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Is Apple TV’s Central Park Kid Friendly? | Parents Guide

Apple TV has a new animated series coming out on May 29th – Central Park – which is laden with big stars. Your children may hear that Josh Gad and Kristen Bell star in it, voices of Olaf and Anna in Disney’s Frozen. Is Central Park kid friendly? Well, not for the Frozen crowd. Central Park is ok for older kids, but watch for some crass humor mixed in with some stellar musical numbers. 

Is Central Park kid friendly on Apply TV+?

Is Central Park on Apple TV Kid Friendly?

From the creators of Bob’s Burgers, Central Park is an animated sitcom with a bunch of oddball characters that can’t make you help but root for the underdog. It follows the story of the Tillerman family, park manager dad Owen, journalist mom Paige, awkward comic illustrator daughter Molly, and prepubescent son Cole. 

However, parents also need to know that Central Park is not for all kids. Central Park on Apple TV is rated TV-14 for language and some rude humor. 

If you’re familiar with the humor and animation style of Bob’s Burgers, then this may be the family show for you, since it is less vulgar in general. This Central Park Parents Guide can help you determine if it’s for your family or not. 

Language

There is some bad language in Central Park in dialogue and in songs like damn, dammit, son of a b–ch, a–, and hell. Other words and phrases like bastard, butthole, screw it, tits, and penis face are used.

Mature Content

In the first song, it shows and mentions kids smoking weed in the park. There’s another song about poop and talk about face cream made from whale anus. They also show the dad in his underwear and mom in her bra (all animated). Some things like erectile dysfunction and wieners are slipped into songs.

Central Park Parents Guide

What Families Will Like About Central Park on Apple TV+

No, the humor isn’t for everyone, but when you have musical royalty like Leslie Odom Jr., Daveed Diggs, and Tituss Burgess, come on!  Every time Owen Tillerman raps and sings, I forget about some of the problems with the show. 

It can be slow, some characters act as fillers and serve little or no purpose (sorry Birdie), and sometimes it seems crude jokes are thrown in for the fun of it. I’ve only seen 4 episodes, though, so I’m hoping it finds its groove as it continues. 

Also, because some of the voices are so well known, it’s hard to shake the Olaf and Anna from these characters. Birdie is the narrator of the show, and he has some Olaf-like tendencies with the quips and one-liners. Yes, he’s funny, but it also feels a little fluffy. 

I can appreciate that Central Park tackles hard issues in song and makes weird relatable. 

Stanley Tucci plays Bitsy, a rich old bitty trying to stir up trouble and get control of Central Park to put up condos and spread commercialism. She has a foul mouth and an elitist attitude, but maybe she’s just misunderstood. 

When singing about being dismissed, Bitsy asks if she needs to grow a penis to be heard? Valid question. 

Molly (Kristen Bell) does an excellent job of being an awkward tween/teen using comics as a way to journal out her feelings and insecurities as she crushes on a boy in the park. As she sings “Weirdos make great superheroes,” I can’t help but throw up a Breakfast Club fist pump as a sign of solidarity. Tessa from Mama’s Geeky also talks about her comic book love for Molly in her review.

And when Paige (Kathryn Hahn) sings, “Mama’s got this,” I relate with the struggles of being taken seriously in a career as well as juggling being a mother. But she’s doing it, and she’s doing it well.

All in all, the Tillerman family is like us, and that’s what brings the heart to Central Park

Molly and Cole in Central Park

No, Central Park is not kid friendly for all kids, and I recommend it for kids ages 12 and up. There is questionable content, double meanings, and will they even find it funny? It depends on their sense of humor. 

Older kids can see themselves in the overly dramatic sibling adventures of Molly and Cole. I, too, saw similarities in my own children when navigating the woes of life in middle school. The humor can help lighten the load. 

For me, the magic lies in the music, and if you take that out, is there enough in Central Park? Luckily we don’t have to answer that question, because the music is there. It has promise, and I’ll stick around to see what else this cast has to offer.

 

Apple TV+'s Central Park Is A Hilarious Animated Musical Comedy

Thursday 28th of May 2020

[…] If you know me, you know that I let my girls watch almost anything. The only things we steer away from are sexual references, and really bloody violence. My girl Tania over at Lola Lambchops is more of a normal parent when it comes to what she allows her kids to watch, so if you are concerned about other things I may have missed, see what she has to say in her Central Park parent review. […]