canuckteach We have Acorn-TV - so, we can stream every season. It is kind of a unique show wherein a blended family also tried to adapt to like in Africa. The photography and scenery are splendid. Some of the family conflicts are needlessly mean-spirited, in pursuit of meaningful plot lines. And the early episodes 'regress' - by which we mean, the characters get over a hurdle, and then climb back over it to repeat the process.In this case, the 'step' family almost breaks up when 'Daddy' of the 2 kids flies in with his new juvenile-looking chickie to stake a claim to his offspring. Such a situation is awkward enough to resolve in real life, but we do get there in this episode.However, in the next episode, the kids cross over certain lines and resolve to depart (again) after outbursts of anger, dredging up hurt feelings and sadness we just got over. Let me tell you how this works in real life: There is NO 'my family, my kids' - there is only OUR FAMILY. No one is leaving. There is husband and wife - the kids in the brood are a STAGE of the marriage - they are NOT the reason for the marriage. Sorry. Sound cold-hearted? Darn right. It works no other way. Once everyone in a blended family understands that they are stuck on this desert isle together with no escape, they will quit whining and get on with the job of survival. Step family survival 101.The writers seem to be sadly lacking in how 'regression' can spoil a series. Soon, in a following episode, we have ANOTHER problem when a nearby plantation owner makes subtle advances on the wife in this little caper, but she fails to inform her husband, leaving HIS daughter to inform him. Oh, boy. She isn't believed - and now, we have 2 difficult problems instead of one. The husband is a great problem-solver (however), a nice easy-going guy - he'll patch things up. I'd like him for my dad. But this isn't what I was expecting him to deal with. Some of the above caught the eye of a few other reviewers.I still like the series and will persevere. Like when dealing with a real step-family, I can look for the good things. 8/10

franksremote The most awesome part of this series is definitely the featured animals, landscape and local favor depicted (essentially, an African animal preserve). The storyline and arc of early seasons clearly made this a family oriented show which had a message contained within each solved "problem" that doubled as a lesson about life, people and how we should treat each other. Even DuPlusses meddling was for the greater good of those he cared for and more importantly, within reason for how someone might act in real life.Season 5 and beyond saw these lessons become on-existent with that endearing meddling becoming more about his own needs masked as helping the situation with any lesson that could've been taught clearly no longer the focus. In fact, if one turned to the shows final seasons for any of life's lessons, there would be more immoral theirs and criminals created than the same masses who received fair moral guidance from early episodes.Dup wreaked havoc on the oil company that wants to purchase the land in clear childish fashion and yet expects his antics to be rewarded with assistance when he needs it even though he clearly would not do the same in return. The heroes becomes the antithesis of people that the world wants to hate; arrogant, self-righteous, entitled. I truly find it sad and an undignified end to a story/series that did it right for so much of its time as a family oriented show. Why would it not just continue focusing on the animals, building (and salvaging) relationships that we should all find important (family), growing pains and guidance overcoming the trials of coming of age (through all age groups)? The formula worked fantastically for 5 years +/- and I believe it could have ended its run without resorting to the unrealistic antics seen in the final couple of seasons. It's what brought this from a 9.5/10 star rating to a 6/7 for me. I just couldn't relate to their resolutions any longer as they moved right out of the realm of believability transforming this once solid series into just another far-fetched fantasy that betrayed all of the good will it had built for itself.

topvegan What a great show! I like all the actors. This is the first time I've seen Stephen Tompkinson, but I bet he does comedy, his muggings make me laugh. But it was really great to see Hayley Mills again. She was a big star when I was growing up and her experience really shows. While the entire cast is good, Hayley Mills' acting pedigree allowed her to confidently stride into a role that is the complete antithesis of her sweet image during her heyday, making her believable as Amanda Holden's bitter mother who likes to push people's buttons. The show has gotten some rather virulent reviews on this site, but I came in the middle of the season, so the show must have improved by then, because I can highly recommend it. Give it another chance! I'm not a fan of wildlife themes, so I didn't pay it any attention when the series started here, but for me the sign of a good show is that it can capture you at any episode that you start watching it, and this is what happened to me. The series has finished here, but I'm sure they'll show it again. I await its return eagerly.

anxietyresister One of my least favourite programmes ever. REALLY bad acting (I cannot emphasise this enough) combined with annoying African incidental music at every turn and predictable, repetitive plots do not an enjoyable hour make. This is one of the few shows that I would fast forward on tape through the main part to just watch the adverts. Believe me, hearing about fungal foot-cream from a Z-list ex soap star is a lot more entertaining than seeing Steve Tompkinson give mouth-to-mouth to a lion or Amanda Holden dancing with a zebra. I must also mention the kids who seem to have been brought in from a time machine, because there's no way children of the 21th century would be this polite and well-behaved.Saying it's popular won't wash with me either, because everybody knows Heartbeat is a load of old tosh and this is more of the same undemanding pap. All these scriptwriters do is put in some cute animals, a few really bad stretches of dialogue and a group hug at the end. Warm and fuzzy? Try tedious, monotonous, boring... all words which aptly describe the experience of witnessing this time-wasting drivel. Yes, I know it's a big hit with the elderly, but so's rheumatism. God forbid I should ever turn 60 and this crap is the only thing I can see because my stupid grandchildren won't change the channel for my wheelchair-bound ass. Wonder how feasible it is for someone to purposely choke on their own false teeth...Anyway, I've vented enough frustration over this pile of elephant dung (fitting analogy there, tee hee) so time for a more pleasant mental image. It's every single worthless human character in this waste of airtime cooped up in a cage with the carnivorous mammals who also inhabit it, with nothing to fend off the big cats apart from a saucer of milk and a plastic ball. Oh okay, you can stick a bell in the ball. I'm too kind, I really am... 0/10