Aqua Teen Hunger Force (Cartoon Network)

common sense media says

Oddball humor is OK for teens ... but is it funny?


parents & educators say
  • 26% say violence is an issue
  • 26% say sexual content is an issue

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that the members of the Aqua Teen Hunger Force don't really have much contact with water (except for their neighbor's pool), aren't really teens, and are occasionally hungry but rarely exhibit much force. Mostly, they're shown hanging around their house, which looks more like a bombed-out crack den, and getting involved in side schemes that never turn out well. They sling insults at each other, don't hold steady jobs, and apparently live off welfare. And to top it all off, they're junk food personified.

Positive messages: The show’s pretty silly, but it highlights how absurdity and randomness can be funny.
Positive role models: Frylock's brains and maturity make up for Master Shake's ethical stumbles. But Meatwad usually gets squished in the process. Neighbor Carl is a terrible role model.
Violence: Occasional cartoon violence includes guns and some blood.
Sex: At least one episode involves a hooker, but the Aqua Teens are generally asexual. Their neighbor has pubic lice.
Language: "Hell," "bitch," "damn," and "ass" have free reign, but bigger words get bleeped.
Consumerism: The beer a neighbor drinks looks suspiciously like Budweiser.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Beer is featured prominently, although no one on the Hunger Force seems to drink. Drugs and tobacco pop up occasionally.

More on Aqua Teen Hunger Force

What to talk about

Talk to your kids

Families can talk about whether a cartoon really needs a plot to be funny. (Based on Aqua Teen Hunger Force's popularity, apparently not.) The show also prompts questions about group dynamics among friends with distinct personalities. Why do some people become leaders who get to tell everyone else what to do -- and why do others become followers who get mercilessly pushed around? How many bad decisions does a person have to make before being ousted by disgruntled friends?

What's the story?

What's the story?

AQUA TEEN HUNGER FORCE, the longest-running original series in Cartoon Network's late-night block, flies in the face of conventional comedy, Who would've thought that a milkshake, a meatball, and a container of fries could become rulers of their own cult domain? The show follows this trio of edible friends, who are supposed to be detectives but really aren't: Master Shake, a megalomaniacal milkshake (voiced by Dana Snyder); Frylock, a cerebral box of French fries (Carey Means); and Meatwad, a mild-mannered ball of ground beef (Dave Willis). The story lines are as absurd as the characters; for example, there's the time that Frylock decided to join a mountain biking club, never mind that as a levitating box of fries, Frylock has no legs and can't really ride a bike.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

Some parents might wonder why this show is funny at all, since it really doesn't make any sense. But maybe the randomness is part of its charm. As a programming choice for kids, ATHF isn't the best. After all, the language is loose, the story lines nonsensical, and the Aqua Teens' next-door neighbor, Carl (also voiced by Willis), is probably one of the worst role models on TV. That said, Frylock serves as an oddly comforting father figure whose passion for science and technology sets a positive example for younger viewers. Meatwad, too, usually displays some sense of moral outrage, though it rarely shields him from Master Shake's schemes.

TV themes & details

TV Details
TV Rating: TV-14
Network: Cartoon Network
Cast: Carey Means, Dana Snyder, Dave Willis
Genre: Comedy
Where to watch: Cartoon Network

This review was written by Kari Croop
 
 

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What parents & educators say

13
Based on 23 parent & educator reviews:
  • 26% say violence is an issue
  • 26% say sexual content is an issue

Most useful reviews by all members

 
Hilarious show is completely over the top
Great show. Hilarious. But this review needs to be changed. In its early seasons, this show was fine for 10+ year olds. Now it has turned into a racist, sexist, cussing, drug filled show that at times rivals or even surpasses the likes of South Park in terms of inappropriate content. One episode involves a dog named Hand Banana repeatedly raping a character on screen. It is very funny the way it is portrayed, but that is the problem. It portrays rape as a funny thing. Another episode called "D*ckesode" uses the word d*ck 53 times in 10 minutes, shows millions of (poorly censored) severed penises, a large amount of blood, and a character who looks like a giant penis. Yet another disturbingly nasty episode involves a character microwaving cats to the point where they explode, with guts and blood everywhere. Also, a character eats feces on screen, and everybody dies at the end of the episode. The last episode I will write about is the most disgusting and inappropriate episode of ANY cartoon I have ever seen. This episode is called "Rubberman". In this episode, a duck is made out of used condoms and syringes, and brought to life. Rubberman (as he is called) is a horrible role model, and encourages Meatwad to smoke crack and kill homeless people for money. A character has his genitals bitten off on screen by a killer whale, crack is bought and smoked multiple times, Meatwad eats the contents of a used condom, a drug dealer is executed, a policeman is maimed and killed brutally, and a character has his arms cut off with a hacksaw. All this in a 10 minute show that is supposedly fine for young teens. Please change this review CommonSense, because this show is becoming the new South Park.

fgh8ud
adult
 
Depends on season.
OK, the first couple of seasons are definately OK for tweens and teens. These next seasons are not ok for tweens, and not early teens. They got very mature and more surreal during the later seasons. Don't let your younger kids watch new seasons just old ones.

Frylock
teen, 14 years old
 
The best, but not for little kids.
The best show by far. It's not for little kids though. There's quite a bit of bloody violence. Frylock and Meatwad are good role models, but it's safe to say Carl and Shake are pretty evil (but funny).


kid, 12 years old
 
Language: Calling like food a "H*" is used


teen, 14 years old
 
Language: Calling like food a "H*" is used


kid, 11 years old
 
Language: Calling like food a "H*" is used

Justino4
teen, 14 years old
 
TV-PG to TV-MA?
Is very funny, but goes over the top in the later episodes. It was originally TV-PG and is now all the way at TV-MA. I don't know what happend. They randomly inserted stupid offending jokes that were just.....stupid.

hamstergurl09
teen, 17 years old
 
Bizarre, but Pretty Good.
This show is really bizarre and at times creepy (especially the episodes "Rubberman" and "Hand Banana"). But overall, it's actually quite funny. Shake is an idiot and a jerk, which is really funny to watch. Meatwad is really childlike and innocent. Frylock is the only smart one. There are crazy villains every episode. My personal favorite Aqua Teen characters are the Plutonians, Emeroy and Oglethorpe. I'd say 13 and up for this show.

andrewkjo
teen, 16 years old
 
LOL This Show is soo funny!!!!

age 10+
adult
 
fine for age 11+
Aqua teen hunger force is a very enjoyble show. Now, I know that some episodes are rated TV-MA but the show is fine for anyone age 11+ who wants to watch it.

manny_4511washere
teen, 14 years old
 
Very disappointing, but it came out all bad, but a bit funny
When I first watched this, it was pretty okay but then I realized I saw the other episodes on other seasons, there were too much sex references which is completely disturbing, and it shows a dog raping a neighbor on TV, and I changed the channel, cause it was not suppose to be showin it but too late it did, and in the other episodes you'll probably see master shake reading a magazine full of girl's naked butts (which he's being perverted to a little), well season 1 is only good for teens and tweens, but season 2 and the others... no way its much more worse, and also aqua unit patrol squad 1 showed frylock swearing out loud in the dark, plenty of sex references and issues bout them... and carl is a bad role model, he drinks too much and talks about strippers (in an inappropriate way) alot in every episode. Well, I would never recommend young kids under 13 to watch this... its nasty, disgusting, and very disappointing.

idk lol
adult
 
Its like a roller coaster
Well, seasons 1-5 are ok, but the rest of the series goes up in language and stuff after that. Master shake and carl always die, but because they were being unreasonable. Just watch out for the mooninite episodes, but the series after ATHF, which is aqua unit patrol, is mostly appropriate for younger audiences.

RatedM_R
parent of 8 and 14 year old
 
Junior luvs it, she acts alot like Frylock, but her fav is Dr.Weird. Tim is not allowed till his 10+, he acts like Meatwad. Me i luv Frylock, my husband hates Carl but luvs Master Shake.

jinzofiter6
kid, 13 years old
 
1st/2nd seasons okay for tweens, the rest iffy 14+
Frylock is a good role model, but Master Shake is somewhat evil. So is neighbor Carl, and Meatwad is in between but generally sweet. I'm only allowed to watch season 1 on DVD, I need to wait a couple more years to watch it on my own. TV-MA episodes are not allowed until I am 16, 17, or somewhere around that. Dont watch seasons 3/4+ until you're at least 14 or 15 years old. TOO MUCH SEX REFERENCES!!! TOO MUCH PROFANITY!!! I wanna watch so freakin bad! The movie, in my opinion, is iffy for 17+. For the series, seriously though, take a look at the later seasons and you'll see why I reccomend this iffy for 14+.

2drocks
kid, 12 years old
 
great show, but anything but perfect

Metropolisforever
teen, 16 years old
 
Not Much Redeeming Value, But Amusing
I pretty much grew up watching this show. It was obviously inspired by a cannabis-fueled attack of the munchies and is a big hit with the stoner crowd. However, unlike certain Adult Swim shows ("Tim and Eric", for example), you don't HAVE to be under the influence of anything to enjoy it. But, once again, Common Sense clearly only watched the first few episodes for their review. The show starts off pretty tame in the first season, but progressively gets more and more violent and crass. I really don't understand why the creators felt it was necessary, as it feels like they're just being vulgar for the sake of being vulgar. There's really no point to it. Aqua Teen Hunger Force used to be a funny and enjoyable show, but it's gone way downhill recently. Episodes have shown a dog violently raping a man (this is the focus of the entire episode), limbs chopped off in graphic detail, various forms of mutilation with copious gore, very crude sex references, and so forth. Two episodes ("Reedickyoulus" and "Rubberman") are rated TV-MA-V, and the plots of these episodes are so over-the-top and obscene that I could not possibly describe them here without getting banned. Be warned. Some episodes are very tame, while others are extreme.

ThreeDaysGrace ...
teen, 15 years old
 
Actually, there IS an entire episode about their dog raping their neighbor. And the dog is male. I don't have to paint you a picture. But it was hilarious. Yeah, this show's pretty good. I watch just about everything on CartoonNetwork- [adultswim], especially Family Guy and whenever the Oblongs come on.

manay_4511
teen, 14 years old
 
It's so inappropriate, its for teens of ages 13 and older only!!
Okay, I would not recommend that children under 12 are not allow to see this show at all, it may show several sexual situations that these characters are doing something that they shouldn't be doing on television somewhat. There are alot of bad language, lots of violence in the show, cause these guys couldn't even control their anger managements, or don't know how to use their good emotions for some reason. And wow, so many terrible role models in this bad show... weh, I think thats what I saw in this show I guess.

cashformoney5
kid, 11 years old
 
Iffy for my age and up. Show is very good, but watch out for seasons 4+. Seasons 1-2 are possibly 9+, season 3 for 10+, seasons 5-7, 14+.

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