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My Dad is Better Than Your Dad

(Series -- NBC, Mon. Feb. 18, 9 p.m)

By BRIAN LOWRY

Kids help their fathers compete in various physical challenges in the NBC reality show 'My Dad is Better Than Your Dad'

Produced by Mark Burnett Prods., Hotchkiss Industries and Reveille. Executive producers, Burnett, Howard T. Owens, Mark Koops, Jon Hotchkiss, Mike Nichols; co-executive producers, Jim Roush, Jared Tobman; director, Michael Simon.
 
Host: Dan Cortese
 

It’s hard to decide what was the most irritating (if not downright disturbing) aspect of NBC’s latest reality hodge-podge -- the hyperactive, shrieking kids or the over-caffeinated, shrieking parents. A competition show pairing fathers and young children, series is a catchy title that quickly sank into “American Dad-iators.” Nobody needs to call Child Protective Services (yet), but there’s a whiff of desperation around this project, which continues the dubious trend of using well-below-the-age-of-consent minors as reality TV fodder.

Producer Mark Burnett has enjoyed some success with another moppet-flavored title, “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?,” but that’s quaintly sweet by comparison. Here, the fathers compete in a series of physical and verbal challenges while their kids observe or assist them, issuing piercing screams as they seek to egg dad on.

The first stunt involved destroying furniture, a puzzling message to send the tykes, to say the least. That was relatively sedate, though, compared to a challenge that involved shooting projectiles through glass windows to earn points.

What was especially striking about the premiere was the young age of the children, who, in the 8-9 range, seemed caught up in the excitement and atmosphere but not to fully comprehend the rules or decorum. The kids were as well-trained as little child actors, however, dutifully saying how much they loved pop no matter how well or badly he fared in the various contests.

If nothing else, with the yelling kids, shouting moms and bellowing host Dan Cortese, this has to qualify as the loudest show on television, which is, perhaps, NBC’s ultimate goal -- to make a little noise, before schedules rebound to pre-strike configurations.

Still, after one stunt -- in which the dads propelled their children toward a giant target like little human darts -- one of the girls exhibited a rare moment of candor when Cortese zoomed in for the standard “How do you feel?” interview.

“I’m tired,” she said.

Kid, we know just how you feel.

Production design, Anton Goss; supervising casting, Randy Bernstein, Danielle Harrington. RUNNING TIME: 60 MIN.