Exploding Kittens
Exploding Kittens is an adult animated fantasy comedy television series based on the popular card game, released on Netflix in July 2024. The show reimagines God as a housecat sent to Earth, where he must contend with the Devil, also a cat, while living with a human family. The series features slapstick humor, absurd situations, and a blend of action and fantasy elements, running for one season of nine episodes. It is primarily targeted at mature audiences due to its elevated themes and comedic approach to potentially sensitive subjects, including religion, violence, and suggestive content. While critics had a mixed reception, often noting its uneven humor, the show aims to provide a fast-paced, unhinged comedic experience. Parents should be aware that despite its animated format, it contains content typical of adult cartoons, including strong language, mature jokes, and irreverent depictions of spiritual figures, making it generally unsuitable for children.
Concerns
Violence
HighThe series contains frequent animated violence, ranging from slapstick to more graphic depictions. Netflix's TV-MA rating is primarily attributed to violence, which includes fighting, injuries, and weapons. Despite the comedic tone, some instances are explicitly disturbing, particularly for younger viewers.
A child is depicted being killed by a flame ball and subsequently sent to hell, a specific instance of moderate violence and gore. The show also features 'intense scenes' including a monster-like transformation, dinosaurs, and 'blood rain'. Additionally, the character Devilcat makes a casual reference to incinerating children who cry on airplanes, illustrating the dark comedic tone of the violence.
Witchcraft & Occult
HighWitchcraft and occult themes are central to the series' premise, as it revolves around a literal interpretation of biblical figures (God and the Devil) interacting on Earth as cats. The narrative directly involves divine and demonic entities, their powers, and the struggle between good and evil, albeit in a comedic and irreverent manner.
The core premise involves God being turned into a cat ('Godcat') and sent to Earth as punishment, while his nemesis, the Devil ('Devilcat' or Beelzebub), is also present, having been 'cast out of hell'. These central characters engage in a wager over a human's soul, Marv, demonstrating explicit supernatural conflict and manipulation. Devilcat uses 'magical fireballs' as part of her abilities, and Godcat is accompanied by two 'Cherub assistants,' Aslandeus and Craig.
Scary & Intense Content
HighDespite its animated and comedic style, "Exploding Kittens" contains several scenes designed to be intense or frightening, especially for younger viewers. These include graphic depictions of harm, monster transformations, and unsettling imagery, contributing to its mature audience rating.
The series features the graphic event of 'a child being killed by a flame ball and sent to hell'. Other intense scenes include a 'monster-like transformation' and visuals of 'blood rain,' creating disturbing imagery. A mantis shrimp also gets loose at a science fair, creating a scene of 'powerful and unpredictable behaviour' and 'panic among the attendees'.
Anti-Christian Themes
HighThe series presents significant anti-Christian themes through its highly irreverent and satirical portrayal of God, the Devil, heaven, and hell. God is depicted as a fallible, often crude, and sometimes neglectful entity, engaging in behaviors traditionally considered sinful or inappropriate for a deity. This comedic approach consistently mocks or diminishes traditional Christian concepts.
The character of God is transformed into a housecat, 'Godcat,' who drinks margaritas, swears, and needs 'rehabilitation' for his actions. God also watches a nature documentary about 'pterodactyls mating' with sounds, further reducing the divine to crude, human-like interests. The Devil, 'Devilcat,' is portrayed as comically incompetent, being 'cast out of hell' for failing to inflict proper evil, such as war and pestilence, instead causing 'laggy internet and Baby Shark'. The show's central premise involves a casual 'wager over good vs. evil with Marv's soul at stake,' trivializing profound spiritual concepts for comedic effect.
Romance and Sexual Content
MediumThe show includes mild sex and nudity, primarily suggestive content and brief blurred visuals. While not overtly graphic, the references and visual gags are mature and contribute to its adult animation classification. These elements are present across episodes, even if not explicitly highlighted in official content descriptors.
The series features 'mild sex and nudity, including blurred male nudity in the first episode'. Another scene contains 'suggestive moaning' heard off-screen. Additionally, the character 'God' uses crude language to describe unicorns as having 'face boners', and in the first episode, God is shown watching a documentary about 'pterodactyls mating' with accompanying sounds.
Profanity
MediumExploding Kittens features coarse and offensive language throughout its episodes. While some curse words may be censored, other strong language and gestures are presented without alteration, consistent with its adult animated comedy genre. The dialogue includes common expletives and crude terms.
The show contains 'coarse and offensive language,' explicitly mentioning words such as 'freaking' and 'boner'. The series is noted to air 'without censorship for the middle finger,' indicating the presence of uncensored offensive gestures. Godcat, voiced by Tom Ellis, is described as 'sassy and swears', and Devilcat has lines that 'would make even Deadpool proud,' suggesting frequent and impactful strong language.
Substance Use
MediumThe series portrays substance use, primarily alcohol consumption, by its main characters. While not glamorized in an explicit addiction context, the casual and frequent depiction of adult characters drinking alcohol is present. There are also mentions of characters using drugs.
In the very first scene of the first episode, the character God is shown 'drinking a margarita'. Throughout the series, God and the human character Abbie 'indulge in drinking habits that mirror those of real-life adults, ranging from beer at bars to wine at home'. Furthermore, the series explicitly includes scenes where 'characters using drugs' are depicted, though specific instances are not detailed.
Disrespect & Rebellion
MediumDisrespect and rebellion are prevalent themes, particularly through the portrayal of the God character. God is depicted as flawed, prone to mistakes, and frequently defies heavenly authority, often in a humorous context. This extends to general attitudes of sarcasm and challenging norms.
Godcat, the feline incarnation of God, is depicted as 'sassy and swears' and is sent to Earth for 'bad behavior,' which included 'nearly burning down half of Heaven'. God is also shown to have made 'too many mistakes, including allowing humans to invent pumpkin-spice deodorant,' indicating a comedic irreverence towards divine responsibility. The core premise involves God and the Devil being 'exiled to Earth' as punishment for their actions, showcasing direct defiance against a higher power.
LGBTQ & Gender Identity
LowComprehensive searches for explicit LGBTQ+ themes, characters, or representation within the narrative content of the "Exploding Kittens" TV series yielded no specific verified examples. While the parent company, Exploding Kittens, states a commitment to Equal Employment Opportunity regarding gender identity and sexual orientation, this pertains to corporate policy, not the show's storyline. No confirmed in-show LGBTQ+ characters or plotlines were identified.
The search for explicit LGBTQ+ content within the TV series did not surface specific examples of characters, scenes, or quotes depicting LGBTQ+ relationships, gender identity discussions, or related plot points. Company job postings include Equal Employment Opportunity statements covering sexual orientation and gender identity, reflecting corporate values rather than on-screen content. Discussions about LGBTQ+ themes around the 'Exploding Kittens' brand generally relate to the broader board game community or other media, not the specific animated series.
Other Notes
Target Demographic
16+ (Mature Audiences). The show is officially rated TV-MA by Netflix and MA 15+ by the Australian Classification Office due to pervasive adult themes. While some parental reviews suggest suitability for younger teens (14+), the frequent crude humor, explicit language, suggestive content, animated violence, and irreverent religious themes necessitate a recommendation for mature audiences aged 16 and above.
Additional Notes
The animated nature of 'Exploding Kittens' might lead some parents to mistakenly believe it's suitable for children. However, its TV-MA rating and the content detailed above confirm it is an adult animated series. Parents should exercise extreme caution, as the comedic approach does not diminish the severity of mature themes, including graphic animated violence and highly irreverent religious depictions.
Related Reviews
Is Exploding Kittens right for your family?
These concerns are a starting point — what many Christian parents care about. Want to screen for other themes? Define your own concerns.
Screen any book, movie, or show — even titles no one else has reviewed.
“StoryScanner gives us clarity and confidence. It's become our go-to for checking books at the library and movies on family night.”
— Cristi & Brian, Dallas TX
“StoryScanner has been such a BLESSING for researching books for our children. You can set filters for your concerns, enter a book title, and it lets you know what's present.”
— Christian Book Reviews for Families (Facebook)
No credit card required