Netflix Is Quickly Becoming The Go-To Streaming Place for Family Entertainment

When you talk about the evolution of television, it’s impossible to ignore streaming. Streaming shows are no longer just a niche interest. From Amazon’s Transparent to Hulu’s The Handmaiden’s Tale, streaming shows have become everything from major Emmy players to appointment viewing. That’s why in this rapidly changing landscape it’s odd that only one streaming service has been investing in original content for one of the most profitable and beloved categories of TV — family entertainment.

Though prestige TV is what dominates both critical discussions and water cooler conversations, family-friendly programming still remains most networks’ bread and butter. ABC wouldn’t be such a powerhouse if it wasn’t for its formidable block of family sitcom antics, which include Modern Family, Black-ish, Speechless, Fresh Off the Boat, and The Goldbergs. Watching television has become a unifying activity, and for many families (mine included) the act of watching a show together can be bonding. There’s a market for family friendly entertainment, and considering the time investments streaming shows encourage, family entertainment seems like a natural market for online networks. However, Netflix appears to be the only streaming service that’s creating content with families in mind.

This isn’t too surprising. After all, Netflix has a shocking amount of original content that has been calibrated to fit a plethora of audiences. Also, the streaming giant already announced that it plans to target family programming for 2017. What is surprising is how effortlessly Netflix is lapping its streaming competition in this particular field. Netflix already has two strong family sitcoms under its belt — the critically-praised One Day at a Time and the apparent hit Fuller House. The streaming service also has an original talk show that can plausibly be enjoyed by both parents and children, Bill Nye Saves the World. The merits and quality of these three programs is a discussion for another time. But no matter how you feel about these three shows, the fact remains Netflix is the only streaming service even attempting to cater to this audience.

When you broaden the definition of family entertainment to include all shows that can be enjoyed by families, that list only increases. As I’m sure parents have noticed, Netflix now has some impressive children’s shows that are quite watchable for adults. Both the Neil Patrick Harris-led A Series of Unfortunate Events and Guillermo del Torro’s Trollhunters were met with positive reviews and excitement from adult viewers. For kids who like anime-inspired shows, Voltron: Legendary Defender is a great option. Even some of Netflix’s younger-skewing documentary options like The Mars Generation are tonally and educationally balanced enough to be enjoyed by both children and parents.

It works the other way as well. From the Chef’s Table series and Cooked to more intense options like the reality show Ultimate Beastmaster, there are several adult-oriented shows that are clean enough they could be watched by an entire family. There are also programs older children could plausibly enjoy with their parents, such as Stranger Things, Abstract: The Art of Design, and even The Crown. Of course whether or not a title is an appropriate after dinner watch depends on the values of each family, but the point still remains that Netflix is the only streaming service investing in original content for this space.

As TV trends continue to favor streaming more, that seems like an important distinction. Of Netflix’s main streaming competitors, only Amazon has invested heavily in original children’s entertainment. Hulu has been taking a more YouTube-esque approach, investing in select shows that could plausibly appeal to tweens or teens. However, there are no original shows on either Amazon or Hulu that can be enjoyed by families. That being said, Hulu seems to be Netflix’s biggest rival when it comes to the sheer volume of family-friendly shows. When you take into account Hulu’s licensing deals with ABC, Fox, NBC, and CBS, the streaming service has access to some of the newest and best family-friendly shows to ever exist. However, Netflix also has access to several of these same licenses as well as its own programming.

When Netflix first dove into the world of original programming, it proved it was a force to be reckoned with. Now with its ever growing library of original content, Netflix seems to be trying to reunite the families it once segmented by its delightfully niche content. It’s hard to say what the future of family programming will be like, but one thing is for certain. Netflix will be there for it.