Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Family Reboot’ On Disney+, A Reality Series Where Families Are Sent On Outings In Order To Reconnect With Each Other (2025)

Family Reboot is a reality series that features families who are looking to take a break from their busy lives and reconnect with each other; they’re sent on a five-day trip where devices are banned and a “reboot guide” has them do silly activities that are supposed to help build memories.

FAMILY REBOOT: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: A suburban neighborhood in San Diego. We see a shot of a family kicking around a soccer ball.

The Gist: In the first episode, the Hernandez family get a photo book that contains memories from their reboot in the desert. Then we go back eight weeks, and the family of five, who seem to genuinely like being around each other but definitely have busy lives, pack up and get in the car to go to their reboot retreat. With no phones, they’re given a paper map (yes, they still exist) to point them in the right direction.

They get to a nice house in the desert, but the door is locked; “reboot guide” Arel Moodie arrives to tell them that they’re going to get the key after they complete their first group activity: Sifting through a ball pit to find shapes that fit into a puzzle. Other activities throughout the five days include lassoing “practice cattle” while giving their wishes for the week, and wearing cactus helmets and collecting the water that comes out of balloons that hit those helmets. They’re all designed to foster teamwork and togetherness and create memories.

What the dad, Alonzo, wants to get out of the week is to let his stepkids know that he wants to adopt them. Given that their relationship with him since he married their mom, Conisha, has been loving and close, Arel is confident that they’ll be receptive.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? The positive tone ofFamily Reboot is similar to Disney+’s other reality series, likeMarvel’s Hero Project.

Our Take: Family Rebootis definitely designed to be a feel-good show that the entire family can watch. Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos are the biggest names attached to the series, and their roster of reality series have all been in this vein. You’re not going to see families who fight with each other on camera, and you’re not going to get a treatise on how devices and overscheduling are making families disconnected. You’ll get families that genuinely like being around each other, and activities that are designed for them to work together and have fun.

It iskind of strange that, at least in the first episode, the activities don’t really take that much advantage of a particular retreat’s location; the families just go to an area a few hundred feet from the house to do the various activities the “reboot guide” sets up.

But that’s not a big deal when you realize who this show is for. It’s definitely one that you’ll want to watch with your kids, and the colorful and fun activities should be entertaining enough for everyone.

What Age Group Is This For?: Even though the show is rated TV-PG, it’s suitable for the entire family.

Parting Shot: The Hernandez family looks at their photobook over grilled hot dogs on their deck.

Sleeper Star: None, really.

Most Pilot-y Line: The cactus helmets were a little ridiculous, but the Hernandezes rolled with it and had a lot of fun.

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Our Call: STREAM IT. There’s no conflict inFamily Reboot, just families who get along but want to strengthen their connections with each other. Nothing wrong with any of that.

Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.