There's a lot of flaws within the series. The writing is overwhelmingly cheesy, the acting is the worst I've seen in any kids' program (even other Christian shows) minus the chops of Krysta Rodriguez and a FEW others, the clubhouse sets are incredibly cheap (but a lot of scenes were taped on location), and it's quite dated even by 90's standards.
HOWEVER, there's a lot to praise about the series. It's aimed at the 6-12 age category but there's a lot that some teens can take away from this show if they can get past its flaws. Many of the episodes tackled serious issues like bullying, homelessness, eating disorders, substance abuse, dysfunctional families, divorce, and even racism. Issues that most shows for that age group (even in secular media) tiptoe around. The cast is fairly diverse without relying on tokenism (showrunners of today need to take notes). Though the acting is rough, the kids put so much emotion into the songs and dance routines, so that's a plus. The songs are catchy, and the dances are easy for kids to follow along with. Just to give a sample of the messages of this series, the episode on racism (titled "Dealing with Bigots") not only addressed prejudice, but bluntly addressed hypocrisy with those who claim to follow Christ, yet they hate their neighbors. In "Krysta's Sister Has Problems", Krysta's teenage sister starts acting out in retaliation to their parents' divorce and to the surprise of Krysta (and me as a viewer), the sister also abuses pills; this episode also shines light on the concept of Christians being there for each other and not being quick to judge a person's situation. The "Anorexia" episode about Lindsey's friend was actually dedicated to a fan of the show who was suffering from the disease (that's very sweet). There's are ongoing themes encouraging kids to show Christ's love and reach out to those in need, along with the message that though suffering is inevitable, God gives us peace and he put people in our lives to help us, which are messages for EVERYONE.
Overall, if you can see past its flaws, people of any age, not just kids, can engage with the complex messages this show has to offer. I'd like to see the show possibly get remade for the newer generation.
P. S. Ignore tripe you hear about the cast.
HOWEVER, there's a lot to praise about the series. It's aimed at the 6-12 age category but there's a lot that some teens can take away from this show if they can get past its flaws. Many of the episodes tackled serious issues like bullying, homelessness, eating disorders, substance abuse, dysfunctional families, divorce, and even racism. Issues that most shows for that age group (even in secular media) tiptoe around. The cast is fairly diverse without relying on tokenism (showrunners of today need to take notes). Though the acting is rough, the kids put so much emotion into the songs and dance routines, so that's a plus. The songs are catchy, and the dances are easy for kids to follow along with. Just to give a sample of the messages of this series, the episode on racism (titled "Dealing with Bigots") not only addressed prejudice, but bluntly addressed hypocrisy with those who claim to follow Christ, yet they hate their neighbors. In "Krysta's Sister Has Problems", Krysta's teenage sister starts acting out in retaliation to their parents' divorce and to the surprise of Krysta (and me as a viewer), the sister also abuses pills; this episode also shines light on the concept of Christians being there for each other and not being quick to judge a person's situation. The "Anorexia" episode about Lindsey's friend was actually dedicated to a fan of the show who was suffering from the disease (that's very sweet). There's are ongoing themes encouraging kids to show Christ's love and reach out to those in need, along with the message that though suffering is inevitable, God gives us peace and he put people in our lives to help us, which are messages for EVERYONE.
Overall, if you can see past its flaws, people of any age, not just kids, can engage with the complex messages this show has to offer. I'd like to see the show possibly get remade for the newer generation.
P. S. Ignore tripe you hear about the cast.
