Parents' Guide to

Human Target

By Will Wade, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Fun but action-heavy crime drama OK for teens and up.

TV Fox Drama 2010
Human Target Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

age 12+

Based on 2 parent reviews

age 11+

OK for tweens

My 8- and 11-year-olds watch it and like it very much. Yes, it does have some violence, but not blood and gore. It has plenty of comic relief. I put it in the same category of Magnum PI when I was a kid. Some of the content goes over the head of my 8-year-old and my 11-year-old is very mature for her age. At any rate, I think it's one of the more kid-friendly shows on primetime because the purpose of the team is to help someone. And they always stick together as a team.

This title has:

Too much violence
Great role models
age 12+

Possibly o.k. for 8 and up depending on sensitivity.

We started watching this show with our 14 year old daughter. She loves it. It has grown on me. Because of it's placement BEFORE American Idol on Fox, which we watch as a family, it has been hard to keep our 8 and 12 year old from watching it. We have started letting them watch it on a night by night basis, and they've all enjoyed it. I haven't noticed violence and fighting any more then video games and movie previews, etc. that they are exposed to all the time. The role models on the show are iffy. While we thoroughly enjoy the character, Gerraro, his background is shady and his method's of getting information is frequently illegal or unethical. Still, much is only implied and off screen. So, currently we are letting them watch it each week. I wouldn't call is a "family show" but the last 6 weeks of the season were o.k. for our family.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (4 ):

Chance exudes calm -- he's always in control and always aware of his surroundings, which makes him seem both a consummate professional and a man of mystery. Who is he? Where did he become a martial arts expert and fluent in Japanese? Valley makes this enigmatic character appealing as he slowly reveals tiny crumbs about his background. He's matched by Chi McBride as Chance's business partner; Jackie Earle Haley as Guerrero, a freelance hacker with a dark side who revels in digging up secrets that can be used as currency in tense negotiations and Ames, a talented thief whose victims are often distracted by her looks.

While the show's acting and characters are good, the plots can be formulaic. Each episode finds Chance and the team in a new situation, matched against a new villain. The first half of the program shows the group tracking down the bad guys, while the second half is generally filled with a fight scene or three and maybe some explosions. The combat sequences can go quite long and are technically impressive, but they're also a shade more intense than the average TV brawl. While the main dilemmas are wrapped up every week, fans might be more intrigued by the small clues about Chance's origins that pepper each chapter.

TV Details

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