October 30, 2008

CableFAX Program Awards: Best Show or Series, Education/Instructional Family Friendly

Winner: When Weather Changed History, The Weather Channel

Suspense. Action. Drama. When weather intersected with some of the most well-known events in history, that’s exactly what ensued. Congratulations to The Weather Channel for linking the great forces of nature with human nature in a fascinating series that begs the question of whether man will ever learn that you simply can’t fool Mother Nature. From the Battle of the Bulge to a rescue mission in Iran to the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion, the documentaries are devoid of distracting conspiracy theories and hearsay, letting the daunting reality of the situations, and man’s heroic efforts, speak plainly for themselves.

Honorable Mentions:
Hannah Montana, Disney Channel: It really is the best of both worlds when parents and their children can watch TV together, share laughs and even glean advice about delicate familial relations during those testy tween years.

Little People, Big World, TLC: The most in-depth TV documentation of the lives of little people, this series puts a new perspective on reality TV as the Roloff family navigates obstacles as specific to little people and those that apply to all.

Orangutan Island, Animal Planet: Who would have thought orphaned orangutans would make great TV drama?

Retired and Wired, Retirement Living TV: This guide to tech for the 55-plus crowd not only puts the tangle of gadgets in plain English, but connects generations by keeping grandparents and grandkids on the same (home) page.

The Note, Hallmark Channel: General Hospital fans love Genie Francis. But even we would admit she was perfect in this heartstrings-tugging tale of a columnist’s search for the recipient of a note penned just before a plane crash.

Return to 2008 CableFAX Program Awards table of contents.