Human Resources
Human Resources is an American adult animated sitcom and a spin-off of the series Big Mouth, created by Kelly Galuska, Nick Kroll, Andrew Goldberg, Mark Levin, and Jennifer Flackett. The series is a workplace comedy set in the otherworldly Department of Human Resources, where various emotional creatures such as Hormone Monsters, Lovebugs, Shame Wizards, Depression Kitties, and Logic Rocks guide humans through life's complexities from puberty to old age. The show delves into the personal and professional lives of these creatures, often highlighting their struggles and relationships. Targeted at adult audiences, the series explores mature themes of love, grief, depression, ambition, and addiction with a distinct blend of dark humor, surreal comedy, and musical elements. Due to its explicit content, including graphic sexuality, strong language, and mature subject matter, the series carries a TV-MA rating and is not suitable for children or younger teenagers.
Concerns
LGBTQ & Gender Identity
HighThe series prominently features a diverse range of LGBTQ+ characters and themes, making them integral to various storylines and character development. It includes openly gay and lesbian relationships, a transgender teenager, and a non-binary character. Discussions around sexual orientation and gender identity are explicit and recurring.
Nadja, an openly gay high school senior, is a central character in Season 1, Episode 4, 'Rutgers is for Lovers,' where she navigates the dilemma of choosing between her dream university and staying with her girlfriend, Danielle. Natalie El-Khoury, a transgender teenager introduced in 'Big Mouth,' continues as a client in 'Human Resources' and is Nadja's younger sister. Montel, the biological child of Hormone Monsters Maury and Connie, is explicitly identified as non-binary. Furthermore, Sonya, a Lovebug, was fired for falling in love with a human named Claudia, indicating a same-sex relationship, and Lionel's mother has a 'friends-with-benefits' relationship with Kitty Beaumont Bouchet.
Romance and Sexual Content
HighSexual content is pervasive, explicit, and graphic, covering a wide array of human and monster sexual behaviors. This includes visual depictions, suggestive dialogue, and discussions of various sexual acts and relationships. The show's premise inherently involves sexual themes through the Hormone Monsters.
The Parents Television and Media Council (PTC) noted 'disturbing, sexualizing references to children' and a 'hormone monster' encouraging 'young children to touch their privates' in 'Human Resources,' linking it to 'Big Mouth's' explicit nature. The series explicitly parodies safe sex practices, with Hormone Monsters Maury and Connie believing their form of protection involves repeatedly saying 'No baby, no baby, no baby' during climax, leading to surprise when Connie becomes pregnant.
Profanity
HighThe series features frequent and strong profanity, consistent with its 'adult animated sitcom' and 'blue comedy' genres. Characters use explicit curse words regularly throughout dialogue.
The Parents Television and Media Council explicitly stated that 'Human Resources' contains 'graphic, foul language,' a common characteristic shared with its predecessor, 'Big Mouth.' Reviews frequently describe the show as 'foul-mouthed and indelicate,' indicating a high frequency of strong curse words and offensive language in dialogue.
Violence
MediumThe series contains instances of graphic and exaggerated cartoon violence, sometimes with a comedic tone. While not always realistic, the depictions can be intense and include gore, dismemberment, and physical harm.
A notable example of violence occurs when Pete, a Logic Rock, amputates Dante the Addiction Angel's penis, which is depicted with a 'ridiculous amount of splattering blood for several seconds.' In another instance, Rochelle unintentionally inspires 'hate-themed monsters' to crash a holiday party and 'take over the system' in a 'Die Hard-like scenario,' leading to chaotic and potentially violent confrontations.
Substance Use
MediumThe series includes depictions and discussions of alcohol and drug use, as well as themes of addiction. These elements are integrated into character storylines, particularly with the introduction of the 'Addiction Angel' character.
Dante, an 'Addiction Angel,' is a recurring character whose role involves influencing human behaviors related to addiction, making substance use a thematic element. The broader themes of the show, which explore the 'warring forces of love, ambition, anxiety, shame, and addiction,' explicitly feature addiction as a driving factor for human characters.
Scary & Intense Content
MediumThe series can be intense due to its exploration of complex adult emotions, including grief, anxiety, and depression. While not a horror series, it features some disturbing imagery and situations, particularly when addressing mental health struggles or chaotic scenarios.
The show tackles 'intense emotional struggle' and themes like 'grief, love, to depression and acceptance,' which can be emotionally heavy. In one plot, Rochelle unintentionally causes 'hate-themed monsters' to crash a holiday party and 'take over the system' in a 'Die Hard-like scenario,' which could be intense and frightening due to the chaos and threat involved.
Disrespect & Rebellion
MediumCharacters in 'Human Resources,' both human and monster, frequently exhibit disrespect and rebellious behavior. This is often portrayed through sarcastic dialogue, defiance of rules, and challenging authority figures, typically in a comedic or character-driven context consistent with the adult animated format.
Rochelle and Emmy are called out by Lionel the Shame Wizard for their behavior, with Lionel stating, 'You were both wrong! She was a mendacious little skank and you were a jealous little twat,' highlighting overt disrespect in their interactions. The dynamic between the monsters and their human clients, as well as among the monsters themselves, often involves ignoring advice or acting against established 'rules' of the Human Resources department.
Anti-Christian Themes
MediumThe series does not explicitly contain direct mockery or criticism of Christian beliefs, symbols, or figures. However, its pervasive graphic sexual content, strong profanity, and promotion of secular humanistic perspectives on morality and identity, including extensive LGBTQ+ themes, are in direct conflict with traditional Christian values.
Movieguide®, a Christian media watchdog, criticized 'Human Resources' for its 'disturbing, sexualizing references to children' and 'grossly immoral and sexual content,' classifying it as directly antithetical to Christian standards. While there are no specific scenes of direct mockery of Christianity, the show's overall moral framework and explicit content implicitly contradict many Christian teachings regarding sexuality, modesty, and language.
Witchcraft & Occult
LowThe show's core premise involves a world populated by supernatural creatures such as Hormone Monsters, Shame Wizards, and Lovebugs, who are personifications of human emotions and drives. While these creatures possess abilities that could be considered magical, the series generally presents them as allegorical figures rather than engaging in explicit witchcraft, dark rituals, or demon summoning.
The characters like Shame Wizards (e.g., Lionel St. Swithens) have inherent supernatural abilities related to their emotional roles, such as inducing shame in humans. However, these abilities are part of their existential function within the 'Human Resources' world and are not depicted as occult practices or spells being cast. The creatures themselves are supernatural beings but do not typically engage in what would be classified as witchcraft or occult rituals beyond their inherent roles.
Other Notes
Target Demographic
TV-MA (Mature Audience Only). This recommendation is based on the series' explicit content, which includes graphic sexual situations, pervasive strong language, mature themes, and instances of cartoonish but intense violence. It is specifically designed for adults and is considered unsuitable for anyone under 17.
Additional Notes
Parents should be aware that 'Human Resources' is a spin-off of 'Big Mouth' and carries over many of its signature characteristics, including extremely crude humor, frank and often graphic discussions of sexuality, and mature themes. The show's animated format may deceptively suggest suitability for younger audiences, but it is unequivocally intended for adults. The depiction of emotional support creatures can be seen as a way to externalize complex psychological states, but these are often handled with explicit and adult-oriented content. The series regularly blends humor with serious topics like grief and addiction. Later seasons and the show's connection to 'Big Mouth' suggest a consistent intensity of content, with no significant toning down of mature themes.
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