By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Friday, January 22, 2016
For seven years, Jo Frost was America's cure for toddler tempers on ABC's "Supernanny." She'd roll up in a London executive sedan in a style many have called Mary Poppins-meets-Cruella De Vil. And the phrase "naughty chair' became de rigueur among parents.
After she quit in 2011, she developed other shows, including TLC's short-lived "Family SOS" in 2013 and a brief fun as a British talk show host in 2014. She also got engaged to her American boyfriend.
Now she is back in the the United States on Atlanta-based UP! with a show called "Jo Frost: Nanny on Tour."
The ten-episode first season will run Thursdays at 8 p.m. starting January 28.
In it, she travels in a mobile RV all over the country to help families with a variety of issues. Sure, she will handle the classic temper tantrums but also address modern-day problems such as video-game obsession, cyberbullying, sleep deprivation and life-threatening allergies. The RV acts as her office where she'll monitor families and meet with them for individual counseling.
"I wanted no restrictions on age," she said in a recent interview. "Grandparents. Teenagers. Single moms."
She'll also meet with the public and offer on-the-spot advice. She even made a stop in Duluth town square to field questions last October. (Episodes out of metro Atlanta will air February 11, 18 and 25.)
The first episode out of Rockville, S.C. features a couple and two grandmoms with one especially problematic child. Since he is so out of control, the family rarely goes out. The mother is OCD, vacuuming four times a day, causing more problems. And communication among the adults is abysmal.
"As adults," Frost tells the parents, "you don't take yourself seriously." As a result, the kids don't either. The two year old cries and cries until he gets his way. Then Frost arrives to save the day.
Ultimately, she gets the adults on the same page and the kids learn the house rules. Frost also figures out why the mom is so OCD. Classic Jo Frost.
Frost no longer can use the "Supernanny" name and has long dropped the severe suit and stern finger pointing schtick. But she acknowledges fans will forever call her that.
"I have lines on my forehead from every season!" she said, with a chuckle.
One issue that has cropped up since "Supernanny" ended: people's over-reliance on mobile devices.
"You have to regulate and monitor the use when you're helping a family," she said. And when she's working with a family in a home, she requires nobody use their phones - not even the crew. "That's how we get good work done and get it done fast and efficiently," she said. "It's about being present and focused and respectful. If a family is always on their phones, they're not connecting with one another and aren't living. They're not hearing what you're saying."
Not surprisingly, parents and kids are not always cooperative. "I'm still met with resistance," she said. "Oh, you're going to see that. You're going to see those that want the help and those who are not so sure they want it. They find excuses."
The show certainly fits in with what Up! is trying to achieve as a network. (It already airs repeats of "Supernanny" weekdays in the mornings.)
"This is a fantastic partnership for UP since it reinforces our brand promise of offering compelling family entertainment while also providing help to real families in need of solutions," said Amy Winter, general manager for the network.
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