Parents' Guide to

DC Super Hero Girls

By Emily Ashby, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 7+

Too-brief animated shorts visit heroines' teen years.

TV Online Kids' Animation 2015
DC Super Hero Girls Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

  • DC Super Hero Girls screenshot 1
  • DC Super Hero Girls screenshot 2
  • DC Super Hero Girls screenshot 3

Community Reviews

See all
age 6+

Based on 3 parent reviews

NeversideFaerie
NeversideFaerie Adult
June 8, 2017
age 6+

Starts out daft, but gets better

To begin with, this series focused on silly and sometimes out-of-character things happening to the superheroes, but it's now starting to get better, especially since the shorts are tying in with the movies, which are actually pretty good. I like that the characters wear modest and (mostly!) practical clothing and that the Teen Titans are in character. It kind of miffs me that this series is very toy-driven, but even so, I like that DC has created a superhero universe designed to appeal to girls because it turns out rather a lot of them like superheroes as much as boys!

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much consumerism
Lorraine C.
Lorraine C. Parent of 4-year-old
February 7, 2017
age 6+

Not Super

My daughter is a little young for this but we gave it a shot because she loves shows with hero characters like PJ Masks and Paw Patrol. Honestly, I wouldn't want her to watch it no matter what age she was. The "superhero" girls are vapid, catty, and frankly stupid. The episodes we watched had two girls using their powers to fight over the last piece of cake, and failing a driving test. My daughter summed it up best when she turned to me and said "Mama, why don't they DO anything?" Good question. If you're looking for heroic female characters, look elsewhere.
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

DC SUPER HERO GIRLS is set at Super Hero High School, where young heroes-in-training learn the ins and outs of their powers and being heroes. Super Hero High's halls are filled with familiar faces -- Wonder Woman (voiced by Grey DeLisle), Batgirl (Mae Whitman), Supergirl (Anais Fairweather), and Poison Ivy (Tara Strong) among them -- but these teens aren't the polished saviors of the world that you're used to. They're teens met with the double challenge of mastering their special powers and wading through the social ups and downs of adolescence.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3):
Kids say (4):

Geared toward girls, these animated shorts are heavy in messages about girl power and embracing individuality, but that's sometimes muddled by teen behavior that's decidedly less heroic. While many of the characters' qualities are great for kids in the audience -- Wonder Woman's leadership, Batgirl's intelligence, and Supergirl's kindness, to name a few -- others, such as Cheetah's egotism, gloss over how this kind of behavior can affect friendships and scholarly success.

DC Super Hero Girls makes an effort to draw girls into the fan base of strong, self-reliant heroic characters, and that's a good thing. It's also a boon that they dress modestly. Focusing on these powerful women in their teen years makes their experiences more relatable to kids and reveals their backstories, which include many mistakes even for the strongest among them. Unfortunately, the show's format hinders much story development and often results in a character's negative behavior taking center stage for the full course of an episode without much resolution, leaving you feeling like you've just invested two minutes in a commercial for the accompanying DC Comics merchandise.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what makes a hero. Does a person's nature determine whether he or she can do heroic things? What real-life heroes have you encountered? In what ways do they show they're only human?

  • Of the characters at Super Hero High School, which is your favorite? What are her special attributes? Is friendship important to her? How does she deal with difficult classmates?

  • Kids: Does watching this show change your interest in DC Comics products such as clothing or toys? Do you think this was a point of the show? When you're shopping, are you drawn to products with character images on them?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended tv lists

Related Topics

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate