19. Dora and Friends: Into the City! – So much better than Dora the Explorer, this version is super cosmopolitan. You see that title? The plots are better, the dialogue is better, and the theme song rules. ¡Todos juntos!
18. Clifford the Big Red Dog – Nice and quiet TV. Soothing. Not any different than the books.
17. Wild Kratts – The Kratt brothers adventure into the wilderness to identify and describe all kinds of exotic animals and habitats. The show is a nice mix of live action and animation. Lots of good learning here.
16. Bob the Builder – Not sure how Bob is ranked this high, but it is one of the first shows my son watched. It is pleasant and quiet and is paced well for young kids.
15. Thomas and Friends – Thomas has everything you want: talking trains, castles, and a weird dystopian island run by a pimp named Sir Topham Hatt. If you aren’t a “very useful engine,” Topham is going to find a sick and embarrassing way to punish you. It’s good that my kids don’t seem to pick up on the spiteful aspect of this show.
14. Octonauts – “From their ‘Octopod’ home base, a team of undersea explorers is always ready to dive into action to explore new underwater worlds, rescue amazing sea creatures and protect the ocean.” I didn’t know how to describe this show, so that’s borrowed from Wikipedia.
13. Chuggington – More talking trains.
12. Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood – Obviously going to get a lot of good learning lessons from a Fred Rogers joint. Great for pre-bed relaxation. Might even put you to sleep.
11. Cat in the Hat – There’s only one metric holding Cat back and it's a lack of theme. Otherwise, this would be a top-ten candidate. The hilarious Martin Short voices the cat, the animation and art stay true to the style of the books, and the music is fantastic. And really, who cares about theme?
