Axe Cop
By Joyce Slaton,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Absurdity rules in edgy animated series written by a kid.
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A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.
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Based on 4 parent reviews
Cartoon violence roughly on par with Tom and Jerry, written by a 5 year old and lacks a mature moral compass, for better or worse
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Axe Cop was not for kids
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What's the Story?
Comic artist Ethan Nicolle found a great way to connect with his 5-year-old brother Malachai when the two began collaborating on AXE COP, written by Malachai and drawn by Ethan. First a web comic, next a print graphic novel, and now an animated network series, AXE COP follows the adventures of an officer (voiced by Nick Offerman) who prefers to wield an axe instead of a gun. He sleeps only minutes a day and spends every night battling bad guys like Telescope Gun Cop and Doctor Stinkyhead. Sometimes there are zombies. Sometimes space aliens. Sometimes giant chickens with human heads who command an army of drill-wielding chicks. But Axe Cop fears nothing and he and his mighty axe are always ready to battle the multifarious bad guys who threaten law, order, and Axe Cop's pals.
Is It Any Good?
In one episode of Axe Cop, the zombie who ate the world's smartest brain takes the world's smartest poop. It comes to life and becomes Dr. Doodoo, a villain who plans to travel to London, England to marry the Queen of England and take over the world. Part of Dr. Doodoo's plan involves making all the humans on earth poop themselves to death. If that strikes you as amusing, so will Axe Cop.
The goofy goings on are comparable to other animated series: The Venture Bros. and South Park comes to mind. But since (most of) the plots were formulated by a small child with a small child's vivid imagination, passing fixations and a distinct lack of real-world logic, Axe Cop's happenings are a lot weirder. Cartman and Stan never went into space to visit the giant dinosaur horn store to vanquish the king of all bad guys, right? In another scene, Axe Cop stares at himself in the mirror, mentally trying on different hair and moustache styles. "I think you'd look best with a super curly beard and moustache with a robot ghost inside," says a friend. That's Axe Cop all over.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what audience Axe Cop is aimed at. Are the showrunners hoping to reach children? Adults? Teens? Twentysomethings? Senior citizens? What brings you to this conclusion?
Are viewers supposed to find the character Axe Cop funny? Disturbing? Ridiculous? Is he presented as a character you can trust?
Given that many of Axe Cop's situations were thought up by a very young child, how does the absurdity of the goings-on compare with other animated series such as The Venture Bros. or Archer?
TV Details
- Premiere date: July 27, 2013
- Cast: Megan Mullally , Nick Offerman
- Network: Fox
- Genre: Comedy
- Topics: Superheroes
- TV rating: TV-14
- Last updated: October 14, 2022
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