Generation Cryo

Though the character-driven docu-series format the show takes on may look run of the mill, beyond its surface appearance Generation Cryo is genuinely engaging.

Even though it’s moving to watch a bunch of young people turning to one another for strength and counsel, finding what they need in the others, the clear narrative through-line of the show is Breeanna’s mission.

If the series were just about Breeanna looking for her biological father, it would be passably interesting. But her search also sheds light on a variety of issues that speak eloquently about the nature of a modern family.

Like most docu- reality TV mashups, the need for drama on-screen trumped detailed explanations. Choppy editing comes standard. Still, the tension between the impulse to search and the need for privacy is clear. Emotions run high and the conflict makes for good television.

It’s a welcome respite from some of the network’s noisier fare. The main problem here is that even when they’re not being whiny, the kids (beginning with Breeanna, our ostensible tour guide) simply aren’t articulate enough to trigger a genuine discussion about the sometimes-thorny issues surrounding procreation via test tube or the nature of being “a sperm donor kid.”

[An] ambivalent but mildly engrossing new docu-series.