Review: Zoey 101
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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this series is about kids let
loose in a peer-dominated world, where privilege is a way of
life. Tween viewers are going to love the California coastline,
the sunny days, and easy life. Parents might cringe for the
same reason.
Families can talk about whether these kids are growing up too
quickly in certain ways. They are expected to problem-solve
like adults and even to work (sushi-delivery boys), on top of
dealing with homework and normal hormonal challenges. Is this
pure fantasy, or do kids in boarding school really have it this
sweet?
In ZOEY 101, Zoey Brooks (Jamie Lynn Spears) and her younger brother, Dustin (Paul Butcher), are new students at Pacific Coast Academy, which was formerly an all-boys' boarding school. Spears (Britney's younger sister), is no stranger to the small screen. She has been a regular on All That , Nick's answer to Saturday Night Live. She can command an audience's attention and even their empathy, but at times appears to be a showbiz kid going through the motions. Tweens are going to love her in the role of Zoey, especially because she sings the theme song, which was written by her sister. She's a fair-minded heroine, who befriends all kids who come her way, even when they're a bit awkward or geeky.
Zoey and her peers live in an utterly unreal world, where her character confesses during a truth-or-dare type game that "Once, I burped in church." This is admitted by a kid wearing full makeup and a miniskirt. How do innocence and being expected to make adult choices co-exist in the 21st century? Let's hope that kids viewing this show go a little deeper for answers than these characters.
Nick has kept Zoey 101's plot pretty shallow for a reason: Without adult supervision, kids in the circumstances that they appear in this program would get into a lot of trouble. But besides some bickering and tricky behavior, these are pretty well-mannered kids. Fantasy? You be the judge.
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
