Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that, despite its TV-G rating, this series is laced with sexual innuendoes that will either go over kids' head or instigate lots of questions that parents may not want to answer. Comedians often make jokes about how animals' mating rituals and sexual practices compare to humans', and there's occasional mention of the critters using their sex appeal for "getting action." Some scenes also show decaying and dismembered animal carcasses.
Families can talk about the show's intent. Does it aim to entertain, educate, or both? How well does it succeed? Did you learn anything from watching? Does the show's comedic tone affect how seriously you take the facts it presents? Do you find the comedians' comments funny? Why or why not? Can you think of other nature series that seem more believable because of their format?
Common Sense Review
Part documentary, part comedy, THE A-LIST outlines animals' most outrageous habits and gives comedians like Danny Bonaduce, Jackee Harry, and Ty Barnett the chance to comment on the critters' quirky personality traits -- from ear-piercing noises to destructive behavior.
In each episode, narrator Zac Fine introduces 10 animals with similarly oddball characteristics -- unusual fathering techniques and strange mating habits, for example. After some background facts are given, the comedians chime in with their own impressions of the behavior, trading quips based on the animals' unusual inclinations and often drawing humorous comparisons between their actions and those of humans in similar situations.
Each 30-minute episode is a fast-paced tour of the animal world that offers viewers some intriguing morsels of knowledge flanked with humor that will certainly tickle the funny bone. But despite the show's family-friendly positioning, The A-List is pretty racy for a nature series. Sexuality is often at the heart of the show's comedy, and the cast makes multiple references to animals "getting action" and showing off their "sex appeal." Combined with strong innuendoes, those comments may prompt tricky questions from kids.
Some more clearly kid-friendly nature show choices include Amazing Animal Videos, Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures, and the classic Wild Kingdom.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentAnimal mating rituals are often discussed at length, and comedians refer to their subjects "having sex" and "getting action." Plenty of innuendo draws humorous comparisons between sexuality in the animal and human worlds. Most of the jokes will go over kids' head, but since this type of humor is often the crux of the show's humor, it's likely to raise questions anyway. |
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ViolenceSome scenes show decaying or dismembered carcasses, and the narrator refers to animals killing their prey. |
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LanguageNo cursing, but infrequent use of substitutes like "frickin'." |
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Social BehaviorComedians make jokes at the expense of infamous celebrities like Michael Jackson and Lindsay Lohan. |
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