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Sit Down, Shut Up

(Rated TV-14, Comedy, Starring Henry Winkler, Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Where to watch: Fox, Online)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 14, age appropriate for kids over 18; suggested age 15.

  • Is it any good?

    2.0

  • Common Sense says

    Colorful 'toon aims crude humor at consenting adults.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 15–18

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    None of the adults at Knob Haven High School are very good role models, although P.E. teacher Larry Littlejunk comes closest to being the voice of reason. Others alternately flirt with students, buy pornography, get naked in front of the school board to prove they "didn't come from no monkey," and plot to put student athletes on steroids to boost alumni funding. Some characters are stereotyped, notably a Middle Eastern janitor.

  • Violence:

    Some cartoonish violence, including a man getting stabbed in the neck with a dart at the school carnival and a flashback to a school production of Edward Scissorhands that ends with the audience getting doused in blood.

  • Sex:

    Heavy sexual innuendo, with some cartoonish "nudity" that's blocked out with a black censor bar. The drama teacher is openly bisexual and makes jokes about students painting his face on "anything with a hole in it," the English teacher covers his erection with a stuffed animal while talking to a female colleague, booths at a school carnival include a "Sausage Toss" and a "Salad Toss," and the list goes on.

  • Language:

    Audible words include "hell," "damn," and "ass," as well as sexually charged terms like "nut sack," "yam sack," "testicles," "tits," and "horny." Bleeped phrases include "f--king idiot."

  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Occasional use and promotion of illegal substances. One episode revolves around a plot dreamed up by the acting principal to put the football team on steroids to improve their performance. Teachers also sample drugs that they confiscate from students and sometimes drink alcohol.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Sit Down, Shut Up

Parents need to know that this animated comedy takes place in a small-town high school but focuses on the dysfunctional lives of its faculty and staff, a motley crew of pseudo-professionals who don't really like their jobs, their students, or each other very much. Because the series is aimed at adults who appreciate crude humor, there's plenty of iffy material when it comes to kids and teens, from heavy sexual innuendo, bleeped cursing, and audible words like "porno," "nut sack," and "three-way" to crude jokes about doing drugs and drinking -- plus a borderline racist portrayal of a Middle Eastern janitor who speaks "scary Muslim talk." Proceed with caution.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about humor that pushes the envelope when it comes to social mores and political correctness. Is it ever useful? Why or why not? Is it possible for something to be funny and offensive at the same time? Parents and kids can also talk about whether audiences would perceive this show any differently if it featured live actors instead of animated characters. Can animated comedy series like this one get away with more when it comes to crude humor because they seem less like real life than live-action?
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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    zackaback
    I rate this title on for age 15 and give it 5.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use

    Funny Show

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate
  2. Adult Reviewer
    Antonio Contrera ...
    Lives in Illinois
    I rate this title iffy for age 15 and give it 1.0

    It was cancelled already

    This show has been cancelled, so it doesn't matter how bad it was

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate
  3. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    code2264
    Lives in Pennsylvania
    I rate this title on for age 14 and give it 5.0

    lol

    very funny lol

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate
  4. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Leelandfan13
    Lives in South Carolina
    I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it 5.0

    With how us teenagers are it's okay for anyone 13 or older

    I'm a 14 year old. I love Sit Down Shut Up. The fact is that us teenagers know more about sex and drugs than you think. Some of the things that they say that some people (make that mostly everyone) think is inappropriate are funny to me. What parents say, "That's just wrong." to we laugh our butts off. It's that simple. I love this show and teenagers should be able to watch it.

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate
  5. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    KIdX13
    Lives in Michigan
    I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it 3.0

    Funnier than the simpsons, but not as funny as family guy

    This show is alright, it has some funny parts, but it generaly isn't extreamly funny, it has some issues: 1. Some cartonish violence, some of it bloody. 2. LOTS of sexual inuendo including, teatchers flirting with students, buying porn, A teatcher is bisexual, nudity is cencored, tetchers are seen in their underware, one teatcher constantly makes "Nut sack" puns. 3. Basic language S--t and F--k are bleeped. Overall this is a good show for teens, but I recomend family guy more.

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate

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