Joanne Frost began her professional career about 30 years ago. Her most notable television role to date is ‘Nanny Jo’ from the television program “Supernanny”. The show first aired in the United Kingdom on Channel 4 on July 7, 2004. The British version of Supernanny reportedly received about 5 million viewers before it finally came to end in October 2008.

Supernanny became a household name, drawing the attention of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). The second series debuted in the United States on ABC on January 17, 2005. A contract dispute brought an untimely end to the show after the 15th episode of the 7th season aired on March 18, 2011.

The Daily Mail reported on November 26, 2011 Frost had exited the show because she was “unhappy.” According to the article, an unknown source spoke out in Jo’s defense, claiming she didn’t “own a house.”

Jo exited the show after ABC allegedly turned down her request for “a bigger financial cut”. Jo was eventually replaced by Deborah Tillman who was described by many as a “Michelle Obama Look-a-Like”. After 16 episodes, two seasons, the revamped Supernanny with Tillman came to an end. That hasn’t been the end of Jo Frost’s television run with several shows following the cancellation of Supernanny.

In Family S.O.S with Jo Frost, which aired in 2013, viewers got the opportunity to see Jo out of her element and it was not a pretty sight. The show was a black eye for TLC, which is best known for 90 Day Fiance and other controversial reality shows.

I recently ran across Family S.O.S. on SlingTV in the On Demand section. As a long-time fan of Frost, I decided to give the show a shot. After a few minutes of watching, I was taken aback and found myself regretting my initial decision. It was unlike her previous roles in so many ways. Normally, Frost comes across as a stable, charming, competent nanny who could convince the most stubborn child to do his/her chores.

But, in S.O.S., Frost feels like a bad stepmother or police interrogator. One minute she is consoling the former “drug addict” son and the next second manhandling silverware and calling the daughter out for “acting stupid.” I gripped the edge of my seat, expecting Jo to drop a bomb at any minute.

The normally calm and controlled Supernanny appeared to be hyped up on 50 Red Bulls. Jo stormed through the house, displaying the type of behavior that she once criticized vehemently. The naughty step was long gone. Instead, Jo utilized her age, size, and experience to antagonize the parents and children foolish enough to appear on the dreadful show.

As the boy said in the first episode “it is all for television”, and it felt like he was right all along. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out for Jo or TLC. The show debuted with 1.15 million viewers but ended with the final episode attracting only 0.52 million.

After a brief stint on the Family S.O.S. with Jo Frost, the Supernanny star gets an opportunity to put her nanny skills to work once again in America. In the new Supernanny, Jo helps “modern-day families” tackle issues, ranging from electronic device obsessions to mental health disorders. She also faces problems such as kids with ADHD,  behavioral issues, and blended family challenges.

According to Lifetime, the show will tackle new challenges of modern-day families. However, I’ve watched two episodes so far and something stands out as modern, new, or revolutionary. The setup was rehashed from the original series.

While Jo is supposed to be tackling new challenges, the challenges are actually the same from episode to episode. Mostly, she is dealing with problematic children who are only acting out to get attention.

In the first few episodes, the parents are torn between work and giving their children time and attention. This creates for a formulaic experience that will get tedious after three or four episodes.

The show isn’t awful in any way but it isn’t breathtaking either. It is a near-perfect copy of the original flaws and all. Many fans will be quick to give on the show since they’ve seen it so many times before.

For those who haven’t, it will be something unique and captivating. For me, the show felt dumbed down and Jo was basically solving all problems with a cookie-cutter solution.

In reality, this isn’t going to cut it. We also have to place Jo Frost on a pedestal to enjoy the show and find value from its message. Much like Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, and Deborah Tillman, a level of respect and trust has to be given to the television talking head for their message to be powerful.

It is hard to stomach that Jo Frost has teamed up with the network that previously overlooked her without any hesitation. That alone tears away the credibility of the world’s “Supernanny”.

If you are a fan of the previous series, you will like the new Lifetime series. But, if you are expecting something different, don’t even bother watching.