Total Drama Action (Cartoon Network)

common sense media says

Island sequel keeps laughs coming with reality spoof.


parents & educators say
  • 67% say sexual content is an issue
  • 47% say violence is an issue

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this sequel to popular animated reality spoof Total Drama Island is best enjoyed by tweens and teens who can appreciate its satirical view of real-life shows like Survivor. For this age group, there's nothing really worrisome beyond some potty humor (mostly belches and farts), kissing, and occasional innuendo. The heavily stereotyped characters invite obvious labels (the nerd, the drama queen, the outcast, etc.), but the extreme nature of their personalities is meant to spoof how actual reality shows are cast -- and ultimately only adds to the show's satirical nature.

Positive messages: The show plays on established character stereotypes for laughs -- but viewers who get the joke will see all of this behavior for the for its true satirical nature and its commentary on reality entertainment as a whole. There's also lots of potty humor, including farts and belches.
Positive role models: As part of the show's satire, the characters all fit into stereotypes like "the nerd," "the jock," "the
cheerleader," and "the overweight guy," just to name a few. Greed
usually overtakes their sense of decency, and they relish in
sounding off about their peers. Again, though, it's all part of the joke and meant to be a commentary.
Violence: Danger lurks in many of the challenges the teens face during the competition -- as when they must outrun a gigantic animatronic monster. Sometimes the contestants rough each other up, but it's not serious, and there's no lasting injury.
Sex: Some innuendo, kissing, and mild groping.
Language: Not applicable.
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not applicable.

More on Total Drama Action

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
  • Families can talk about reality TV. Why are competition shows like American Idol, Survivor, and The Bachelor so popular?
  • Do you like watching these types of shows? How are they different from traditional game shows? Do you think the content is really “real”?
  • Do you think spoofs like this one could change how we view real reality shows?

What's the story?

What's the story?
TOTAL DRAMA ACTION is the follow up to the popular reality cartoon Total Drama Island. The new iteration reunites 14 of the original campers at an abandoned movie set for six weeks of competition, with the eventual winner claiming a $1 million prize. The contestants -- or "castmates," as they're called -- take part in movie genre-themed challenges doled out by host Chris McClean (voiced by Christian Potenza). At the conclusion of most episodes, the castmates vote to send one of their peers home.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

Its unique TV genre may be an oxymoron, but this animated reality spoof is so good at what it does that it might just make a dent in "real" reality shows' grip on the viewer market. If you're even moderately familiar with competition shows like Survivor and Fear Factor (and who can avoid them these days?), you'll get a kick out of this cartoon's satirical view of the stereotypical contestant pool, peppy host, and outrageous challenges the castmates must endure.

As for your kids, it's a safe bet that if they're too young to watch live-action reality shows, there's really no need for them to tune into a cartoon that spoofs them, since they won't understand most of the humor and may get the wrong idea about the intentionally one-dimensional characters. On the other hand, tweens and teens who can put the characters' obvious flaws and mildly bad behavior into context and will see this show for what it truly is: a comical commentary on the state of current entertainment.

TV themes & details

TV Details
TV Rating: TV-PG
Network: Cartoon Network
Cast: Christian Potenza, Megan Fahlenbock, Stephanie Mills
Genre: Kids' Animation
Where to watch: Cartoon Network

This review was written by Emily Ashby
 
 

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What parents & educators say

9
Based on 15 parent & educator reviews:
  • 67% say sexual content is an issue
  • 47% say violence is an issue
  • 27% say language is an issue

Most useful reviews by all members

elflady436
teen, 16 years old
 
best show in the world and content is not bad!!!! my 7 year old sister watches it.
this show is the best !!!!!!!!!!!! i love it so much although i can disagree with some of the events . age wise i don't think its bad my 7 year old sister watches it with me and she is totally fine with it along with our parents. the language isn't bad besides suck a couple times . honestly the content of the show is not terrible or even bad so yes its very ok to watch even if youre younger than 9 ( i recomend around 6- older)

whaleoh4060
teen, 14 years old
 
Hilarious!
Great show really funny! A character breaks his jaw. Many characters are hit in the crotch. A dead Chris. An impaled Chris, it turns out to be a prop. Some kissing. Bleeped out f-words in only one episode.

Miranda ...
kid, 11 years old
 
Still NOT FOR KIDS!!!!! STILL THE MOST INAPPROPRIATE SHOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Again!!! All the sexual behavior is NOT FOR ANY KID!!!!! HATE IT STILL!! THEY CURSE!! LOOK AT ANOTHER GIRLS BOOBS IN THIS SHOW AND YOU WILL STOP WATCHING THIS CRAP!!!! I HATE IT EVEN MORE NOW!!! I HATE IT OK!!!! THEY STILL DO DRUGS TO GET ALL WEIRD, DUMB, STUPID, UGLY, CREEPY AND SCARY LIKE THE 1ST ONE!!!!

realdeal456
teen, 15 years old
 
Great second season, US version stays closer to original Canadian version
AWESOME show, loved it just as much as Season 1! Although most may think that TDI was better and TDA almost killed it, I think TDWT brought it back to life! Even though TDI is more crude to some, there were a lot of edits placed on it. Keep this in mind because TDA had a lot less edits put on it, so more minor swears may be audible (Be warned parents: audible "crap"s abound). All in all, a great show!

tdafan101
teen, 14 years old
 
Total Drama Action ROCKS!!! =D
I am IN LOVE with TDA!! :D In my opinion, TDA is waaaay better than tdi cuz I'm an actress, and its actor-themed with diffrent themes like Dinosaur, and stuff like that!! :) I am 12, and I am OBSESSED with tda and tdi!! :) It's my fave show, next to iCarly! :) Gwen + Trent= Love Duncan+Courtney Forever!! Geoff+Bridgette Forever!! :) my fave couples!! :)

CN_Fan
kid, 10 years old
 
The bad words are rarely used so its appropriate for 7 in this season.

KforKitty101
teen, 15 years old
 
Perfect for tweens and teens
I love this show! It is the best in the world! And i tihnk its fine for 9+ to watch, because they will be able to understand the jokes. But under 9 isnt such a good idea, because they wont get the jokes. The good things about it are no gore or violence-except for bombs-, no weapons-well they are used for cooking, but not to hurt anyone- no drugs or acohol, and no extreme sexual behavior-like talking about it or actuallly doing it-. And i wouldnt mind if it got moved to a diferent channel, but cmon. I think that its perfect for CN because now theyre growing up a little, but not too much. Now lets say they wanted to put Family Guy or Kourtney and Khloe on here, then that would be a good reason to have CN taken off of your TV

SWhitaker15
teen, 14 years old
 
Iffy
I liked the first season, all the other ones were dumb, and this should be for maybe 11 and up, seriously, really innapropraite for kids.

Cutipie82637
teen, 14 years old
 
Hate it
Hate it! period.

SuzySidekick
parent of 14 year old
 
not for 9
Just the previews alone show this is not a kids show so parents watch this first befor letting your kids see it

taymomsenfan
teen, 17 years old
 
Basically, I give this what I gave the original show 'Total Drama Island'. My sisters like it but I think its dumb.

splatterhousedude
teen, 14 years old
 
This is an awsome show for kids 10 and up.

sergi
kid, 10 years old
 
Gross but who cares!
Gross but I would not mind watching it.If anybody post again,tell me who won the show.I will make you a compliment if you do!

Totaldramacartoon
parent of 10 , 18 , and 19 , 19 year old
 
I love this show! It's the best sequel of TDI!

Charizard632
teen, 16 years old
 
Bad Show!
I avoid this show. Not only it is horrible and new, it is also nasty and crude. Change the channel!

Mr.AwsomeFace
kid, 13 years old
 
Good show
I loved this show since this show began

aubrigirl821
teen, 14 years old
 
the truth 4 PG parents.....
This show was never ment for little kids in first place, it comes on late at night and if you dont want your kids watching this show, why are they up at 10 o clock anyways? The jokes are ment for kids who have a "middle school" type of humor, the "dirty" jokes are subtle and if your kids can't deal with thia kind of mild humor don't have them watch the show. Mostly everone complains about the girls "perfect" features, just because they seem to have large chests and backsides doesn't make them perfect. The point of having all of the girls look this way is to show the difference in each of the girls personalities and how they handle the competition and other members of the show. Just because you see a girl with a small stomach and big features doesn't mean you should assume that the girl has a "perfect" demeanor about her figure. If you want completely politically correct shows for your child to watch PBS and Nick Jr. are always an alternative, your child should have learned at this point that some people have what society calls a "perfect" body and some don't. It is a show ment for kids who have a small understanding of human behavior, human dynamics and social skills, not for a sheltered 8 year old whose parents make them think that everybody wins and there are no losers in the world, newsflash once your kid enters highschool they are going to have a major culture shock as well as a huge reality check...

ohya
parent of 14 year old
 
good sequel show

GoodSSJ
parent of 12 year old
 
This Is Total Drama Action Not Total Drama Romance.
If The Title Says Action,That Means It Needs A Lot Of Action.But Emily Ashby Says There's Not That Much Violence And She Says There's More Sexual Content Than Violence And That's Not True.Stupid Emily.

23momof3
parent of 5 , 6 , and 8 year old
 
Well... depends on your parenting outlook i guess
Yes there is some mild kissing andactions but nothing too bad. This is one of my 5 and 7 year olds favorite shows and a show my 4 year old enjoys. Some episodes are worse then others but this is not some horrible show forbidden in my house.

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ON: Content is 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