We don’t have a weekend routine these days. For years, our weekends revolved around Jonah’s soccer games. We socialized with other families in folding chairs on the edge of the field. But Jonah is in high school now and has moved on to the less social world of track and field. The boys aren’t going to big birthday parties at jumpy castle centers. It’s nice to have an open schedule, but we aren’t quite sure how to arrange our time. We are slowly setting up new family rituals.

Enter Cosmos.

Last night, we watched Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s Cosmos, Episode One. It was the best family oriented, television show that I’ve seen in ages. Sitting in front of green screen, Tyson swooped in a space ship around the rings of Saturn and to edges of the galaxy. My education about space ended in about seventh grade (Pluto isn’t a planet anymore?), so the boys and I were on equal footing. It was  educational, but no one noticed or minded.

It’s difficult to find things on television that are appropriate for everyone. Primetime sitcoms have too much sex. Steve watches the cartoons on the Cartoon Network with the kids, but Annoying Orange and The Regular Show make my head hurt. The reality singing shows don’t hold their attention. We’ll watch movies together, but I miss the days when you looked forward to a particular show on a particular night. I miss the routines of a television schedule.

Why aren’t there more shows like Cosmos on television? Entertaining and appropriate for all ages?