Family TV Round-Up: The Year In Review, Part 1

Welcome to the Family TV Round-Up, a recap of all kid-friendly programming across the television universe. We'll sum up all the news related to children's programming, as well as profile the people and shows that your kids, tweens and teens are talking about.

With 2011 just a week away, it's time to reflect on what happened in family programming in 2010. Turns out, there was a good deal of activity during the year -- so much that it can't all fit in this column. So, to cover everything that took place, we'll split the review into two parts.

This week we'll take a look at NBC, PBS, ABC Family and Cartoon Network.

NBC
In a joint effort with Wal-Mart and Proctor & Gamble, NBC produced three family-friendly movies for 'Wal-Mart's Family Moments' series. 'Secrets of the Mountain,' 'The Jensen Project' and 'A Walk In My Shoes' aired on three Fridays throughout the year with average results. No word if NBC will continue the partnership and produce more films in the future.

PBS
Unfortunately, the biggest news coming from the public broadcasting universe wasn't all good -- 'Sesame Street' became a hotbed of controversy thanks to guest Katy Perry. A segment with Elmo and the singer was cut out of the 41st season of the series due to the singer's revealing costume, which made some parents uneasy after the clip was released online. The resulting firestorm featured opinions from both sides. Even Elmo himself jump into the fray to defend her friend Katy.

In other PBS news, the network's PBS Kids Go! premiered a new program based on the 'Cat in the Hat' book series. 'The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That!' features the slightly crazed cat, voiced by Martin Short, and his friends as they explore the world of science.

ABC Family
The cable outlet continued to expand its slate of teen and young adult programming with two new series. 'Pretty Little Liars,' based on the novels by Sara Shepard, became the network's number one series launch in June. 'Huge,' based on the young adult novel by Sasha Paley, premiered to large numbers but faltered in the ratings throughout its run. It was canceled in October.

Cartoon Network
The network continued to diversify its lineup in order to compete with neighboring kid outlets DisneyXD and Nickelodeon. In addition to renewing 'Dude, What Would Happen?' and 'Destroy, Build, Destroy,' the network commissioned three new live-action programs as well as another installment in their 'Scooby-Doo' live-action/CGI series.

The first was a game show -- 'Hole in the Wall.' Originally airing on Fox in 2009, the show was reformatted for a younger audience and became a success at the network. Two dramas also premiered this year. 'Unnatural History,' about a high school student with exceptional intelligence, was the first Cartoon Network series to have a parental guidance warning. 'Tower Prep,' about a group of students with superpowers who are being educated at a strange private school, has received positive reviews.

'Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster,' the second film in the made-for-TV, live-action 'Scooby-Doo' series, premiered in October to record ratings. It also spurred on the resurrection of the 'Scooby-Doo' animated series with the premiere of 'Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated.' Placing the gang in the town of Crystal Cove, the new series rebooted the franchise with new relationships amongst the characters -- like a romantic connection between Shaggy and Velma -- as well as a running storyline throughout the episodes.

In other animated news, Cartoon Network debuted several new shows on its Monday and Friday night schedules. Between 8PM and 10PM on Monday nights, the network aired 15-minute blocks of new series 'Regular Show,' 'MAD' (based on the magazine) and 'Robotomy.' On Friday nights, the outlet premiered a new 'Ben 10' series, 'Ben 10: Ultimate Alien' as well as the Genndy Tartakovsky-produced 'Sym-Bionic Titan' and 'Generator Rex.' The network also provided a sneak peek at the new DC Comics-based series 'Young Justice,' which will premiere in January.

On Friday, we'll review the years at Disney Channel, DisneyXD, HUB and the Nickelodeon family of networks.