Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street

After 14 episodes of the first season, I am now comfortable in saying: Gortimer is smartly written, well acted, and solidly produced.

It transports one to a simpler, happier time, while still meaningful and relevant to the younger viewers. Each episode is a stand-alone tale that evokes the mysteries of childhood and--in what seems a lost art--manages to teach poignant and valuable lessons. Some episodes are more powerful and magical than others, but each one is satisfying in its own right.

This show is one-part "Eerie, Indiana," one-part Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and one-part its own wondrous thing.

I'm only two episodes in, so this is not a review of the full series, but I like what I see so far. The best way I could think of to describe it so far is Desperate Housewives meets Diary of a Wimpy Kid. If you watch it, that will make perfect sense. The cast is great; these kids don't get on my nerves like the kids on the dumb Disney shows that my daughter likes to watch. The plot for the pilot episode was a little ridiculous and the episode felt overly long, but the second episode had much better pacing and a much more interesting story. I'm glad that I gave the show another chance beyond that first episode, and I'm looking forward to watching the rest of the series.

We scour all the sources for child/youth films that are palatable,since the majority of the child actors are coaxed to act unnaturally obnoxious. We really hope that there are more of these in the series and the directors and producers can use their talent to produce some children's flicks that are actually fun to watch. Our 11 year old liked the story line. He appreciated the depth that the plot was developed. It had mystery, action, adventure and comedy. The kids seemed real and nobody overacted. I wish they had more episodes I wish that whoever made this film would make more like it, even if they are not in a series.

A show that straddles reality and fantasy, it appealed to this adult, too. The fantasy comes in two packages: the first is that there is magic in this small town, mostly in misbehaving artifacts. The second fantasy is that it is a multicultural, poverty-free small town where everyone treats each other decently. It is not the real world, but it is the world I think we all wish we could inhabit.

While there is magic, there is plenty of science too, and science always trumps magic in the show. I was especially delighted that it is the girls who are whizzes at math and science. The boys are pleasant, funny, and have their own talents. The parents are loving, but also flawed, and with agendas of their own.

Emotional topics are brought to the fore a couple times, particularly issues of grief. But comedy reigns....comedy and a good heart.

Nice work from the kid actors, and I'm keeping an eye on David Bloom, who played one of the recurring secondary roles. I saw real depth and range in him.

I'll miss the kids of Normal Street. When Amazon gets it right, as they often do, they excel.

This show is all about friendship and well behaved kids. It's decent and balanced and has no fuss. Every episode has a moral and being an adult I still enjoyed the kids show.