Parents' Guide to

TKO: Total Knock Out

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

Ninja Warrior meets dodgeball in fun physical game show.

TV CBS Game Shows 2018
TKO: Total Knock Out Poster Image

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What's the Story?

Hosted by comic Kevin Hart, TKO: TOTAL KNOCK OUT is a game show that mixes obstacle challenges with dodgeball. Each episode features five competitors individually navigating through a course full of things that roll, swing, and move for a chance to win a cash prize. The catch? As one person runs the course, the other four shoot balls, throw discs, and swing hammers at them in hopes of knocking them down. After the second knockout, minutes are added to the player's finish time. The person who completes the course in the least amount of time wins the $50,000 grand prize. The season's top winners get to battle each other on a later episode for a chance of winning $100,000.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

This goofy series offers lots of laughable moments as people awkwardly make their way through an obstacle course without getting knocked out. Much like the Wipeout franchise, the show's humor comes from the various ways players try to hang on, as well as the graceless ways they fall. But it's Kevin Hart's hosting style, which is both hilarious and energetic, that makes the show stand out.

TKO: Total Knock Out features a wide array of contestants -- from school teachers and nurses to cheerleaders and police officers -- and some are less athletically gifted than others. But they're all recognized for positive things, and jokes about them are restricted to their performance during the competition. It's lighthearted and silly, and the type of show you can tune in to when you're simply looking for some mindless entertainment.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why folks participate in crazy reality competitions like TKO: Total Knock Out. Is it for the cash prize? For a chance to be on TV? Or is it something else?

  • When watching TKO: Total Knock Out, do you think viewers are supposed to be more excited about people falling or about people winning? What does it feel like to watch another person fail or succeed?

TV Details

  • Premiere date: July 11, 2018
  • Cast: Kevin Hart
  • Network: CBS
  • Genre: Game Shows
  • TV rating: TV-PG
  • Last updated: October 13, 2022

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