Kirk Cameron aims to reinvent kids' TV with biblical values, debuts ‘Adventures with Iggy and Mr. Kirk'
NASHVILLE, Tennessee — Kirk Cameron and Brave Books have launched a new venture into children's entertainment, a show the "Growing Pains" actor hopes becomes a significant, Bible-based player in the battle for children's hearts and minds.
At the green carpet premiere of the new series "Adventures with Iggy and Mr. Kirk" on Nov. 14, Cameron told The Christian Post he hopes the series fills a critical void in children's programming as it blends moral lessons with family-friendly adventures. The series will be available to stream for free on Brave Books' YouTube channel in early 2025.
"With this show, we're hoping to get to the hearts of children and get to the heart of biblical and moral lessons that parents really want their kids to learn," the 54-year-old actor told The Christian Post.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The "Left Behind" star said that he's heard repeatedly from parents that they are "tired of all the indoctrination and the subverting of good, wholesome family values we're seeing from Disney and Nickelodeon."
"We want to be one of the tools in their toolbox to help reinforce the lessons that they're already teaching them at home, lessons about forgiveness, about the value of all life, pre-born life, disabled life and elderly life. We want to teach kids about courage, about the importance of family and teamwork and facing your fears," he said.
The series follows Iggy, an Iguana, and his mentor, Mr. Kirk (played by Cameron), on adventures that teach biblical values through engaging storytelling. With a production team featuring veterans from "VeggieTales" and "The Muppets," along with former Disney star Leigh-Allyn Baker, the show aims to rival the quality of mainstream entertainment while offering a distinctly faith-based perspective.
"The lessons are like Mr. Rogers's level, but caring for the souls of children. And I can't wait for people to see it," Cameron said.
Baker, 52, known for her role on Disney Channel's "Good Luck Charlie," said she was drawn to the project after becoming concerned about the "visually and morally overwhelming" nature of modern children's programming.
"We wanted to create something that feels safe and enriching for both kids and parents. This show is a return to the standards of classic programming, with modern-day relevance," she said.
Baker said her stint at Disney marked the "last of the wholesome freedom" in kid's programming.
"We had standards and practices where we could not do certain things like show a kiss. We would have to get creative and have a balloon go in front of the teenagers as they started to kiss. There were things that kept wholesome entertainment wholesome, and that has completely gone out the window."
"I'm not sure who got a hold of them, if it was George Soros or what platform got ahold of Disney. But, they are a corporation, and people need to understand that Disney is not your moral compass in this world," she added.
Jeremy Boreing, CEO of The Daily Wire and an advocate for conservative media, underscored the importance of creating trustworthy platforms.
"Parents used to rely on networks to uphold basic standards, but that trust has eroded," Boreing said. "Shows like 'Adventures with Iggy and Mr. Kirk' provide not only quality entertainment but also a safe environment where parents can confidently let their children watch."
Boering stressed that "the problem isn't that we lack wonderful content for kids." Rather, it's "that parents can't trust any of the platforms out there."
"You can put your kid down in front of 'Mr. Rogers,' but who knows what it's going to roll directly into." he said. "There are two big jobs for conservatives. We have to make content and build platforms so that parents have a place that they can trust and kids have entertainment that they actually want to watch. Kids are a tough audience because they don't care about the mission. They don't care that 'Adventures of Iggy and Mr. Kirk' has good Christian values. That means nothing to them. They want it to be fun. They receive the good Christian values as a byproduct of enjoying the content."
"This is ground zero in the culture war," Boering added. "The left wants to preempt parents from being the ones who implicate values in their kids. This is a part of the way we fight that."
The show's creators told CP they aim to combat what they describe as a cultural agenda in children's media. Cameron and Baker expressed concerns about the subtle ways modern content introduces topics that conflict with Judeo-Christian values.
"When did kids become political pawns?" Baker asked. "We want to give them stories rooted in timeless truths, not agendas."
Cameron, a father of six, emphasized the show's potential to empower families.
"Moms and dads are the best equipped to raise their children, but they need support," he said. "Through engaging characters and stories, 'Adventures with Iggy and Mr. Kirk' will help parents instill values like teamwork, courage and forgiveness — things kids will carry with them for a lifetime."
The series is part of a broader movement by Brave Books to provide alternative media for families. The company's founder, Trent Talbot, has positioned Brave Books as a countercultural force in publishing and entertainment, aiming to offer families tools to combat what they see as the decline of traditional values in mainstream media.
"Whether we like it or not, screens are the dominant form of entertainment today, and if you want to change culture, you have to meet people where they're at, and that's what we want to do with this TV show," Talbot told CP.
"It's a live-action television show that really gets to the heart of issues that kids are dealing with today, like forgiveness, trustworthiness, honesty, things like that, issues that the kids need to learn, and hitting it from a biblical perspective. We think parents and believers will really appreciate it."
Leah M. Klett is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: leah.klett@christianpost.com
