Parents' Guide to

Hot Streets

By Mark Dolan, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Unoriginal animated show produces few laughs.

TV Cartoon Network Comedy 2018
Hot Streets 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 14+

Based on 1 parent review

ItIsMeStacey
ItIsMeStacey Adult
July 8, 2018
age 14+

Such a great show!

I made this account just to post this review, because I completely disagree with the assessment of the show. It's not "unoriginal" at all, and the tone is unlike anything else on the network. I'd probably even put it in the top five best Adult Swim shows ever (and I've seen most of their shows). I was really glad to hear that it got renewed for a second season. But anyway, since this is Common Sense Media, I suppose I should give a quick assessment of the appropriateness, too. For the most part, I would agree with the reviewer in that sense at least. Somewhere around 14 or 15 would be about right.
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What's the Story?

In HOT STREETS, two FBI agents, dim yet arrogant Branski and desperate-to-prove-himself French, investigate the supernatural with the help of Branski's brainy niece, Jen, and dog, Chubbie Webbers, a demented, pleasure-seeking Scooby Doo-type. Their cases concern various baddies -- brain monsters, mummies, snake cults who are all dispatched in a variety of gory ways. Lots of action is packed into the show's 10-minute running time.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1):
Kids say (1):

This series is a lackluster entry into the animated Adult Swim lineup. Unoriginal in premise, ugly in tone, and uninteresting to look at, Hot Streets appears to have been created by combining elements from other Adult Swim shows: Absurd skewering of sci-fi tropes? Check. Over-the-top gore? Check. Ironic banter? Check. Horny anthropomorphic animal? Check. And while this may be a recipe the powers that be think their shows need to follow, it's definitely not a guaranteed recipe for success.

The end product is an empty exercise in non-sequiturs, repetitive violence, and inconsistent characterizations. Is Branksi clueless or clever? Is French a bumbler or competent? Do the agents like each other, hate each other, know each other? Who can tell? Jen, the only female character, is the most recognizably human of the characters, but episodes often end with her humiliated. It's also very obvious that the creators are desperate to make Chubbie Webbers (voiced by Rick and Morty's Justin Roiland) into a meme-worthy breakout character. It might be the show's only reason for existing. But sorry, guys, he's no Pickle Rick.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about animation. Is it always for little kids? How has the world of animation changed in the last 20 years?

  • Hot Streets episodes are only 10 minutes long. How does the shorter running time impact the show? How would having longer episodes change it?

  • Is this show a parody? What is it a parody of? What kinds of comedy are funniest to you?

TV Details

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