WWE Saturday Morning Slam

This no-frills, what-you-see-is-what-you-get show is geared toward a much younger set than the target audience of the WWE's more over-the-top offering, Friday Night Smackdown! The actors -- er, wrestlers -- aren't quite as outlandish, costumes are minimal, trash talk is virtually nonexistent, and the violence is more kid-friendly (if there is such a thing), thanks to specific contact rules (no headlocks, for instance) and the abbreviated format for the exclusive face-offs. The behind-the-scenes format will entertain kids who are already familiar with at least some of the participants, since it allows them to see the wrestlers in an informal, unscripted atmosphere. And the show also makes a half-hearted attempt to win some brownie points from parents with reminders of the WWE's positive initiatives that reach out to kids.

The trouble with WWE Saturday Morning Slam is that it takes a fairly young kid to blindly accept this hokey "Smackdown Light" style, both in the ring and out of it, and you're probably not looking for a show that glorifies fighting for your first- or second-grader. Any older than that, and your kids will see right through the "reality" of the partial-contact fighting. What's more, if they're not already familiar with the wrestlers themselves, then there's little value to the rest of the show's content, which presumes the stars' status as celebrities in your kids' eyes.