Common Sense Media Review
By Stephanie Morgan
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Body-positive monster-hunters charm; sex humor, gore, drugs.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Astrid & Lilly Save the World
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
The title characters in ASTRID & LILLY SAVE THE WORLD (Jana Morrison and Samantha Aucoin, respectively) are a pair of bullied high school students who accidentally open up a portal into a monster-filled dimension and have to save the planet from total destruction. The body-positive best friends already have their hands full trying to support each other and find a way to fit in with their often cruel classmates. Once the portal is open, they each develop extraordinary monster-detecting senses and meet a guide -- a demon that looks like a horned man named Brutus -- to the new dimension they opened. He informs them that only those in severe pain can open the portal (a reference to the near constant verbal abuse the girls suffer at the hands of classmates and family) and that they'll need to use their new superpowers to collect the various monster body parts required to close it. Will Astrid and Lilly be able to meet the challenge?
Is It Any Good?
The two friends make an endearing pair of irreverent heroes in this over-the-top tale of average teens learning to kick some serious monster butt. Buffy the Vampire Slayer clearly walked so Astrid & Lilly Save the World could run, and while there are many parallels between the shows' tone and storylines, the latter has one big advantage; the female gaze. The show moves past cliched heroines battling enemies in tight tops and short skirts, and chooses instead to shine its light on a pair of high school girls who face down fat-shaming in every facet of their lives and still manage to love themselves. Their inter-dimensional monster hunter mentor, Brutus, makes for a worthy addition as he guides the girls in harnessing their new powers and empowers them in a way only an outsider can. In an early episode he asks Astrid incredulously, "Who are these jerks at school? Of course you can get a boyfriend." His attempt to acclimate himself to the bizarre nature of their dimension (i.e., our world) is also refreshingly funny. Considering the crew of nasty characters featured, each 30-minute episode is surprisingly uplifting and fun. Older teens who can handle the raunchy humor, gore, and drug and alcohol references will find a lot to love.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how teens are portrayed in the media. A lot of shows and movies lean into the storyline of kids being bullied for being different at school. Why is that, and how does it compare to the real high school experience?
How do Astrid and Lilly deal with being bullied? Do they let it define them? How do they display perseverance and empathy? What other admirable traits do they possess?
TV Details
- Premiere date : January 26, 2022
- Cast : Samantha Aucoin , Jana Morrison
- Network : Syfy
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : Fantasy
- Character Strengths : Empathy , Perseverance
- TV rating :
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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