Here’s the latest from the crossroads of faith, media & culture: 06/11/25
Creative ark. Just in time for summer break, Great American Pure Flix has launched The Ark Club, a new streaming destination offering kids political agenda-free universal values-based content. Great American Media President and CEO Bill Abbott, who, BTW, Politico identifies as a major programming provider who is breaking with liberal Hollywood, calls The Ark Club “a bold new step in children’s entertainment that is safe, inspiring, and rooted in timeless values.”
The centerpiece of Ark’s initial offerings (which also include libraries of such kids classics as VeggieTales, The Wiggles and Bob the Builder, among others) is the all-new original series Iggy and Mr. Kirk. Appropriately enough, the part of Mr. Kirk is portrayed by Kirk Cameron of Growing Pains and Fireproof fame (who also also executive produces). The voice of his pal Iggy the Iguana is provided by John Kennedy, no relation to yours truly – although, if I do say so myself, I do a great iguana impression. I spoke with Kirk about the show and the overall state of kids’ entertainment.
JWK: So, tell me about Iggy and Mr. Kirk. Can you tell me about the concept and how it came to be?
Kirk Cameron: Yes. You may remember that over the last couple of years I’ve been reading children’s books (about) virtue and character at public libraries – contra Drag Queen Story Hours for children. This has been so successful. So many parents are loving these books and stories with all of the characters that we decided to turn it into a television series for kids.
We’re calling it Iggy and Mr. Kirk. It’s a show that is essentially a modern version of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Think of Mister Rogers meets Sesame Street where you have a kind, loving, trusted man like Mister Rogers and (in this case) Mr. Kirk. That (role is filled by) me. Then you have, not Kermit the Frog, but an adorable little green iguana named Iggy (who) Mr. Kirk is raising in his backyard tree house. Together with his wife and daughter, they’re teaching Iggy how to be kind, how to be honest and how to love family. They teach him about identity and purpose, all the things that every little real five-year-old has to learn in today’s culture.
One of Iggy’s friends is a vulture named Culture who’s always lying to Iggy and trying to deceive him. So, Iggy has to discern between truth and lies. He relies on the biblical wisdom of his mom and dad and a non-woke supercomputer. Think of a (thoughtful) Alexa or ChatGPT and that’s where he learns how to find wisdom.
JWK: You mention Mr. Rogers. Would you like to see this show become the kind of cultural touchstone that that show became for this generation?
KC: I think that this generation needs a Mister Rogers because the alternative has been characters created by leftist radicals that are indoctrinating children with radical gender ideology and teaching children ideas that are supposed to be reserved for parents to teach those children. If I end up being that person who can listen to kids like Mister Rogers did, and be trusted like Mister Rogers, and tell them the truth about important and difficult things like Mister Rogers did, well then I would be honored. The parents are gonna decide that when they watch Iggy and Mr. Kirk and see if what I am telling them is the truth. That’s why we’re so excited. It’s finally out. We have two seasons worth of the show already recorded. People can finally watch it on Pure Flix.
JWK: Talking about children’s programming, besides the woke ideological messaging you talk about, there’s also a lot of innuendo that gets slipped in that supposedly goes over the heads of the kids and makes the shows more entertaining for the adults. There’s not much on television that is just for kids and written on their level.
KC: That’s exactly right. And, if you think back, oh, maybe forty years ago, we were watching shows as kids where every show generally had a good moral message to it. Think about Little House on the Prairie, or think about The Waltons, or think about family shows, even like Growing Pains or Full House, there were good lessons to learn – and they were enriching for parents and for kids. They were fun and they were funny. They were not only entertaining, but nutritious in terms of character and virtue. That’s all but gone today.
Things deteriorate when we get away from our First Principles and values. I know that those moral values are rooted in the Bible. They’re rooted in the 10 Commandments. Honor your mother and father. Don’t be disrespectful to them. Love your neighbor the way that you would like others to love and care for you. Today, we seem to proudly throw those out the window and say that girls can be boys and boys can be girls – and, if you don’t agree with me, well then you’re committing violence against me and we should make laws that put you in jail. This is crazy talk.
That’s what happens to human beings when they get away from having values. The become like animals. They lose their mind. They think they’re so smart but they become fools. That’s what happens to us. Then, of course, if we want to have a future that looks like the world that we want to make, well then we’ve got to get to the kids and teach them when they’re young.
So, I’m fighting back. I’m saying the best kind of world is the kind of world that Mister Rogers was wanting to create for his grandchildren by speaking the truth in love. That’s what we do with Iggy and Mr. Kirk.
JWK: Talking about the shows we watched as kids – including yours, Growing Pains – you’re right, those were shows that were aimed at the whole family, the adults and the kids. Take Growing Pains, your show. I remember even the theme song had a positive message.
KC: Yeah, that’s right. You know, if go back and you watch the movies back in the forties and the fifties, they weren’t perfect. Certainly there was all sorts of immorality going on, I’m sure, within Hollywood- but, at least in the movies, there was a respectfulness. I mean, I Love Lucy, which we watched all the time with our kids, they never did anything that even remotely suggested something lewd or inappropriately sexual. When you watched movies with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers that were in black and white, they were romantic. Jimmy Stewart in It’s a Wonderful Life, so many of these films were just beautiful romantic comedies. It wasn’t the smut that we watch on TV today and that we listen to in music. We’ve lost so much of that honor and dignity and respect and cherishing of one another.
JWK: What your talking about also touches upon a generational aspect. We kind of watched the movies and TV shows our parents watched when they were younger. For decades, one generation would tend to watch reruns of what the previous generation watched.
KC: Yeah.
JWK: That seems to have broken some. Today’s kids often seem to be not even aware of the stories their parents grew up with. They’re kind of cordoned off into their own section of media where who knows what’s being fed to them.
KC: Yeah, that’s right. As they say, if you want to know why somebody’s doing what they’re doing, follow the money, honey. That’s ultimately what this comes down to. TV shows for kids, movies for adults and children, families, whatever, all that, at the end of the day, is driven primarily by profits. It’s why you have furniture in your house. It’s not because the furniture manufacturer is deeply concerned about your comfort. They want to make money. They know you’ll buy (their furniture) if they give you what you want. So, when people want sex, violence, something to make them laugh, people will give it to them – even if it’s cheap, even if it’s addictive, even it it’s bad for them. You know, people still make Skittles. They make Snickers. They make all sorts junk food not because they care about your health. They care about their bank account and their bottom line.
JWK: I agree with you, the profit motive is definitely there – but the numbers demonstrate that old-fashioned family content is popular and that optimistic, positive programming is something that people desire. Yet, we keep getting fed this stuff. Do you think that there’s an ideology that’s also pushing it?
KC: 100% yes. I think it’s a combination of money and power. I think it’s a combination of “I want the world to reflect me. I want to be God. I want to create the world in my image and I’d like the next generation of people to think I’m awesome. So, they should think like me. They should revere me…and my weird way of looking at the world.” A lot of these people – with all this money and all this power – have ability to create worlds through banking, through arts and entertainment, through politics and other powerful influencers. So, yes, there’s ideology. That’s why it’s so important that the family of faith puts their money where there mouth is and they invest their time, energy, relationships and resources to combat against that stuff, to fight back and build the world that they want (to see). So, rather than being a bunch of complainers, let’s be a bunch of creators. Rather than being a bunch of whiners, let’s be winners and beat the forces of evil in the task of creating the culture. That’s what I want to be a part of.
JWK: Would you ever consider doing another sitcom similar to Growing Pains that would reflect those kind of family values?
KC: I haven’t considered it too much, just because I’m busy raising kids – and now grandkids – and working on Iggy and Mr. Kirk. I’ve got a brand-new show called The Kirk Cameron Show which is a really cool podcast for the family of faith where I’m tackling politics and culture, offering family devotionals and conversations with my kids about dangerous topics. So, I think I have to put Growing Pains on the back shelf for right now – but who knows? Maybe one day.
JWK: A little bit more on the topical side, what do you think about what’s going on right now? Are you happy with the direction of the country and the culture?
KC: Well, I’m very grateful. I know that God’s working all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. So, on one hand, I’m thrilled that Kamala Harris didn’t win the presidency. I think that would have been an absolute disaster for the country in so many ways. At the same time, I’m still concerned about people who think that one guy at the top – whether it’s Donald Trump, Elon Musk or whoever it is – is gonna fix the problems in our country. Our hope does not come from who governs us or the laws we make. Our hope comes from the power of God working in the hearts of people. That’s our hope in this country. That’s our hope for our children. So, I’m praying for a revival, a real genuine heartfelt revival that’s starts with repentance and getting back to the truths of God found in the Bible.
JWK: Before we wrap up, tell me about The Ark Club. So, this is a section of Pure Flix that is designed expressly for kids?
KC: Yeah. You’re talking a portion of Great American Pure Flix. It’s got all kinds of kid shows there. That’s where you can find Iggy and Mr. Kirk right alongside of other trusted shows like Bob the Builder, Strawberry Shortcake, The Wiggles and others because they too are committed to faith and family like no other network I know of.
JWK: Any chance your sister Candace might put in an appearance on your show? I know she’s got a significant creative role at Great American Media.
KC: Yeah, she does. She really does. Candace has always been committed to not, only her values, but also to creating content. So, she’s been in front of the camera (and) behind the camera. Now, she’s got an executive role over there helping to shape to shape all of the content and to continue to do what she used to do at Hallmark but now she’s doing it with a deeper commitment to faith and family values.
JWK: So, any chance she’ll show up on Iggy and Mr. Kirk?
KC: Yeah. She might. We might find Candace Cameron in the tree house hanging out with Iggy. We’ll have to wait and see.
John W. Kennedy is a writer, producer and media development consultant specializing in television and movie projects that uphold positive timeless values, including trust in God.
Encourage one another and build each other up – 1 Thessalonians 5:11
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