Parents' Guide to

The World According to Jeff Goldblum

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

Delightful docuseries trades on actor's quirky curiosity.

TV Disney+ Reality TV 2019
The World According to Jeff Goldblum Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

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age 9+

Based on 3 parent reviews

miller1217
miller1217 Parent of 11 and 11-year-old
January 25, 2022
age 10+

Quirky fun for the family

Our entire family (2 adults, 2 kids age 11) enjoys watching this show. The show is really informative about many subjects over different episodes. The topics are everyday subjects that we all can relate to, such as dogs, coffee, ice cream, shoes, monsters, pools, etc. Each episode also includes the science how the human mind and body interact with the subject of that episode. For example, during an episode about magic, Jeff visits a neuroscience lab where they record his brain and eye movements as he watches Penn and Teller preform magic tricks. Jeff is a great host with a quirky sense of humor. He visits many different locations and meets a diverse cast of people as he learns more about our world.

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Chris_Feher
Chris_Feher Adult
April 26, 2020
age 9+

As Interesting As It Is Quirky

I think that this show is pretty entertaining. Goldblum's weirdness, mixed with his curiosity of things that everyone loves, makes for a great show to be honest. But although I would rate it at 9+, I feel that kids that young wouldn't even be interested in the first place, so I would recommend this for ages 12+.
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What's the Story?

Hosted by erudite celebrity Jeff Goldblum, THE WORLD ACCORDING TO JEFF GOLDBLUM turns its lens on a different idiosyncratic topic each week: stylish sneakers, ice cream, denim, tattoos. Through visits with practitioners of modern arts like ice cream flavor creation and the designing of expensive basketball shoes, Goldblum pokes into why some things are the way they are -- and why we should care.

Is It Any Good?

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

Quirky, kinda weird, and eclectic like its celebrity host, this documentary series takes a short dive into a number of interesting topics and winds up in some exceedingly interesting places. Goldblum is a well-known Hollywood oddball, and set loose to improv reactions and interstitial dialogue, he's a kick: He may ramble on with an anecdote about his uncle's college, or take off down a beach singing "Tomorrow." But there's a sharp mind at work here, and it's interesting to watch him sit down with Ben & Jerry's Ben and Jerry to investigate the primal pull of ice cream, or ramble gamely through an Oregon forest to forage for ingredients for a Goldblum-themed ice cream with Salt & Straw flavor maven Tyler Malek.

There are moments of surprising depth, too, when our host astutely connects bits of pop culture detritus to something deeper. Riffing on ice cream's tendency to make us recall happy childhood memories, Goldblum points out that the nostalgia that ice cream can inspire can make us feel connected to the people we care about, past and present, and that when going through tough times, it can give us comfort too. Pretty heady food for thought -- and The World According to Jeff Goldblum will give viewers plenty to chew on.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why Jeff Goldblum got to make a show about his interests. What about this celebrity's reputation or history makes him a suitable TV host? Would a nonfamous person be able to make a show like this? Why or why not?

  • Documentary series often purport to find out some truth, or at least look for it. How does The World According to Jeff Goldblum fit with that mold? How does the presence of a camera affect how people interact? How does editing change "reality"? Can you really believe what you see?

  • How does Goldblum demonstrate curiosity on his show? Why is this an important character strength?

TV Details

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