Slowscreen SlowScreen
Toggle sidebar

Just launched: free lifetime premium for the first 1,000 members to activate their account.

Start free

The Lyin' King

Sufficient

Recommended age Unlock

Co-watching from age 3

Stimulating

Exact score locked

Watch on Disney+
Save
The Lyin' King

Share

Pass this find on to another parent

Link preview

Sydney to the Max: The Lyin' King | Sufficient, co-watching from age 3

Sydney to the Max: The Lyin' King | Sufficient, co-watching from age 3 - Slowscreen

Sufficient · Co-watching from age 3. When Olive returns from a week home sick, she discovers her best friend Sydney has grown close to a new girl, Robin, which...

slowscreen.com

https://slowscreen.com/en/series/sydney-to-the-max/s1/e9-the-lyin-king

https://slowscreen.com/en/series/sydney-to-the-max/s1/e9-the-lyin-king

Slowscreen

Sydney to the Max: The Lyin' King | Sufficient, co-watching from age 3 - Slowscreen

Sufficient · Co-watching from age 3. When Olive returns from a week home sick, she discovers her best friend Sydney has grown close to a new girl, Robin, which...

Sydney to the Max: The Lyin' King | Sufficient, co-watching from age 3
Sydney to the Max: The Lyin' King | Sufficient, co-watching from age 3

slowscreen.com

Sydney to the Max: The Lyin' King | Sufficient, co-watching from age 3 - Slowscreen

Sufficient · Co-watching from age 3. When Olive returns from a week home sick, she discovers her best friend Sydney has grown close to a new girl, Robin, which...

Sydney to the Max: The Lyin' King | Sufficient, co-watching from age 3
slowscreen.com

Sydney to the Max: The Lyin' King | Sufficient, co-watching from age 3 - Slowscreen

slowscreen.com · Posted by you

Sydney to the Max: The Lyin' King | Sufficient, co-watching from age 3 - Slowscreen

0 Share
Sydney to the Max: The Lyin' King | Sufficient, co-watching from age 3
To
Subject Sydney to the Max: The Lyin' King | Sufficient, co-watching from age 3

Sufficient · Co-watching from age 3. When Olive returns from a week home sick, she discovers her best friend Sydney has grown close to a new girl, Robin, which...

https://slowscreen.com/en/series/sydney-to-the-max/s1/e9-the-lyin-king

Share on WhatsApp Share on X Share on Facebook Share on Telegram Share on Reddit Share on Email

See the exact scores

The review is yours to read. Create a free account to reveal the exact SlowScreen score and every pillar score.

Create free account
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 calm and well-organized.
The episode runs two separate stories side by side, one about Sydney keeping a secret friendship from Olive and one about young Max hiding that he made the basketball team, which makes it harder to hold a single thread. Within each story, events build in a clear order with a recognizable beginning, middle and end, and actions have believable consequences, such as one lie forcing the next until everyone is caught. A lot of new information lands in each scene, with rapid jokes and social details stacking up, which is demanding for the youngest viewers.
Feelings stay within a light comedy range, with arguments and jealousy that never turn frightening, and most tension is resolved through apologies and honest talk by the end. What holds this back is the steady stream of sarcasm and put-downs: friends mock each other, Olive pressures Sydney with a controlling 'best friend code', and jabs like 'a son that regrets walking in here' are played for laughs. The characters do reconcile warmly, for example Sydney and Olive agreeing to 'just always be honest with each other', which gives the ups and downs a reassuring landing.
The children drive their own trouble here, choosing to lie and keep secrets rather than being pushed by outside events, which shows real initiative. The way out is mostly social rather than hands-on: they eventually reason that lying makes everything worse and that honesty is the better path, and Max decides on his own to go and quit the team to make things right. The thinking is visible but thin, leaning on a single realization at the end rather than a worked-through series of tries and adjustments.
The writing is clear, correct and well-formed, with complete sentences and speech that is easy to follow. The trouble for a younger child is the heavy reliance on sarcasm, idioms and pop-culture references, from 'bootleg album from Holland' to 'let's all promise to be each other's bridesmaids', which assume a lot of social and cultural knowledge. Much of the dialogue exists to land a joke rather than to inform, so the language is polished but pitched well above the early-childhood range.
This is a fully real-world episode, set in a school, a family kitchen and a record store, with no fantasy elements, so the situations map directly onto everyday life. The social lessons are recognizable and useful: jealousy over a new friend, the pull to keep secrets, and the relief of coming clean all reflect real relationships children navigate. The small caveat is that the activities themselves, like basketball tryouts and browsing records, sit in the background while most of the value comes from watching honest conversations play out.

More information

This score shows how inclusively the series portrays diverse people, families and cultures. Scale: Limited → Varied → Rich → Inclusive.
The cast brings together a range of backgrounds as an everyday fact of the world. Sydney comes from a family with a white father, Max, and a Black mother, and her closest friends, Olive and Robin, along with the coach and Max's childhood friend Leo, add further variety across skin tones and ages, from schoolkids to parents to a grandmother. Girls and boys both drive their own storylines and reach their own solutions, so no single group holds all the initiative. The main mild pattern is that the girls' thread leans on friendship, shopping and shoes while the boys' thread runs through basketball, a familiar split that keeps this from feeling fully open.
This score shows whether the series stays close to everyday reality or leans into fantasy. Scale: Fantasy → Mixed reality → Realistic.
This is a live-action series set in an ordinary world of school, home, a gym class, and a family record store, with nothing magical or invented driving the story. Problems come from everyday social tangles, two friends falling out over a spoiled TV ending and secret friendships, and a boy landing on the C team instead of the A team, all resolved through honesty rather than any hero-versus-villain clash. There is no recurring villain and no fantasy world to keep consistent. The realistic footing sits well with young children, though the sarcastic humor and layered friendship drama are pitched at somewhat older kids than the youngest in this age band.
This score shows how enjoyable the series is for parents watching along. Scale: Tedious → Tolerable → Pleasant → Enjoyable.
This is a live-action family sitcom built for co-viewing, and it holds up well for the adult in the room. The writing leans on wordplay and quick banter that lands for grown-ups, the two parallel storylines have enough shape to follow, and the sound stays speech-led with no looping songs or shrill effects to grate on adult ears. Production is the polished multi-camera style you would expect, with clean sets, steady camerawork and a clear mix. The small caveat is a laugh-track sitcom rhythm and broad slapstick that can feel busy, but nothing here is a chore to sit through.

Deception

Lying and cover stories are modeled repeatedly across both plots before being corrected at the end.

Sarcasm

Dialogue is full of sarcastic jabs, like 'a son that regrets walking in here'.

Teasing

Classmates taunt Robin's climbing as 'hand over nothing' during gym class.

Fast pacing

Characters deliver rapid overlapping dialogue and punchlines throughout.

Flashing lights

The opening title card sequence includes a short burst of quick light flashes, one moderate to strong.

Mild conflict

Friends argue over the secret friendships and Max and Leo settle their tension on the court.

When Olive returns from a week home sick, she discovers her best friend Sydney has grown close to a new girl, Robin, which sets off a tangle of secret friendships and cover stories. In a parallel story, young Max hides from his friend Leo that he made the A basketball team while Leo landed on the C team. Both threads unravel as the lies pile up until the friends are caught. Everyone finally chooses honesty, with Sydney and Olive agreeing to always be truthful and Max deciding to come clean with Leo.

Season 1

12 episodes

Sydney to the Max
S01 E01

Sydney to the Max

Can't Dye This

Stimulating
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 3

Seventh grader Sydney decides she wants a bold new hairstyle for picture day, but her single dad Max forbids it, so she and her best friend Olive bleach and dye her hair at home while he is out. The plan goes wrong and leaves her with burnt, rainbow-streaked hair, mirrored by flashbacks to Max making the very same mistake as a boy in 1992. When Sydney calls him a hypocrite, Max admits she is right and explains that the fight is really about her growing up. They reconcile, she is still grounded, and he takes her back to the salon to fix the hair properly.

Sydney to the Max
S01 E02

Sydney to the Max

Who Let the Dogs In

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 3

Sydney wants to adopt Rocco, a dog whose elderly owner can no longer care for him, but her dad says no. She secretly hides Rocco at home for five days, until her own allergy gives the secret away. In a parallel 1992 flashback, her dad Max is refused a dog as a boy and given a pet turtle named Hawk, which he later loses. When that same turtle turns up alive in the walls years later, Max forgives Sydney and lets her keep it as her pet.

Sydney to the Max
S01 E03

Sydney to the Max

The Parent Track

Stimulating
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 3

Twelve-year-old Sydney wants to attend a '16 Oranges' concert without an adult, and when her dad Max refuses and secretly tracks her phone, she sneaks off anyway with her friend Olive. The episode intercuts this with a 1992 flashback in which a young Max lies to his own mother about his whereabouts using a new beeper. Both schemes fall apart, and father and daughter each confess and forgive. It ends with them agreeing to a 'trust reset' and a light-hearted punishment.

Sydney to the Max
S01 E04

Sydney to the Max

Adventures in Babe-Sitting

Stimulating
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 3

In the present day, Sydney and her best friend Olive start a babysitting service and take a job watching a boy named Dylan, only to be tempted away by his cool older brother and his friends. In a parallel 90s flashback, Sydney's dad Max as a boy tries to prove he no longer needs a sitter while a scary movie tests his nerve. The girls eventually choose their responsibility over being popular, send the older kids home and win Dylan over. Both stories end well, with the girls booked solid for weeks.

Sydney to the Max
S01 E05

Sydney to the Max

Shaved by the Bell

Stimulating
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 3

Sydney discovers leg hair days before a pool party and panics about whether to shave, trying tutorials and practice while her dad and grandmother try to help. A parallel thread flashes back to her dad Max as a boy, who wants to shave to look older like the guys at the skate park. Grandma Judy returns from a music festival and tells Sydney that some women shave and some do not, and that either choice is fine as long as it is her own. In the end Sydney decides she is not ready to shave, and her family tells her they are proud of her.

Sydney to the Max
S01 E06

Sydney to the Max

I Know What You Did Last Sleepover

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 3

Sydney and her best friend Olive spend a week living as pretend sisters while Olive's parents are out of town, but their differences over sharing a bathroom, borrowed clothes and game rules push them into a fight. In a parallel 1992 flashback, Sydney's dad Max is fired by his childhood best friend Leo for being late once too often and has to work up an apology. Both friendships are repaired through honest conversation by the end. When Olive's parents' flight is cancelled, the girls happily get another day together.

Sydney to the Max
S01 E07

Sydney to the Max

Good Grade Hunting

Stimulating
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 3

Sydney is thrilled to write her first poem for class but keeps getting low grades from her eccentric teacher, Mrs. Harris, who tells her to 'dig deeper'. With help from her best friend Olive and her dad Max, Sydney tries fancy words and even schemes to charm the teacher, all without success. Only when she writes an honest poem about being angry does she finally earn an A. A parallel flashback shows Max facing the same teacher as a teen, and Grandma Judy starts college.

Sydney to the Max
S01 E08

Sydney to the Max

You've Got Female

Stimulating
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 3

Sydney is turned away from her school's jazz band because she is a girl, so she rallies other girls to protest for fair, open club sign-ups. Her campaign moves from a strongly worded email to a hallway walkout that lands her in detention, then goes viral and forces the school to reopen auditions. A parallel flashback shows her dad Max as a boy who once lied to keep skating with the popular 'dog boys' and lost a girl friend because of it. Sydney does not win the band spot in the end, but the clubs open up and Max admits his old mistake to her.

Sydney to the Max
S01 E09

Sydney to the Max

The Lyin' King

Stimulating
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 3

When Olive returns from a week home sick, she discovers her best friend Sydney has grown close to a new girl, Robin, which sets off a tangle of secret friendships and cover stories. In a parallel story, young Max hides from his friend Leo that he made the A basketball team while Leo landed on the C team. Both threads unravel as the lies pile up until the friends are caught. Everyone finally chooses honesty, with Sydney and Olive agreeing to always be truthful and Max deciding to come clean with Leo.

Sydney to the Max
S01 E10

Sydney to the Max

Caved & Confused

Balanced
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 3

Sydney asks her dad Max to turn the family basement into a hangout of her own, which puts their tradition of watching the cooking show Hot Shot Chef together at risk. In parallel flashbacks, a young Max hides basement robot battles from his own mother by secretly doing the household laundry all week. Grandma steps in to pay for the renovated basement so the whole family has a place to gather. After Sydney's friends drift away, she and Max reconcile and watch the finale together, tying both timelines to the same idea about growing up.

Sydney to the Max
S01 E11

Sydney to the Max

Can't Hardly Date

Stimulating
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 3

In this live-action family sitcom, teenager Sydney decides her widowed dad Max, a bike shop owner, has been alone too long and sets out to get him dating a customer named Maggie. A parallel thread follows a younger Max and his friend Leo hatching a popcorn-selling scheme with hidden cheat codes. Both storylines hinge on characters faking their true feelings until everyone finally admits the truth. It closes with Max, reassured by his daughter, deciding he is ready to date again.

Sydney to the Max
S01 E12

Sydney to the Max

Little Shop of Reynolds

Stimulating
recommended age Unlock co-watching from 3

Twelve-year-old Sidney takes charge of her family's neighbourhood bike shop when her dad is knocked flat by the flu right before a make-or-break weekend sale. With Grandma, Olive and the mechanic Hunter, she sells bikes, mixes smoothies and, when things fall apart, assembles the bikes herself and wins over impatient customers with an honest plea to keep a family business alive. A parallel 1990s flashback follows her dad Max as a boy squabbling with his friend Leo over a new co-worker. By the end the store is saved and the sick family members recover.

Explore more

From this series Sydney to the Max
By age 6 years
By platform Disney+

Just launched: free lifetime premium for the first 1,000 members to activate their account.

Create your account

Search by title, show, tag, or topic

We use functional cookies and Google Analytics to improve our site. Learn more