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Become Mermaids

Sufficient

Recommended age Unlock

Co-watching from age 4

Stimulating

Exact score locked

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Paramount +

SkyShowtime

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Become Mermaids

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This program is stimulating. It actively demands attention and can feel intense. For the recommended age, this may be on the more intense side. The pacing is fast. Images follow each other quickly, leaving little time to pause and take in what is happening. The sound is clearly present and regularly draws attention. The visuals are busy, with a lot of movement and frequent changes.

The episode follows one clear thread: Leah and the genies turn into mermaids and then need the mermaid gem to change back and get home. Events build in order, from meeting Nila to learning to swim to reaching the guarded cave, so a child can follow what leads to what. New places, characters and ideas arrive fairly steadily, which asks a bit of focus from the youngest viewers. Cause and effect hold up within the story's own logic, such as answering the riddle to earn a chance at the gem.

The tone stays warm and supportive throughout. When the anchor nearly hits Nila the friends immediately apologize and she forgives them, and later they answer the lonely cave guardian with comfort rather than fear. The scariest moment, finding a sleeping 'sea monster' in a dark cave, is brief and softened when the guardian turns out to be sad and alone. Each worry is settled close to where it appears, and the emotional shifts stay gentle.

Many problems are solved instantly by the genies' magic wishes rather than by working through a challenge, which leaves less room for visible trying and figuring things out. Some real thinking still shows: the group answers the guardian's riddle by remembering the glowing sea stars they saw earlier, and Leah's idea to light up the cave so the guardian will not be lonely is the children's own. Initiative is split between the characters and the wishes that drive the plot. The steps toward a solution are recognizable but often shortcut by magic.

The dialogue is clear and easy to follow, with short sentences and concrete words as the characters name what they are doing. A few richer words and playful expressions appear, like 'graceful', 'guardian', 'riddle' and 'hold your seahorses', which stretch vocabulary a little. Speech is clean and well matched to each situation. Alongside the informative lines there are many excited exclamations such as 'whoa' and 'awesome' during the play scenes.

Almost everything on screen is pure fantasy: wish-granting genies, breathing underwater, glittery mermaid tails, juggling bubbles and a magic gem, so there is little a child can carry into daily life. Actions like spinning a self-driving boat's wheel or chanting to unlock a gem have no real-world equivalent. What does connect is the social side: apologizing, making a new friend and helping someone who feels alone are patterns children know from real relationships. For this age the mix leans heavily toward imagination over everyday use.

More information

The cast is almost entirely female, made up of the genie sisters Shimmer and Shine, their friend Leah, and a group of mermaids led by Nila. Skin tones and hair colours do vary across the mermaids, including several darker-skinned characters like the cave guardian, which adds visible range. Roles are spread around freely: Leah drives the adventure with her wishes, Nila teaches the newcomers how to swim, and the guardian moves from gruff to openly lonely, so no character is boxed into a fixed type. The main gap is breadth of who appears, with almost no boys, adults, or everyday life beyond the mermaid fantasy.

This episode takes place almost entirely in an imagined world. Two genie sisters grant wishes for their friend Leah, turn the group into mermaids, and swim through an underwater kingdom to find a magic gem. There is no villain here; the tense moment with a cave guardian turns into a story about loneliness and friendship, which keeps the good-versus-bad framing warm and human. The magic follows its own steady rules, but the heavy dose of genies, spells, and mermaid transformations sits well above the mostly-real, lightly-imaginative mix that fits a three-year-old.

This one plays as capable background company rather than a genuine reward for the grown-up on the couch. The craft is polished, with clean animation and a rich underwater world, but the humor and voices are pitched squarely at small children, so there is little here that speaks to you directly. The quest to find a mermaid and free the gem gives the episode a real beginning, middle and end that is easy to follow, which helps. Set against that, the constant sparkle, the very bright palette and the peppy high voices make it more of a sensory workout than a calm room presence.

Themes

Friendship

Leah, Shimmer, Shine and the mermaid Nila spend the episode playing and helping each other underwater.

Magic

Shimmer and Shine grant wishes with 'Boom Zahramay' chants that turn the group into mermaids and back.

Kindness

The friends decorate the guardian's dark cave so she will not feel lonely, and she then gives them the gem.

Helping others

Leah's idea to light up the cave is meant to make the lonely guardian feel cared for.

Making friends

The group meets the mermaid Nila and she shows them around her underwater home.

Ocean

Recurring

Most of the episode takes place underwater among sea stars, seahorses and mermaids.

Overcoming fear

Nila warns the cave is scary and guarded by a sea monster, but they enter together anyway.

Problem solving

They must answer a riddle and find a way to earn the mermaid gem to get home.

Imagination

The whole adventure plays out in a fantasy world of genies and mermaids.

Loneliness

The cave guardian explains she is afraid no one will visit her if the gem is taken.

Activities

Swimming

The friends learn to swim like mermaids and glide through the water.

Exploring

Nila shows them around the underwater world and into a hidden cave.

Problem solving

They solve the guardian's riddle to earn the mermaid gem.

Pretend play

The episode opens with a monkey dressed up in a mermaid costume.

Singing

A brief song accompanies the friends decorating the guardian's cave.

Emotions

Excitement

Leah shouts 'this is so awesome' when she gets to swim like a mermaid.

Joy

The friends laugh and play as they chase bubbles through the water.

Wonder

They gasp 'whoa, what is this place' arriving at Enchanted Falls.

Curiosity

Leah is amazed to learn real mermaids live in Zahramay Falls.

Gratitude

The guardian says lighting the cave is the nicest thing anyone has done for her.

Fear

Entering the dark cave guarded by a sea monster is treated as scary.

Behaviour

Apologising

The friends tell Nila 'we are so, so, so sorry' after the anchor nearly hits her.

Helping

The group works to cheer up the guardian by lighting her cave.

Comforting

When the guardian says she will be lonely, the friends promise 'I'll come visit'.

Exploring

Nila leads the friends on a tour of the underwater world and through a tunnel to the cave.

Following instructions

Nila teaches them to swim by moving their tails up and down and they copy her.

Problem solving

They remember the glowing sea star to answer the guardian's riddle.

Pretend play

Tala the monkey is dressed in a mermaid costume at the start.

Singing

A short song plays as the friends light up the cave together.

Social lessons

Friendship

Leah, the genies and Nila stick together throughout the adventure.

Kindness

The friends make the lonely guardian feel welcome by brightening her cave.

Helping others

They solve the guardian's loneliness rather than just taking the gem.

Forgiveness

Nila says 'apology accepted' after the friends say sorry.

Making friends

The group befriends Nila and later promises to visit the guardian too.

Empathy

They understand why the guardian is afraid of being left alone.

Togetherness

Nila reassures the group they will be fine 'if we stick together'.

Scary scenes

The friends enter a dark cave described as scary and guarded by a sleeping sea monster.

Danger

A large octopus-like guardian wakes and demands to know who disturbed her, briefly threatening.

Attention hooks

An on-screen bumper reads 'watch more of your favorite shows on Nick Jr'.

Stereotypes

Feminine pink aesthetic

The cast is almost entirely girls and mermaids in a glittery pink and purple world with costumes and 'cute' dress-up.

Leah wishes to find a real mermaid, so the genie sisters Shimmer and Shine turn the group into mermaids and take them under the sea, where they befriend a mermaid named Nila. After using up their wishes, they need a magic mermaid gem to change back and get home, which sits in a dark cave guarded by a lonely sea creature. They answer her riddle and then brighten her cave so she will not be alone, and she gives them the gem. The friends change back and head home safely.

Shimmer and Shine

Shimmer and Shine

Have Sleepover Fun

recommended age co-watching from 4

Zeta, a scheming sorceress, and her dragon Nazboo lose their lair to a batch of stinky bugs and end up joining a sleepover hosted by Leah and her genies Shimmer and Shine. While the friends make glittery popcorn balls, dance, play games and put on a puppet show, Zeta keeps trying to get everyone to fall asleep so she can steal their genie gems. Each attempt backfires, and when she accidentally releases the stinky bugs again the group wishes itself to Zeta's home to sleep, leaving her gem-filled bag behind. The night ends with everyone finally asleep and Zeta empty-handed.

Shimmer and Shine

Shimmer and Shine

Turn Into Babies

recommended age co-watching from 4

In her potion lair, the sorceress Zeta plots to brew powerful potions while her dragon Nazboo plays nearby. When three girl friends visit and accidentally open a bottle, they are turned into babies, and Nazboo ends up caring for them through one mishap after another. A clumsy chain of spilled ingredients sets the lair shaking, and the babies are finally changed back into Leah and the genies Shimmer and Shine. They grant wishes to repair the lair and return home, leaving Zeta to grudgingly admit their help came in handy.

Shimmer and Shine

Shimmer and Shine

Become Mermaids

recommended age co-watching from 4

Leah wishes to find a real mermaid, so the genie sisters Shimmer and Shine turn the group into mermaids and take them under the sea, where they befriend a mermaid named Nila. After using up their wishes, they need a magic mermaid gem to change back and get home, which sits in a dark cave guarded by a lonely sea creature. They answer her riddle and then brighten her cave so she will not be alone, and she gives them the gem. The friends change back and head home safely.

Shimmer and Shine

Shimmer and Shine

Find the Snowflake Gem

recommended age co-watching from 4

Genie sisters Shimmer and Shine and their friend Leah are sent by Princess Samira to find the snowflake gem hidden in an ice palace on Genie Peak. Along the way they ride flying zoomicorns and a magic carpet while the sorceress Zeta and her dragon Nazboo race to grab the gem first. The friends outsmart Zeta at the palace, and when she is buried under snow her own chant creates, the gem is recovered. The genies chant their way safely back home to Zahramay Falls.

Shimmer and Shine

Shimmer and Shine

Get New Genie Necklaces

recommended age co-watching from 4

In the magical world of Zahramay Falls, the genie twins Shimmer and Shine and their human friend Leah work toward getting their new genie necklaces. Along the way the sorceress Zeta and her dragon Nazboo scheme to interfere. The friends use magic and teamwork to handle wishes that go wrong and to outdo Zeta's plotting. The episode ends with the problem resolved and the friends together.

Shimmer and Shine

Shimmer and Shine

Stop a Giant Chicken

recommended age co-watching from 4

Genie sisters Shimmer and Shine and their friends live in a magical desert world of domed palaces and palm trees. A giant chicken gets loose and threatens the town, and the sorceress Zeta adds to the chaos with her magic staff and her dragon Nazboo. The girls use genie magic to chase and finally stop the chicken, restoring calm to the town. The episode closes with the theme song and full credits.

Shimmer and Shine

Shimmer and Shine

Get New Magical Hair

recommended age co-watching from 4

Twin genies Shimmer and Shine, together with their friend Leah, spend the episode trying out new magical hairstyles in their colourful genie world. Spells turn hair into tall updos, sleek straight looks and shifting colours, and a few go sideways, including a green dragon who ends up with a surprise mustache. The characters use more magic to put each mix-up right. It closes back in their sparkling palace once the looks are sorted.

Shimmer and Shine

Shimmer and Shine

Find a Rainbow Garden

recommended age co-watching from 4

Leah and her genie friends Shimmer and Shine travel to a magical rainbow garden to watch the Lumos tree light up under the full moon. They meet Minoo, a tiny Flitter Genie who cares for the garden, and use wish magic to shrink and fly. When a squirrel runs off with the gem that powers the tree, the friends track it down and trade a sparkly home for the gem. They return it just in time, and the tree glows as the moon rises above it.

Shimmer and Shine

Shimmer and Shine

Go to the Beach

recommended age co-watching from 4

Shimmer and Shine, two genies-in-training, and their human friend Leah set out on a magical adventure that begins by a tropical beach, while the sorceress Zeta schemes in her crystal lair to get hold of genie magic. The girls grant wishes that do not always work as planned and must fix the mix-ups that follow. Magic carpets, talking pets and sparkling spells fill the world. By the end the friends put things right and the mood returns to cheerful.

Shimmer and Shine

Shimmer and Shine

Zeta Takes Genie Gems

recommended age co-watching from 4

Leah and her genies Shimmer and Shine head to the beach, where they find a bottle holding Layla, an ice genie who needs a cold place to live. They settle on the Ice Palace, but the genie Zeta steals Layla's magical ice gem necklace to freeze all of Zahramay Falls and prove she is the most powerful genie. After a chase full of ice attacks, the necklace is recovered just as the cold turns on Zeta herself. Layla uses it to thaw Zeta, keeps her necklace, and moves into the Ice Palace with her new friends.

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By platform Paramount +

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