43 Best TV-PG Movies to Watch (Page 3)

Staff & contributors

If you’re concerned that a TV-PG rating means a show is just for kids, think again. You’d be surprised at how many excellent series can be enjoyed by the whole family, across generations. Here are the very best PG-rated TV shows to stream now.

Charming and easy to watch, The Painting is a simple morality tale with unique animation. The film is set in an abandoned painting, whose subjects are actually conscious, living beings. They have three distinct social classes: the Toupins (fully painted), Pafinis (lacking some colors), and the Reufs (sketches). Tired of the discrimination and wanting everyone to be fully painted, three of these beings leave the painting in search of the artist. While the lesson is seemingly simple, the film delves into some existential themes and makes them easy to understand for the younger audience. The film celebrates creating one’s self in an absurd world, rather than passively accepting other people’s definitions. But what stands out most about this film are the designs. Inspired by modernist art, director Jean-François Laguionie created colorful and distinct characters whose faces diverge from the usual bug-eyed Disney/Pixar style. If you’re looking for a different animated film, this might be a good start.

Genre: Animation, Drama, Fantasy

Actor: Céline Ronté, Chloé Berthier, Jean Barney, Jean-François Laguionie, Jérémy Prévost, Jessica Monceau, Julien Bouanich, Michel Vigné, Thierry Jahn, Thomas Sagols

Director: Jean-François Laguionie

Rating: TV-PG

Loosely based on the 1909 novel, Martin Eden is a stunning film about the hollow success of individualism. The plot points remain the same: Eden, a self-taught sailor, wants to win the heart of the wealthy Elena Orsini. To do this, he strives to break into the upper class with his writing. However, in this film, writer-director Pietro Marcello adds another dimension to the anti-individualist story: he transports Eden from his original California setting to Naples—allowing for views of different cultures, languages, and classes. By intercutting between old film stock and lingering close-ups, Marcello draws from his documentary background to masterfully evokes the process of remembering. And in refusing to define the time period, Marcello recognizes that Eden's struggle is still ongoing today—and that his success is still hollow.

Genre: Drama, Romance

Actor: Aniello Arena, Anna Patierno, Autilia Ranieri, Carlo Cecchi, Carmen Pommella, Chiara Francini, Denise Sardisco, Edoardo Sorgente, Elisabetta Valgoi, Franco Pinelli, Gaetano Bruno, Giustiniano Alpi, Jessica Cressy, Lana Vlady, Luca Marinelli, Marco Leonardi, Maurizio Donadoni, Pietro Ragusa, Rinat Khismatouline, Sergio Longobardi, Vincenza Modica, Vincenzo Nemolato

Director: Pietro Marcello

Rating: TV-PG

Joy is a dutiful, overseas Filipino worker supporting her entire family back home. Ethan is a well-off bartender who has, time and again, put himself first before others. They couldn’t be any more different, yet in Hong Kong, their alien status and ambitious goals make them kindred spirits. What starts as a low-stakes bond quickly turns into an essential relationship, one that puts their personal commitments to the test. 

Hello, Love, Goodbye may appear formulaic at first, but it is heightened by a keen understanding of life overseas. It avoids romanticizing the migrant experience and sees it for what it truly is: a harsh but necessary means to an end. If this seems too severe, it’s also softened by an enchanting romance and some welcome comic relief in the form of the pair’s friends. Because of this nice mix, it’s no surprise that Hello, Love, Goodbye instantly broke domestic records and remains the highest-grossing Filipino movie of all time. 

Genre: Drama, Romance

Actor: Alden Richards, Anthony Jennings, Jameson Blake, Jeffrey Tam, Jerome Ponce, Joross Gamboa, Kaka Bautista, Kakai Bautista, Kathryn Bernardo, Lito Pimentel, Lovely Abella, Maricel Laxa, Maxine Medina, Maymay Entrata, Pang Mei-Seung, Wilbert Ross, William Lorenzo

Director: Cathy Garcia-Molina, Cathy Garcia-Sampana

Rating: TV-PG

If you’ve seen the original film by Monty Python member Terry Gilliam, then you might be disappointed by Taika Waititi’s 10-episode adaptation of the time-traveling romp. It’s less out there, catered as it is to young kids, and less tight too. A camera lingers for two seconds longer here, a reaction isn’t given 100% there—they’re small missteps, but they do add up to a mediocre whole. Other than that, the series is undeniably charming. It’s educational and entertaining in equal measure, and the hilarious banter between Lisa Kudrow’s Penelope and Tuck’s Kevin gives the show its edge. It’s naturally, almost unintentionally sweet—the more Penelope and the bandits push Kevin away, the more apparent their care for him is. The show’s quirky sense of humor recalls Waititi’s other shows, specifically Our Flag Means Death and What We Do in the Shadows, while also employing a more kid-friendly approach, a la Doctor Who. It has its faults, but it’s all good fun that might even inspire young kids to review their history lessons this summer.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Science Fiction

Actor: David Daker, David Leland, David Rappaport, David Warner, Declan Mulholland, Derek Deadman, Derrick O'Connor, Ian Holm, Jack Purvis, Jim Broadbent, John Cleese, Kal-El Tuck, Katherine Helmond, Kenny Baker, Lisa Kudrow, Michael Palin, Neil McCarthy, Peter Jonfield, Peter Vaughan, Ralph Richardson, Roger Frost, Roger Jean Nsengiyumva, Rune Temte, Sean Connery, Sheila Fearn, Shelley Duvall, Tadhg Murphy, Terence Bayler, Tony Jay

Director: Terry Gilliam

Rating: TV-PG