Common Sense Media Review
By Joyce Slaton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Language, sci-fi violence in grown-up animated series.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Dallas & Robo
What's the Story?
The adult animated series DALLAS & ROBO centers on a space trucker (and disgraced stock car driver) Dallas (Dennings) and her robot companion, Robo (Cena), as they journey through the universe, delivering cargo from here to there and taking on rival space truckers, dangerous cannibal bikers, vengeful bounty hunters, and other evildoers in their trusty big rig.
Is It Any Good?
With blah animation and tepid characters, this series reads as a rip-off of other, better animated outings like Futurama and Rick and Morty, with a few "could have been a contender" ideas. The most intriguing notion here is Robo, an artificial intelligence-equipped bot in a universe where an "AI cull" at some point in recent history got rid of most of Robo's kind and turned robots exclusively into mindless servants that bring drinks and fix spaceships. But Robo has a curious power: Not only is he sentient, but he can bring other robots to life.
There are all sorts of interesting implications here -- which Dallas & Robo chooses to mostly ignore, concentrating instead on ho-hum battles with cannibal space outlaws and bounty hunters, with Robo and hard-drinking party girl Dallas hauling cargo, kicking ass, and hopping from battle to battle across the galaxy. Too bad, because watching a robot struggle to find his place in an unfriendly universe is a lot more compelling. You may want to let this one keep on trucking.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the market for shows such as Dallas & Robo. Is this the kind of entertainment adults want? What is the appeal of animated series for grown-ups?
Is this series controversial? Does any of its content cross the line? Do TV ratings do enough to warn viewers about a show's content?
How much of what we see in entertainment do we internalize? Is it important that the characters be good role models or not? What shows do you watch that have positive behavior models?
TV Details
- Premiere date : May 30, 2018
- Cast : Kat Dennings , John Cena , Stephen Root
- Network : YouTube Premium
- Genre : Comedy
- TV rating :
- Last updated : September 30, 2022
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