Magazine-style shows usually include many different stories with separate lessons for each one. Some children will be challenged by too much information while others will thrive on the diversity. Some children will be enchanted by a drama, others fascinated by a documentary. There are two ways to look at issue. This is different from a show that is developed primarily for entertainment but which carries educational messages as a sidebar or, as they say in Hollywood, as the secondary story line.
Some shows have terrific content that falls flat in the presentation.
Again, some of this depends on your child's response to the material. An animated science lesson will work for some children, while the live-action version makes sense to others. However, the show won't work at all if the format does not present the information in an entertaining manner. This is perhaps the most important criteria for parents who want to make television an enriching experience. It's also the most global in scope.