Laura Reviews: New Generation Zoom

I've never seen classic Zoom, that old PBS kids' show from the 70s. I started watching the new generation a year or two ago when PBS decided to revive the show, which stars six or seven kids from the Boston area, performing ideas for activities sent to them by regular kids just like you and me all over the country.

            I watched Zoom for the first season and a half fairly consistently. I was usually in the mood to watch TV around 4:30 or 5, so Zoom seemed like a good choice, especially in its first year. I was pretty disappointed with the kids in the second season, though. At first, I chalked it up to missing my old friends from Season 1, but then I realized I just didn't like any of the kids from the second season that much. Not to mean any disrespect to them--I'm sure they're lovely individuals--but they just didn't have that spark. .

            It seems to me Zoom so far is like SeaQuest: first season was entertaining, second season was dull but fairly watchable, third season was just worthless. Now, I realize perhaps I haven't given third season much of a chance, and I'll continue to watch periodically with my Spark Barometer on full tolerance. But PBS will have to hire some daaaamn sparky kids next season to get me watching again.

            I feel really mean rating these kids, cause they're real people, but it has to be done. Bear in mind that I'm rating their performance on Zoom, not their worth as human beings, okay?

Pablo was the best. He was one of the oldest, a Hispanic kid. He had gobs of spark. Buckets of it. During the first season, I would have given him 5 stars out of five, but in retrospect, he gets 7.
Alisa was also among my favorites in first season. She was also fairly old, about twelve or so, I guess. She was Russian, but she didn't have an accent or anything. That would have been cool. First season: 4 1/2 stars. She continued on as a Zoom kid in the second season. I would give her performance in that 2 1/2 stars. She overstayed her welcome.
Zoe was pretty good. She was white, but she had glasses. She was a little too energetic sometimes, but she was a nice kid. First season: 3 3/4 stars; second season: 2 stars.
Jared was also white, but he was Jewish, so that's okay. He was the worst ventriloquist. He was pretty charismatic, and I didn't really appreciate him until he was gone. 3 1/2 stars; 4 1/2 in retrospect.
Lynese was the token black girl. She was okay. I don't feel like she really participated in all that much stuff. 3 stars.
David was one of the youngest and I didn't really like him. He probably had his merits, but he annoyed me. 1 star.
Keiko was also among the younger kids. I feel like she was a little older than David though. She was kind of annoying, but hey, she was Japanese. I think. 2 1/2 stars.

            So there it is. If you are a Zoom kid, and you are sad because what I have said about you, I am very sorry. You are probably a really wonderful kid. But I'm just saying how I feel. You can make your own website and give me one and a half stars if you want.