On this episode: Zak, Jamilah, and Elizabeth are joined by Phillip Maciak, TV editor at the Los Angeles Review of Books and teacher at Washington University in St. Louis. Phillip explains why Bluey, a kids show centered around a family of dogs in Australia, is the best depiction of parenthood on TV.

Recommendations: 

Phillip recommends reading newspaper comics with kids.

Elizabeth recommends the games Stack the States and Globle.

Jamilah recommends Cheers Hydrate.

Zak recommends Joe Reilly’s music. 

Check out Phillip’s original piece for Slate: Why TV’s Best Kids Show Is Also Its Best Show About Parents

Join us on Facebook and email us at [email protected] to ask us new questions, tell us what you thought of today’s show, and give us ideas about what we should talk about in future episodes. 

Podcast produced by Rosemary Belson and Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola.

Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on MADAF each week, and no ads. Sign up now at slate.com/momanddadplus to listen and support our work.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices