Celebrity Deathmatch
By Melissa Camacho,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Funny but violent satire for teens and up.
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Based on 2 parent reviews
Okay show
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What's the Story?
Created by Eric Fogel (who also created Beavis & Butt-Head and Daria), CELERBRITY DEATHMATCH is a claymation satire of professional wrestling that features famous people fighting to the death. Returning to the airwaves after being cancelled in 2002, the resurrected Deathmatch boasts of being bloodier and gorier than the original series while still maintaining the tradition of poking fun at anyone who's anyone in the worlds of entertainment and politics.
Is It Any Good?
Good writing and inventive animation create funny moments that parody some of the public scandals, strained relationships, and annoying habits of today's celebrities. Viewers will likely be entertained by matches that pit clay caricatures of public figures against each other; sample pairings include The Simple Life's Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, American Idol's Simon Cowell and Ryan Seacrest, and former *NSYNC singer Justin Timberlake and Kevin "Mr. Britney Spears" Federline.
The show's suggestive and sometimes politically incorrect humor -- sideline commentators Johnny Gomez (voiced by Jim Thorton) and Nick Diamond (Chris Edgerly) host the updated series, offering tongue-in-cheek play-by-play observations that are filled with sexual innuendo and bathroom humor -- will very likely go over the heads of younger teens. And each deathmatch includes a graphic display of clay characters being beaten, sliced open (sometimes playing with their internal organs), blown up, or burnt alive. While these gruesome events are unrealistic and played for laughs, they're still extremely violent and aren't appropriate for young children.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the consequences of violence and violent acts. Why is violence OK on television but wrong in real-life? What's the difference between fighting and self-defense? How do you think the celebrities depicted in the show feel about seeing themselves in this context? Where do you think the show's creators get their ideas for match-ups? Families can also discuss why some animated television shows aren't meant for kids.
TV Details
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