7 Best TV-G Movies to Watch

1. Our Planet, 2019

I can’t think of a good reason why this review shouldn’t just be two words: David Attenborough. With a voice that makes you wish every other voice in your life was the same, the star of Planet Earth teamed up with Netflix to make this new nature show. It took four years to film, and it bounces countless times between continents in every episode. It’s rich, vivid, and oh so beautiful. So they just made another Planet Earth? Not exactly. Our Planet has a much stronger environmental message. It’s not a line here and there about the negative impact we’ve had on the planet - it’s the theme behind the whole show. It’s frank, sad, but always, always, stunning.

Genre: Documentary

Actor: David Attenborough

Rating: TV-G

2. Julie and the Phantoms, 2020

In certain aspects, it’s a premise straight out of Disney, but the acting feels a bit more charming. It also has some legitimately funny material in the writing, refusing to rest on the laurels of a tight premise and moving the show away from one trick pony territory. The ghost rules aren’t necessarily inconsistent, but it does take a while to establish the patterns, so they feel like they’re often broken. But as a show generally following the tropes of music-centered teen shows, it excels in just about every department, from the original songs, to its themes of grief and the healing power of music.

Genre: Comedy, Family, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Booboo Stewart, Carlos Ponce, Charlie Gillespie, Cheyenne Jackson, Jadah Marie, Jeremy Shada, Madison Reyes, Owen Patrick Joyner, Sacha Carlson, Savannah Lee May, Sonny Bustamante

Director: Kenny Ortega

Rating: TV-G

3. Street Food, 2019

When I learned about Street Food the first time, I was reluctant to sit through yet another Netflix cooking show. They’ve made so many that when I want to bring up an episode with a friend I forget if I saw it in Ugly Delicious, Chef’s Table, Salt Fat Acid Heat or others. I can’t say that Street Food is a different format. It uses the same slow-motion takes of food, the same close-ups on chefs and the same style of interviews. Here is the thing though. Street Food might be similar to other Netflix cooking shows, but it’s also better than them in almost every way. Much better. It’s only 30 minutes long per episode, so it doesn’t indulge in egos or stray into unrelated stories. It doesn’t showcase kitchens where only the rich eat, like Chef’s Table often does, but stalls that are accessible to everyone. And in the best way, it connects the story of the food makers to the food. The show is mostly about middle-aged to senior women, and people who do not make that much money. It’s not about glamorous young chefs. It’s about food stripped away from any marketing or showbiz. Real cooking, real chefs, real diners. In its unpretentious nature, Street Food feels euphoric.

Genre: Documentary

Actor: Daniel Lee Gray, Philip Hersh

Rating: TV-G

4. Bad Banks, 2020

This high-production-value German series is about a junior investment banker who finds herself at the center of events that will cause a big financial crash. The show starts with the crash then goes back a year to tell the story of how the young Jana Liekam got caught in the middle of it.

Bad Banks functions sometimes as a cautionary tale on the dangers of investment banking but it's mostly just a simple, good, and enjoyable corporate thriller. It's also a great introduction to quality German TV, if you're ever looking for one.

Genre: Thriller

Actor: Albrecht Schuch, Barry Atsma, Désirée Nosbusch, Desiree Nosbusch, Germain Wagner, Jörg Schüttauf, Jean-Marc Barr, Jeff Wilbusch, Jorg Schuttauf, Mai Duong Kieu, Marc Limpach, Paula Beer, Tobias Moretti

Director: Christian Schwochow

Rating: TV-14, TV-G

5. Me, 2024

Just when you think you’ve heard enough origin stories for a lifetime, in comes Me with probably the most poignant one yet: 12-year-old Ben, overcome with so much anxiety and yearning to be someplace else, transformers into a different person. Though Me is outwardly a sci-fi show, and the main plot is fueled with mystery and fantasy, it’s also an emotionally attuned, self-aware coming-of-age story that follows Ben through his ups and downs. Almost overnight, he gains a new sister, a new school, a new set of classmates to figure out, and unlike most superhero narratives, these are just as confounding and important to Ben as his powers. There is no double life, it’s all just him. But the best thing about Me is that despite its G rating, it’s just as enjoyable for adults as it is for kids. It’s not cheesy or corny, but gentle and comforting, and you learn lots about yourself in the process.Genre: Family, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Abigail Pniowsky, Amanda Reid, Dilshad Vadsaria, Jessy Yates, Lucian-River Chauhan
Rating: TV-G

6. Megamind Rules!, 2024

With an unusual premise, unique characters, and surprising writing, the original 2010 Megamind film had a genuine message all about accepting one’s self, and doing good despite the lack of acceptance, even as a big-headed blue alien. After 14 years, Dreamworks has released the series Megamind Rules! as sequel to the hilarious superhero comedy, naturally dealing with his journey to maintain his hero status, with a new villain to defeat every episode, along with a main plotline of increasing his influence through social media. There could have been a funny thread here, showing how careers have become fodder for content, as well as the contrast between evil habits he once had versus the heroic ideals he hopes to espouse. However, the series pays out in the most generic fashion, without any of the heart or timing the original film had that made it so compelling.Genre: Animation
Actor: Emily Tunon, Josh Brener, Keith Ferguson, Laura Post, Maya Tuttle
Rating: TV-G

7. Pretty Freekin Scary, 2023

Despite the efforts of this young cast, who all seem understandably excited about the little they've been given to work with, Pretty Freekin Scary consistently makes dull decisions that fail to take advantage of the show's weirdly dark premise. One would hope for a more offbeat tone à la Beetlejuice or The Addams Family, but instead we get subpar Disney Channel shenanigans rendered in visually unappealing ways, with no coherent concept behind its version of the Underworld. And in the show's absolute resistance to engaging with tricky subject matter such as death (even in a satirical way), it only ends up making light of what its protagonist is living through. Certainly not the most appropriate time in America to release a series that's so nonchalant about children's safety.

Genre: Comedy, Family, Kids, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Eliana Su'a, Emma Shannon, Kyan Samuels, Leah Mei Gold, Yonas Kibreab

Rating: TV-G