Parents' Guide to

Total Drama Action

By Emily Ashby, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Island sequel keeps laughs coming with reality spoof.

TV Cartoon Network Kids' Animation 2009
Total Drama Action 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 22 parent reviews

Icesis B.
Icesis B. Parent of 6 and 8-year-old
May 5, 2023
age 16+

This should not be rated PG.

I watched the show and it was rated PG, but I strongly disagree with the rating. The subject matter of violence and objectification of women is not something young audiences should be exposed to. #ProtectOurKids #ParentalGuidanceNeeded"

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much consumerism
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
Bubsy2
Bubsy2 Adult
September 3, 2020
age 18+

Good season. Only the high age ranking to bring the parent rating to 12+

This is the sequel to arguably one of the best written and excited shows. Total drama Island. While this one is more appropriate. The storylines in the season suck. 1. Trent is a s*mp and is weird 2. Gwen dumps Trent and foreshadows love to Duncan 3. Dj is now complete mommas boy 4. Geoff and Bridgette Lose first cause all they do is kiss. 5. Geoff and Bridgette Have a aftermath show where Geoff is Chris but more sane. 6. Heather is bald and doesn’t even care 7. Beth won not Lindsay 8. No main antagonist 9. Leshawna isn’t cool 10. Courtney is a brat 11. Chef only cares bout $$ 12.etc but 2 hard to thing

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much consumerism
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 22 parent reviews

What's the Story?

TOTAL DRAMA ACTION is the follow up to the popular reality cartoon Total Drama Island. The new iteration reunites 14 of the original campers at an abandoned movie set for six weeks of competition, with the eventual winner claiming a $1 million prize. The contestants -- or "castmates," as they're called -- take part in movie genre-themed challenges doled out by host Chris McClean (voiced by Christian Potenza). At the conclusion of most episodes, the castmates vote to send one of their peers home.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (22):
Kids say (91):

Its unique TV genre may be an oxymoron, but this animated reality spoof is so good at what it does that it might just make a dent in "real" reality shows' grip on the viewer market. If you're even moderately familiar with competition shows like Survivor and Fear Factor (and who can avoid them these days?), you'll get a kick out of this cartoon's satirical view of the stereotypical contestant pool, peppy host, and outrageous challenges the castmates must endure.

As for your kids, it's a safe bet that if they're too young to watch live-action reality shows, there's really no need for them to tune into a cartoon that spoofs them, since they won't understand most of the humor and may get the wrong idea about the intentionally one-dimensional characters. On the other hand, tweens and teens who can put the characters' obvious flaws and mildly bad behavior into context and will see this show for what it truly is: a comical commentary on the state of current entertainment.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about reality TV. Why are competition shows like American Idol, Survivor, and The Bachelor so popular?

  • Do you like watching these types of shows? How are they different from traditional game shows? Do you think the content is really "real"?

  • Do you think spoofs like this one could change how we view real reality shows?

TV Details

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