As a former geography major in college and someone who grew up on the computer game, the game show AND the cartoon, I was especially excited about this show and it largely lives up to billing.
It has a fair more effective backstory and it's hard to deny that rewriting Carmen as an anti-hero keeps things fresh. The geographic lessons aren't as strong as the animated series with much of it consigned to when Carmen switches locations.
Unfortunately the series will teach your kid about the broadest of stereotypes. Why the Japanese instructor hasn't been called out by anyone for his Chinglish or why Gray (AKA Crackle) is acceptable as a walking bundle of Australian clichés, is beyond me. And don't get me started on Ivy and Zach (holdovers from the animated series) who are from Boston and are worse than Jimmy Fallon and Rachel Dratch's characters on SNL.
The animation is geometric like a computer game and has a unique vibe.
One problem that often plagues serials is that the good guy always wins at the end. Even adult-oriented procedurals like "Monk" had the good guy winning in the end, whereas better shows like "Burn Notice" and "The Good Wife" teased out serial plots with the protagonist hitting peaks and valleys. This is just a kid's show but it ingraining it with a bit more sophistication would do wonders.
It has a fair more effective backstory and it's hard to deny that rewriting Carmen as an anti-hero keeps things fresh. The geographic lessons aren't as strong as the animated series with much of it consigned to when Carmen switches locations.
Unfortunately the series will teach your kid about the broadest of stereotypes. Why the Japanese instructor hasn't been called out by anyone for his Chinglish or why Gray (AKA Crackle) is acceptable as a walking bundle of Australian clichés, is beyond me. And don't get me started on Ivy and Zach (holdovers from the animated series) who are from Boston and are worse than Jimmy Fallon and Rachel Dratch's characters on SNL.
The animation is geometric like a computer game and has a unique vibe.
One problem that often plagues serials is that the good guy always wins at the end. Even adult-oriented procedurals like "Monk" had the good guy winning in the end, whereas better shows like "Burn Notice" and "The Good Wife" teased out serial plots with the protagonist hitting peaks and valleys. This is just a kid's show but it ingraining it with a bit more sophistication would do wonders.