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Series · Reality · 1983 · TV-G

The Joy of Painting: parents' guide

4+our pick

Best for ages 4 and up. Rated TV-G.

A soothing, completely clean pick that any age can watch, though preschoolers may drift off. In each half-hour episode, painter Bob Ross turns a blank canvas into a landscape while talking softly about color, technique and his happy accidents. There is no violence, swearing, romance or drinking, and the mood stays gentle from start to finish. Now and then he introduces a baby squirrel or bird he is caring for. We suggest 4 only because younger children rarely sit through slow painting demonstrations; older kids may even want to grab a brush and try it.

What's in it

Violence

None

None. The most dramatic moments are a tree being painted over or a section of canvas scraped back with a palette knife.

Language

None

No profanity at all. Ross speaks quietly and kindly throughout, and his strongest words are encouragement for viewers trying to paint.

Sex and nudity

None

None. Ross speaks warmly about his family, friends and coworkers, and there is no romance or innuendo of any kind.

Drinking, drugs and smoking

None

None. No drinking, smoking or drug references appear; Ross's only props are paints, brushes, knives and the occasional rescued animal.

Scary or intense scenes

None

Nothing scary. The calm narration, soft voice and slow pace are about as far from tense as television gets.

Worth talking about

Ross treats mistakes as chances to try something new rather than failures. Ask kids how that idea might help with schoolwork, sports or their own art.

Where to stream →

On our lists

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Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, fubo.tv, Wikipedia. The age is our judgment, not an official rating, and every family draws its lines differently: read the notes, not just the number. Spotted something we missed? Tell us. How we rate.