 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
The Cleveland Show
Common Sense Media says
Raunchy animated Family Guy spin-off isn't for kids.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that The Cleveland Show -- an animated spin-off of Family Guy -- is too racy for young kids. Creator Seth MacFarlane’s brand of humor is heavy on shock value -- as in sequences that seem to condone sexual harassment among elementary school students or encourage teens to ignore their parents' instructions -- and includes lots of over-the-top references to sex and drinking. The series is also rife with racially-tinged comments and other salty language (including words like "douche" and "boobs"). All of the edgy content unfortunately overwhelms the genuinely sweet message about love and family at the core of the show.
What's the story?
After an acrimonious divorce leaves him homeless, Cleveland Brown (voiced by Mike Henry) moves back to his hometown and marries his high school sweetheart, Donna (Sanaa Lathan). The new couple, along with Cleveland’s teenage son, Cleveland Jr. (Kevin Michael Richardson), and Donna’s two kids -- mouthy high school student Roberta (Reagan Gomez-Preston) and precocious kindergartener Rallo (Henry again) -- try to create a happy, blended family in this animated comedy spin-off of Family Guy. (Naturally, their neighbors happen to be a family of bears -- yes, actual bears.)
Is it any good?
Fans of Family Guy know what to expect from creator Seth MacFarlane. Each episode of THE CLEVELAND SHOW is rude, crude, and raunchy, with quirky characters and plenty of jokes about sex and drinking that aim low and try to wring laughs from sheer shock value. As in MacFarlane’s other shows, nothing is off-limits here, especially race. Cleveland is African American, and the show is riddled with quips and offhand comments that play on stereotypes and clichés. You could argue that MacFarlane deserves credit for addressing the topic at all, since so many other shows don't, but the show does little to advance any real discussion of the issue.
The show has a soft and sweet center, as Cleveland tries to pursue his dreams and find love with his old flame. But this positive message is almost completely buried in sophomoric humor, and it’s hardly worth the effort to sift through the dreck to get there.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about raunchy humor. Many of the show's jokes tread very close to the line between outrageous and offensive. Do you find shows like this funny, or do they go too far? Who decides what "too far" is?
The show features repeated references to race and often includes jokes based on racial stereotypes. Is that kind of humor ever OK?
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AGE
This show is great. It was sad to see him leave the family guy scene but who would want to stay after falling out of the house in the tub? this is ok for 13 and up and is really funny.
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AGE
A more watered down Version of Family guy for the 8 year olds.
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AGE
Almost everything was crass, stupid, most of the time nonsense, and worst of all, it hurts most viewers and it's of course racial at times.
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AGE
The Hollywood Show
This is a spin-off of Family Guy. But it's a funny one. It's like a filler, but good. The Cleveland Show is another Family Guy that can be racist at times, but it delivers the comedy, nevertheless. If you wanted to watch this show, you could also watch Family Guy, because they're virtually the same. Although, I hope Seth MacFarlane doesn't do this with every character he has in his "Family Guy" series. I don't exactly want to see a show about Quagmire getting freaky and dirty at the same time, it would be too boring. My advice, you can choose between either Family Guy or The Cleveland Show, but they're really won't be a difference.
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AGE
Kids should not watch this. This gives kids bad ideas to do drugs and put other people down i don't like this show.
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AGE
Terrible Spin-Off; More Tame than "Family Guy"
As if Seth MacFarlane really needed yet another poorly-animated collection of random pop-culture references on FOX, he now has "The Cleveland Show" - a spin-off from "Family Guy", which follows Cleveland Brown (one of Peter's friends), his overweight teenage son, and his new wife and family. As usual, the "jokes" fall flat on their face, and many of them are just pathetic attempts to be "edgy", as well as haphazard pop-culture references without any sense of rhyme or reason whatsoever. MacFarlane is kinda like that annoying kid who desperately wants to be the class clown. As usual, there is a large number of crude, sexual content, gratuitous animated violence, and random swearing. However, the content on "Cleveland" seems far more tame than on "Family Guy", and less raunchy than "American Dad" as well. At any rate... don't bother. This one won't last more than two seasons, tops.
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AGE
LOVE IT
love it seth mcfarlane is hillarious amed at teens
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| TV rating: | TV-14 |
| Network: | Fox |
| Cast: | Reagan Gomez-Preston, Sanaa Lathan, Seth MacFarlane |
| Genre: | Comedy |
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