout the big freeze, they also worry about the brothers' overconfidence. But Dale and Shane soon learn they're not invincible and must think carefully about the risks they're going to take if they want to survive the journey.
Is It Any Good?
The series offers a voyeuristic look into the lives of people who have chosen to live in the isolated and punishing wilderness of the Northern Region. Much of the show's entertainment value comes from the mistakes made and mishaps created by the boys, ranging from not securing their food to falling through the ice. Though some of these seem minor, all can have deadly consequences.
Framing the boys' trip as a journey into manhood feels a bit contrived, and Randy Barks' musings about the acceptance of the inevitable dangers they face while "living freely" gets a little tiresome. But if you like the many other outdoor-themed reality shows out there, you'll appreciate the endless hunting activities, as well as the casts' constant plans for survival in a place where they have no control.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what life is like in remote areas of the world. What's it like to live in a place with no neighbors, no stores, no electricity, no television, and no Internet? Do you think you could live like these folks for any period of time?
Do you think the story being told here is real? Or is it manufactured to make this family's life appear more entertaining for TV?
TV Details
- Premiere date : April 28, 2015
- Cast : Randy Barks , Dale Barks , Shane Barks
- Network : Discovery Channel
- Genre : Reality TV
- TV rating :
- Last updated : November 11, 2020
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