In a day and age where show ideas are on repeat, and most lack substance, Netflix gave us Ridley Jones. She's a young, adventurous girl who is here to teach your children about inclusivity, heroism, compassion, and friendship.
Chris Nee, the mind behind Doc McStuffins, is the creator of this imaginative show about a girl and her adventures when the museum comes to life each night. Together, Ridley and her mom vow to keep the museum's secrets and protect it at all costs.
Many have compared the children's show to the movie Night at the Museum, which it shares much with but does remain different in many ways. In the show, we meet Ridley, Mama Jones, Grandma Jones, Peaches the space monkey, Ismat, the young mummy queen, Fred the American bison, Dudely the British dodo bird, and Dante the skater dinosaur. In addition, many lesser-known characters pop in for an episode or two, like penguins, lemurs, a wolly mammoth, a sphinx, and others.
What Is Special About the Jones Family?
Ridley and her family have been caretakers of the museum for generations. Each generation protects the inhabitants of the museum and their secrets. Nobody else knows that the museum comes to life at night except for the Jones family.
Ridley's grandmother and mother are in many episodes, and they all share a close bond and deep determination to keep the museum's secrets safe no matter what. It never mentions Ridley's father, but it goes without mentioning that she is the daughter of a single mom, something children's shows seem to shy away from and tend only to support your typical mother and father lead families. There is a scene in which Mama Jones is singing about her love for Ridley, and you see photos of Ridley and her mama throughout the years.
Ridley's mama is an intelligent woman who does her best to keep Ridley safe from any danger. However, she struggles, just as any mom does, with the understanding that her baby is now grown enough to handle dangerous missions on her own. Though she applauds Ridley for taking great care of the museum's inhabitants, she still worries that she's doing the right thing by giving her young daughter so much freedom. The series focuses on Ridley's adventures, but the moments when her mama or grandma takes the lead to embrace the difficulties and bittersweet moments of raising a child speak to all the parents watching.
It Has Inclusion In All Forms
With so many children in all kinds of families, it's about time we saw some inclusion. Or, we did until Netflix quietly canceled the show over controversial complaints from viewers citing that it is "woke propaganda." The episode causing all the fuss is centered around Winifred the bison and their grandma wanting them to take over leading the herd. In one scene, Winifred tells their grandma that they are non-binary, want to lead the herd in their own way, and therefore want to be called Fred going forward. Sadly, this episode with the fantastic Cyndi Lauper as the voice of Grandma Bison hung the show out to dry.
Another unconventional household on the show is that of Ismat the mummy and her two dads. In one episode, we see Ismat make excuses for why the gang can't come over to her house. They are hurt by this and do not understand what their friend is keeping from them and are determined to find out.
They all go to Ismat's home as a group, and when her two dads answer the door, they remain confused about what the big deal could be. Ismat is notably nervous while introducing her friends to her two fathers. She explains that she was embarrassed and afraid to have the gang over because she did not know how they would react to her family. The gang all knows how unconventional each of them is and points out to Ismat that they are special to each other because of this.
Of course, everyone loves each other, and they all come in and join Ismat's family for dinner. Ismat is happy, and her friends tell her how silly she is to think they would feel anything but love for her family. A pretty good message, right? Not everyone agreed.
A Bittersweet Farewell
The show was canceled in March 2023, along with any future specials. There will be many disappointed children out there when they find out their favorite show has been canceled. In the meantime, you can purchase Ridley Jones toys such as the Ridley Jones playset, a Ridley Jones singing doll, and a plush version of Ridley and her friends at retailers like Amazon.
Maybe we will see a Ridley Jones movie in the future, or perhaps another network will pick up the show now that Season 5 has concluded. Only time will tell. As far as Chris Nee goes, she will continue to create fabulous children's shows and specials. So, until the next heroic, historian little girl graces our television screens, we can continue to watch the five seasons of Ridley Jones on Netflix.