Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that as funny as this animated show may be for teens and adults, it's not appropriate for grade-schoolers and tweens. The series' extreme violence is continuous, and provides no discussion of the consequences of fighting and conflict. Parents should also know that sideline commentaries and interviews include many subtle references to drugs, alcohol, sexual activity, and transgendered behavior (one of the male commentators sports breasts under his suit).
Families can talk about the consequences of violence and violent acts. Why is violence OK on television but wrong in real-life? What's the difference between fighting and self-defense? How do you think the celebrities depicted in the show feel about seeing themselves in this context? Where do you think the show's creators get their ideas for match-ups? Families can also discuss why some animated television shows aren't meant for kids.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Melissa Camacho
Created by Eric Fogel (who also created Beavis & Butt-Head and Daria), CELERBRITY DEATHMATCH is a claymation satire of professional wrestling that features famous people fighting to the death.
Returning to the airwaves after being cancelled in 2002, the resurrected Deathmatch boasts of being bloodier and gorier than the original series while still maintaining the tradition of poking fun at anyone who's anyone in the worlds of entertainment and politics.
Sideline commentators Johnny Gomez (voiced by Jim Thorton) and Nick Diamond (Chris Edgerly) host the updated series, offering tongue-in-cheek play-by-play observations that are filled with sexual innuendo and bathroom humor. Mills Lane (also Edgerly) is the referee who oversees the carnage, and Tally Wong (voiced by Masasa Moyo) replaces Debbie Matenopoulos (as herself) as commentator and celebrity interviewer.
Good writing and inventive animation create funny moments that parody some of the public scandals, strained relationships, and annoying habits of today's celebrities. Viewers will likely be entertained by matches that pit clay caricatures of public figures against each other; sample pairings include The Simple Life's Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, American Idol's Simon Cowell and Ryan Seacrest, and former *NSYNC singer Justin Timberlake and Kevin "Mr. Britney Spears" Federline.
The show's suggestive and sometimes politically incorrect humor will very likely go over the heads of younger teens. But each deathmatch includes a graphic display of clay characters being beaten, sliced open (sometimes playing with their internal organs), blown up, or burnt alive. While these gruesome events are unrealistic and played for laughs, they're still extremely violent and aren't appropriate for young children.
Fans of Celebrity Deathmatch might like other edgy animated shows like Where My Dogs At? and The Ren & Stimpy Show, as well as The Showbiz Show.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentMany references to sexual activity, but they're discussed in a way that will go over the heads of young viewers. Occasional references to female body parts. |
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ViolenceThe show's title says it all. Claymation celebrities fight to the death, using whatever means possible to kill their opponent. Everyday objects become weapons, and the results are bloody and often gruesome (if any of it was live-action instead of animated, it would be like watching a grotesque snuff film). That said, all of the violence is clearly meant to be unrealistic and funny. |
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LanguageMild language, including words like "ass." |
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Social BehaviorPromotes extreme fighting as way of solving problems between people who don't get along. But it also makes interesting social and political statements about how we view celebrities in our culture. |
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CommercialismOccasional references to films and television programs celebrities star in, books they've written, and other commercial items they're promoting. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoOccasional subtle comments about drug or alcohol use. |
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