Parents' Guide to The Jeff Dunham Show

The Jeff Dunham Show Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

By Will Wade , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 15+

Ventriloquist's comedy act is too edgy for younger viewers.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 15+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 15+

Based on 22 parent reviews

age 11+

Based on 23 kid reviews

Kids say the show is hilarious and entertaining, often highlighting the humor of Jeff Dunham and his puppets, particularly Achmed. However, many reviews point out that the humor can be raunchy and inappropriate for younger audiences, suggesting it's more suitable for ages 13 and up.

  • hilarious
  • inappropriate
  • suitable ages
  • talented humor
  • offensive content
Summarized with AI

What's the Story?

In THE JEFF DUNHAM SHOW, comedian/ventriloquist Jeff Dunham brings his stage act to the small screen, accompanied by the diverse cast of puppet sidekicks that form the heart of his humor. Each character has his or her own distinct personality and quirks -- the gang includes crotchety old man Walter, dim-bulb redneck Bubba J., and a skeletal corpse known as Achmed the Dead Terrorist. Every episode of the show combines performance footage filmed in front of live audience with pre-taped skits featuring the comic and his pals in a variety of unusual situations -- Jeff and Walter go to a therapist, Bubba J. goes to a shooting range, etc.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 22 ):
Kids say ( 23 ):

Here's the thing about ventriloquists: Jokes that wouldn't be funny if a traditional comedian told them don't really improve when they come out of the mouth of a puppet. Dunham plays the straight man while his characters frequently spout mildly racist and sexist lines and mediocre one-liners. Watching a teenage boy go on and on about a woman's breasts isn't funny, and the lines aren't any more entertaining when they come from some horn-dog made out of foam.

Dunham isn't even that impressive a ventriloquist; it's easy to see his mouth moving, especially since there aren't any compelling reasons to watch the puppets.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about edgy humor. Could some of Dunham's jokes be seen as offensive? To whom? What part of the show made you laugh the most?

  • Are jokes based on stereotypes ever appropriate? Why do you think that different groups of people find different things funny?

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

The Jeff Dunham Show Poster Image

What to Watch Next

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