Kick back with family and bond over new-to-you Netflix content.

The 18 best family shows on Netflix to unwind to

Kick back with family and bond over new-to-you Netflix content.

and Ilana Gordon

Ilana Gordon is an entertainment, culture, and comedy writer originally from Connecticut. She currently lives in Los Angeles.

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January 4, 2026 9:00 a.m. ET

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Mikey Day on 'Is it Cake?'; Nicole Byer on 'Nailed It!'; Malia Baker as Mary Anne Spier, Anais Lee as Jessi Ramsey, Momona Tamada as Claudia Kishi, and Shay Rudolph as Stacey McGill on 'The Baby-Sitter's Club'. Credit:

Courtesy of Netflix; Netflix; Liane Hentscher/Netflix

When it comes to family time, picking something to watch often results in picking a fight. Not to worry, Netflix offers several shows that multiple generations can enjoy together. Boomers get a new adaptation of their beloved sitcom *One Day at a Time*, Gen X and millennials can enjoy revisiting *Goosebumps*, Gen Z will love the absurdity of *Centaurworld*,* *and Gen Alpha can vibe out to *The Tiny Chef Show*.

Regardless of age demographic, the shows on this list can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Read on for **’s list of the 18 best family shows on Netflix.

Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005–2008)

Aang (voice: Zach Tyler Eisen) on 'Avatar: The Last Airbender'. Everett Collection

An Avatar is a once-in-a-generation figure who can control the four elements: water, earth, fire, and air. At 12 years old, Aang is one such anomaly, but upon realizing his responsibilities, he panicked and put himself into suspended animation by freezing himself within an iceberg. After being freed by Katara and Sokka a century later, Aang journeys with them to learn how to use his powers properly.

Delivering the kind of sophisticated serialized storytelling typically reserved for prestige cable dramas, *Avatar: The Last Airbender** *is a buddy coming-of-age story and a mythological epic rolled into one. *—Will Harris *

Where to watch *Avatar: The Last Airbender*: Netflix

**Cast:** Zach Tyler Eisen, Mae Whitman, Jack De Sena, Dante Basco, Mark Hamill

The Baby-Sitters Club (2020–2021)

Shay Rudolph as Stacey McGill and and Momona Tamada as Claudia Kishi on 'The Baby-Sitters Club'. Netflix

Netflix revamps the beloved young adult chapter books for Gen Z in the TV adaptation of *The Baby-Sitters Club*. Formerly released as a movie in 1995, the series reintroduces the world to five middle school students — Kristy, Claudia, Mary Anne, Stacey, and Dawn (with Mallory and Jessi joining later) — who form a club to make finding child care easier for the parents in their town.

The 18 episodes are inspired by plot from Ann M. Martin’s books and follow the girls as they balance boyfriends, health issues, school troubles, and parental disputes with their babysitting jobs. Netflix canceled the show after only two seasons, but *The Baby-Sitters Club *is still worth watching, as EW’s reviewer writes, because it brings the series “into the modern era without sacrificing the wholesome ideals at its core. *—Ilana Gordon*

Where to watch *The Baby-Sitters Club*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B

**Cast: **Sophie Grace, Momona Tamada, Shay Rudolph, Malia Baker, Alicia Silverstone

Centaurworld (2021)

Durpleton (voice: Josh Radnor), Zulius (voice: Parvesh Cheena), Wammawink (voice: Megan Hilty), Ched (voice: Chris Diamontopolous), and Glendale (voice: Megan Nicole Dong) on 'Centaurworld'.

A half-musical, half-comedy/drama about a world where the characters are half-person, half-animal, there’s nothing else like *Centaurworld* on television today. The 18-episode animated series tells the story of a warhorse who accidentally travels to a world composed of different animals that are all centaurs — thus providing them with the ability to speak and sing.

If that's confusing to think about, that’s okay: The show is beautiful to look at, with catchy songs sung by Broadway favorites, and adventurous storylines to ground the ambitious and abstract premise. The show combines the world-building vibes of *BoJack Horseman* with the silliness of *Bob’s Burgers*, and tops the whole thing off with the musical stylings of a *Crazy Ex-Girlfriend* — all wrapped in family-friendly packaging. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Centaurworld*: Netflix

**Cast: **Kimiko Glenn, Megan Hilty, Parvesh Cheena, Chris Diamantopoulos, Megan Dong

The Cuphead Show! (2022)

Mugman (voice: Frank Todaro) and Cuphead (voice: Tru Valentino) on 'The Cuphead Show!'.

An adaptation of the popular video game, this homage to classic 1930s cartoons is a level of bizarre usually relegated to Adult Swim, and it’s a great deal of fun, especially if you appreciate early animated shorts. (You’d be surprised how many people do.)

The series revolves around brothers Cuphead and Mugman, two anthropomorphic cups who live with their grandfather, Elder Kettle, and have fun and crazy adventures. Sometimes things can get a little dark — there’s a recurring plotline involving the Devil trying to take Cuphead’s soul — but as darkness goes, it’s still pretty light. *—W.H. *

Where to watch *The Cuphead Show!*: Netflix

**Cast:** Tru Valentino, Frank Todaro, Grey DeLisle, Joe Hanna, Wayne Brady

The Fairly OddParents (2001–2017)

Cosmo (voice: Daran Norris), Wanda (voice: Susanne Blakeslee), and Timmy Turner (voice: Tara Strong) on 'The Fairly OddParents'.

*The Fairly OddParents *is one of Nickelodeon’s longest-running shows, and now you can catch seasons 4 and 5 streaming on Netflix. The series centers around Timmy Turner, a miserable 10-year-old whose life improves significantly after he is given two fairy godparents named Wanda and Cosmo.

Timmy’s godparents are happy to grant his every wish — but that has a tendency to backfire, and Timmy finds himself spending the rest of each episode cleaning up the messes his good intentions left behind. A wish-fulfillment show for the pragmatic amongst us, *The Fairly OddParents *is a good time for everyone. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *The Fairly OddParents*: Netflix

**Cast: **Tara Strong, Susanne Blakeslee, Daran Norris, Grey DeLisle, Carlos Alazraqui

Fuller House (2016–2020)

Jodie Sweetin as Stephanie Tanner, Andrea Barber as Kimmy Gibbler, and Candace Cameron Bure as D.J. Tanner on 'Fuller House'.

ABC’s old-school TGIF lineup in the late-’80s and early-’90s was full of the most critic-proof, viewer-adored programming ever, making the long-running sitcom *Full House* (1987–1995) ripe for a revival. This time around, the original adult characters — played by Bob Saget, John Stamos, Dave Coulier, and Lori Loughlin — were mere guest stars, with D.J. (Candace Cameron Bure), Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin), and Kimmy (Andrea Barber) now the stars of the show, along with D.J. and Kimmy’s kids. (Sorry, the Olsen twins didn’t return as Michelle.)

It’s rare for one generation to be able to translate their pop culture touchstones to the next, but *Fuller House* makes it a seamless transition, as if picking up right where the golden era of ’90s sitcoms left off. *—W.H. *

Where to watch *Fuller House*: Netflix

**Cast:** Candace Cameron Bure, Jodie Sweetin, Andrea Barber, Michael Campion, Elias Harger

Goosebumps (1995–1998)

Season 1, episode 1 of 'Goosebumps,' 'The Haunted Mask'.

Fox Network/Courtesy Everett Collection

R.L. Stine created a cottage industry of striking fear into the hearts of pre-teens, teens, and occasionally even adults with his long-running *Goosebumps *book series, so it was only a matter of time before they got a television adaptation.

Although there’s nowhere to stream *all* of the episodes, Netflix has at least curated a collection, which includes appearances from the Terror Tower, the Werewolf of Fever Swamp, and the Living Dummy, that’ll keep nostalgic fans happy. The show truly captured the vibes of Stine’s books — just spooky and weird enough to scratch that itch for a young, burgeoning horror fan, but without anything scary enough to send a kid to therapy. *—W.H. *

Where to watch *Goosebumps*: Netflix

**Cast:** Cory Sevier, Brendan Fletcher, Hayden Christensen

iCarly (2007–2012)

Miranda Cosgrove as Carly Shay on 'iCarly'.

Who would’ve expected this series to become such a phenomenon when it first launched back in 2007? At the time, video streaming was arguably still a novelty, so the idea of building a TV show around two teens — Carly Shay (Miranda Cosgrove) and her bestie, Sam Puckett (Jennette McCurdy) — and their web series was remarkably forward-thinking of Nickelodeon.

The show channels a certain energetic, zany sense of humor viewers could recognize from their own adolescent friendships and antics, culminating in a five-season run and a 2021–2023 revival on Paramount+. *—W.H. *

Where to watch *iCarly*: Netflix

**Cast:** Miranda Cosgrove, Jennette McCurdy, Nathan Kress, Jerry Trainor

Is It Cake? (2022–present)

Mikey Day on 'Is It Cake?'.

Courtesy of Netflix

Some memes never die — they mutate into addictive Netflix reality shows. The competition series *Is It Cake? *began online in the summer of 2020 after a video featuring cake disguised as everyday objects went viral. The show adaptation challenges expert bakers to recreate everyday items in cake form for a chance to win $50,000. Hosted by *Saturday Night Live*’s Mikey Day, this bake-off game show is fun to play along with as celebrity judges try to guess which objects are regular objects, and which are actually made of cake. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Is It Cake?*: Netflix

**Cast: **Mikey Day

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Julie and the Phantoms (2020)

Jeremy Shada as Reggie, Madison Reyes as Julie, Charlie Gillespie as Luke, and Owen Joyner as Alex on 'Julie and the Phantoms'.

Kailey Schwerman/Netflix

This creative Netflix series from executive producer Kenny Ortega (*High School Musical*) never got a chance to stretch its wings during its single-season run, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy the nine episodes. While trying to make music after her mother’s death, Julie (Madison Reyes) summons the spirits of a band that died in 1995 and ends up behind their new lead singer.

How? Well, they can somehow be seen when they’re performing, so concertgoers think they’re holograms. Don’t ask too many questions…just enjoy the music. (Yes, there *is* a soundtrack!) *—W.H. *

Where to watch *Julie and the Phantoms*: Netflix

**Cast:** Madison Reyes, Charlie Gillespie, Owen Patrick Joyner, Jeremy Shada

Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (2017–2019)

Neil Patrick Harris as Count Olaf on 'Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events'.

The 2004 film *Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events*, starring Jim Carrey as Count Olaf, failed to secure enough box office success to warrant adaptations of further books in the long-running series. Fortunately, that didn’t stop Netflix from taking a chance on a TV version, which follows orphans Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire as they avoid Count Olaf, now played by Neil Patrick Harris, as he tries to wrest control of their inheritance.

This is a practically perfect translation, capturing the books’ madness, eccentric humor, and darkly inventive imagination — and Harris, of course, nails it. *—W.H.*

Where to watch *Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events*: Netflix

**EW grade:** A–

**Cast:** Neil Patrick Harris, Patrick Warburton, Malina Weissman, Louis Hynes, K. Todd Freeman

Lost in Space (2018–2021)

Toby Stephens as John Robinson and Molly Parker as Maureen Robinson on 'Lost in Space'.

Since the original 1960s series wrapped, producers have been trying to get a reboot of *Lost in Space* — a sci-fi adventure inspired by *Swiss Family Robinson* — off the ground (no pun intended), but it took the power of Netflix to finally make it happen.

The Robinson family, along with Don West and criminal stowaway June Harris, a.k.a. Zoe Smith, leaves Earth to assist in the colonization of the Alpha Centauri system, only to crash on an alien planet before reaching their destination. It’s a sci-fi adventure, yes, but it’s first and foremost a story of family bonding. That sets it apart from the myriad space operas populating big-budget TV in recent years; the relationships are the real substance of the show, the interstellar adventures are the dessert. *—W.H. *

Where to watch *Lost in Space*: Netflix

**Cast:** Molly Parker, Toby Stephens, Maxwell Jenkins, Taylor Russell, Parker Posey

The Magic School Bus (1994–1997)

(Front, from left): Dorothy Ann (voice: Tara Meyer), Wanda Li (voice: Lisa Yamanaka), Ralphie Tennelli (voice: Stuart Stone), and Arnold Pearlstein (voice: Danny Tamberelli); (Middle, from left): Carlos Ramon (voice: Daniel DeSanto), Tim Jamal (voice: Andre Ottley-Lorant), Keesha Franklin (voice: Erica Luttrell), and Phoebe Terese (voice: Maia Filar); (Back, right): Ms. Valerie Frizzle (voice: Lily Tomlin) on 'The Magic School Bus’.

Courtesy Everett Collection

The best field trips in the ‘90s took place on *The Magic School Bus*. Lily Tomlin voices Miss Frizzle, an eccentric science teacher who chauffeurs her students through time, space, and the human body in a flying yellow school bus.

The series ran for two seasons on PBS where it became the highest-rated show on the network for school-aged kids. And the show's list of guest stars includes some of the most accomplished voice, stage, and comedic actors of the time. Only the first season is available to stream on Netflix, but with 13 episodes ready to go, there are plenty of reasons to hitch a ride on the Magic School Bus. *—I.G. *

Where to watch *The Magic School Bus*: Netflix

**Cast: **Lily Tomlin, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Lisa Yamanaka

Nailed It! (2018–2022)

Nicole Byer on 'Nailed It!'.

If watching people fail to recreate complicated Pinterest baking recipes is your thing, you simply must watch *Nailed It!* This competition reality show pits hapless home bakers against one another to complete two challenges per episode. With limited time and $10,000 on the line, they're tasked with making something that vaguely resembles and tastes like the expert-level cake they’ve been assigned to replicate.

With seven seasons, each containing between four and eight episodes, this platform favorite is low-stakes enough to have on in the background, but engaging enough to watch with the whole family. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Nailed It!*: Netflix

**Cast:** Nicole Byer, Jacques Torres

One Day at a Time (2017–2020)

Justina Machado as Penelope and Todd Grinnell as Schneider on 'One Day at a Time'.

Michael Yarish/Netflix/Courtesy: Everett Collection

If there was any uncertainty when Norman Lear announced in the mid-2010s that he wanted to remake his ‘70s sitcom *One Day at a Time *with a Latino family, it dissipated when the new version debuted. In this new incarnation, Justina Machado plays a veteran of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps who’s raising two kids with the help of her mom (Rita Moreno) in an apartment owned by Pat Schneider (Todd Grinnell), who also doubles as the handyman.

Critics adored the camaraderie between the cast as well as the realistic, relatable storylines — and for good reason. In his 90s when the revival launched, Lear proved why he was a small-screen legend with his uncanny ability to find modern wisdom in a timeworn prototype. *—W.H. *

Where to watch *One Day at a Time*: Netflix

**Cast:** Justina Machado, Todd Grinnell, Isabella Gomez, Marcel Ruiz, Rita Moreno

The Tiny Chef Show (2022–2024)

Tiny Chef (voice: Matt Hutchinson) on 'The Tiny Chef Show'.

The cutest cooking show on TV is *The Tiny Chef Show*, a Nickelodeon creation. It's part live action, part animation, and follows a vegetarian chef who lives in a tree stump as he cooks with his best friend, a robot named Olly.

Each episode features a different celebrity guest star and recipe, as well as educational food content, advice sessions, and dance breaks. The perfect series to help introduce children to cooking and nutrition, *The Tiny Chef Show* is likely to inspire parents to remember the joys of cooking as well. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *The Tiny Chef Show*: Netflix

**Cast: **Matt Hutchinson, Odessa A'zion, RuPaul, Alan Cumming, Nicole Byer

Young Sheldon (2017–2024)

Raegan Revord as Missy, Zoe Perry as Mary, Lance Barber as George, Iain Armitage as Sheldon, Annie Potts as Meemaw, Montana Jordan as Georgie, and Emily Osment as Mandy on 'Young Sheldon’.

Pamela Littky/CBS

What started as a semi-novelty — a prequel series to *The Big Bang Theory* (2007–2019) exploring how the ingenious (and often insufferable) Sheldon Cooper (Iain Armitage, with the original Sheldon, Jim Parsons, serving as narrator) became the man he is today — quickly turned into one of the most popular broadcast comedies in recent memory, thanks in no small part to its strong ensemble. Cute, quippy, and clean, many families will be able to enjoy *Young Sheldon** *even if they didn’t watch the original series. *—W.H. *

Where to watch *Young Sheldon*: Netflix

**Cast:** Iain Armitage, Zoe Perry, Lance Barber, Montana Jordan, Raegan Revord

Zoey 101 (2005–2008)

(Front, left): Paul Butcher as Dustin Brooks; (Middle row, from left): Erin Sanders as Quinn Pensky, Jamie Lynn Spears as Zoey Brooks, and Victoria Justice as Lola Martinez; (Back row, from left): Sean Flynn as Chase Matthews, Matthew Underwood as Logan Reese, and Christopher Massey as Michael Barret on 'Zoey 101'. Everett Collection

Nickelodeon was in its heyday in the mid-2000s, and *Zoey 101* proved to be one of the network’s most expensive and successful endeavors to date. The show was designed around Jamie Lynn Spears (Britney’s younger sister), who was already featured on the network in the comedy sketch show,* All That*.

*Zoey 101* is set in Southern California at the Pacific Coast Academy, a pretend boarding school where Zoey Brooks (Spears), her brother Dustin (Paul Butcher), and their friends are learning to live, laugh, and love as young teenagers. The show was cancelled after Spears was embroiled in a teen pregnancy scandal, but in 2023, Paramount+ gifted fans with a revival film called *Zoey 102* that reunited most of the original stars. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Zoey 101*: Netflix

**Cast: **Jamie Lynn Spears, Paul Butcher, Sean Flynn, Kristin Herrera, Christopher Massey

- Children’s Shows

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Children’s”