Parents' Guide to

Duncanville

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Average animated sitcom about average teen has drinking.

TV Fox Comedy 2020
Duncanville Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 11+

Based on 12 parent reviews

James R.
James R. Parent of 12-year-old
April 19, 2023
age 10+

Great show, for (almost) all ages

Duncanville is a great show! The only violence in it is mild, when a Mexican cartel guy gets his hand bitten off, but it's played for laughs and is brief. There are some sexual jokes here and there, but they're mostly in the pilot episode. Language is frequent but it's limited to ass, damn, and all lighter swear words. The episode always has some sort of moral, even if it isn't super obvious. All in all, this show is basically the lightest TV14 you will ever find.

This title has:

Great messages
Hoak215
Hoak215 Adult
June 2, 2021
age 14+
See all 12 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Executive-produced by Amy Poehler, DUNCANVILLE is an animated sitcom centered around the day-to-day life of a very average teenager. Duncan (voiced by Poehler) is a 15-year-old boy with limited goals, minimal talents, and a rich fantasy life. He comes from a loving family, including his dad, Jack (Ty Burrell), who's constantly trying to be the parent his own father never was, his mom, Annie (also voiced by Amy Poehler), a meter maid who worries about Duncan's frequent bad choices, and younger sisters Kimberly (Riki Lindhome) and Jing (Joy Osmanski). They make him crazy, but his friends Bex (Betsy Sodaro), Yangzi (Yassir Lester), and Wolf (Zach Cherry), and his secret crush Mia (Rashida Jones) have his back.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (12):
Kids say (16):

This pleasant enough comedy series has some mildly amusing jokes and lively relationships between friends and family -- but like its main character, this show is pretty average. There's nothing truly memorable about the characters, and the interactions between them are often corny and predictable. There's no real satire, and the less-than-sharp writing doesn't go far enough to give it the edge it needs to make it outright funny. Duncanville is a slightly milder viewing option than other popular Fox animated shows like Family Guy and Bob's Burgers, but it will leaving you feeling disappointed if you're looking for a show with more bite.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the way Duncanville portrays family life. What is Duncan's family like? Does he like them? How do we know?

  • Duncan and his friends often drink together, and sometimes disobey his parents. Does Duncan learn any lessons from these experiences? What about when he is caught? Do his parents have reason to worry about the decisions he makes in his life?

  • What's the difference between an animated sitcom and a cartoon series? Should viewers expect animated sitcoms to contain edgy content? Or can animated sitcoms be funny without it?

TV Details

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