Parents' Guide to

Turner & Hooch

By Ashley Moulton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

Uneven cop-and-dog buddy series has frequent gun violence.

TV Disney+ Comedy 2021
Turner & Hooch 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 10+

Based on 8 parent reviews

ChristaB716
ChristaB716 Parent of 10 and 14-year-old
February 21, 2023
age 12+

THIS PAGE ISNT TALKING ABOUT THE 1989 MOVIE

I HAVE NO IDEA ABOUT THE SHOW, BUT!!! READERS NEED TO KNOW THIS PAGE IS ABOUT A 2021 TV SHOW, ITS HARD TO TELL FROM THE TINY PHONE SCREEN. MY 10 YEAR OLD IS HYSTERICAL RIGHT NOW BECAUSE I READ THIS PAGE THINKING IT WAS THE MOVIE, AND THIS PAGE SAYS NOTHING ABOUT A MAN BEING STABBED TO DEATH AND THE DOG BEING SHOT AND DYING. PLEASE CSM PLEASE MAKE THIS PAGE MORE OBVIOUS THAT ITS NOT THE MOVIE. THE PICTURE IS TOO SMALL OK THE PHONE TO TELL.
amandaellinger
amandaellinger Adult
November 8, 2021
age 10+

Great show, but definitely some strong language for PG

I let my 8 year old son watch this this week and he's hooked, probably because of the gun violence and chase scenes, in addition to the cute dog story line. One character gets shot and you don't know he's wearing a vest until he opens his shirt and reveils the bullet in it. But I'm not comfortable with the level of language in it. Lots of "hell yeah" and "pissed off" and "crap" and derogatory jargon. Not words we use around our house. There is also a heavy love/dating theme, surrounding which my son has asked several questions. Not a bad thing, just want a parent to know. I was surprised at these items from Disney.

This title has:

Too much violence
See all 8 parent reviews

What's the Story?

TURNER & HOOCH picks up decades after the 1989 Tom Hanks vehicle left off. Scott Turner Jr. (Josh Peck of Drake and Josh) is an uptight deputy U.S. Marshal desparately trying to climb the career ladder with his ex-military partner, Jessica Baxter (Carra Patterson). When his father dies, Scott inherits an unruly French mastif named Hooch who immediately destroys his apartment and upends his life. He asks for help from Erica, a Marshal K-9 trainer, and she develops a crush on the romantically clueless Scott. Scott realizes that Hooch's mischevious doggie behavior actually helps him solve a few cases, and Scott, Jessica, and Hooch become a K-9 unit. Together they investigate jewel heists, botched witness protections, and terrorists. Meanwhile, Scott's sister Laura is cleaning out their father's house and finds a bunch of detective files suggesting that their dad was trying to solve a mystery before he died. They team up with his old partner, David Sutton (Reginald VelJohnson), and together with Hooch try to piece together the clues before it's too late.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (8):
Kids say (9):

After watching this so-so reboot, you may wonder whether Disney+ will eventually realize the diminishing returns of mining its back catalog for material. While 1989's Turner & Hooch was fine as a stand-alone movie, the premise is a bit weak to base a whole series around. Peck lacks Hanks' charm and charisma, though the modern dogs playing Hooch give pretty adorable performances.

It's also a bit confusing to understand who exactly the audience is for this sequel. On one hand, it's a man-and-dog buddy story that would appeal to kids, and the overly simplistic writing makes the plot easy for tweens to understand. Conversely, there's quite a bit of violence, which makes the show iffy for this age group. Dog-loving teens may enjoy this show, which is relatively tame in most aspects besides the violence, but many will roll their eyes at the cheesy dialogue and storylines.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the amount of violence in Turner & Hooch. What do you think is an OK age for kids to see gun violence in media? Do you feel like you were ready to watch this show? Why, or why not?

  • What do you think about the ethics of Hooch (and other real-life police dogs like Hooch) being put in dangerous situations without being able to understand? What do you think it's like for their officer partners, who care a lot about the animals and spend a lot of time with them?

  • Does your family have a dog or another pet? How much work is it to care for an animal? Do you help out with your family's pets?

TV Details

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