Drama
Carrie
‘Carrie’ is and will continue to be a story that, while about teens, shouldn’t be shown to teens, no matter how cautionary a tale it may present.
In a media landscape plagued by what many critics of the genre have dubbed “superhero fatigue,” PBS Kids’ Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures is sure to skirt around many of those critics. The target demographic of this series is obviously much younger than the last Batman film—and parents will won’t find any of the content issues of typical superhero capers here.
That’s right, this recent reboot of the Super Why mythos aims to achieve a heroic mission.
Super Why and his buddies wish nothing more than to teach the citizens (as well as viewers) of Reader Valley how to be more literate. Super Why’s “why writer” ability can adjust words and sentences for clarity. Call in Princess Presto when you need a magic wand to help spell out words letter by letter. Power Paige’s aptly named “power pencil” can write in new words, and Alpha Pig’s “alphabet lasso” wrangles untamed words into being usable.
Forget the corrupt cops of Gotham City or the bald billionaires building doom bots in Metropolis: The antagonists of Reader Valley are hardly villainous at all. The Eraser and Mr. More are the most reoccurring foils in town, and while these characters might cause some slight hindrances to a local picnic or birthday party, the worst damage they might inflict is the erasing of a pivotal consonant within a word. Or, if things really get dicey, the accidental switching of “playful p’s” into “pesky p’s”—the type of letters that have no precaution when it comes to plowing through piles of pea pizza.
Super Why and his friends do have some superpowers, but those powers serve to teach children simple phonetics. Now, parents may conclude that Princess Presto’s wand is the source of some magic, but her powers are treated no different than the ones her friends have, so parents probably don’t have to be too concerned spiritually.
Unless your child has a deep-seated fear of alliteration, Super Why’s Comic Book Adventures will likely prove to be a fun and insightful series for little heroes.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at letters@pluggedin.com, or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out. )
Oct. 5, 2026 – S1, E1: “Slime Storm!/Invasion of the Party Crashers!/Eraser Problems!”
Super Why and Power Paige face off against some minor threats against the city of Reader Valley, saving its literate citizens and teaching young viewers how to sound out letters in the process.
A globule of silly slime quickly morphs into stormy slime, which briefly entraps a main hero. This situation instills little more than mild concern from our characters.
Mr. More and The Eraser are light foils whose motives and character designs are far from frightening, though they do briefly endanger the fun of a birthday party and nearby popsicle truck.
Jonah Parker’s first interaction with Plugged In came when he was just five years old, after his parents read a review for The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and deemed the content too intense for him. What started out as a contentious relationship between Jonah and a staff of reviewers who knew not of his existence would later turn into an appreciation for the site’s ability to present media content in a way that was accurate and fair. Jonah enjoys analyzing how our entertainment echoes the creativity of our Creator while finding glimpses of Biblical truths within every genre. He believes that Robert Pattinson’s Batmobile is the perfect mix of cool and practical.
‘Carrie’ is and will continue to be a story that, while about teens, shouldn’t be shown to teens, no matter how cautionary a tale it may present.
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