Tuca & Bertie
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Screen for YOUR familyParent's Guide to Tuca & Bertie
Tuca & Bertie is an adult animated sitcom that explores the lives and friendship of two anthropomorphic bird women in their thirties: Tuca, a chaotic and free-spirited toucan, and Bertie, an anxious and introverted song thrush. The series, originally airing on Netflix and later moving to Adult Swim, is known for its distinctive surreal animation style and its blend of absurd humor with profound emotional depth. It candidly addresses a wide range of mature themes including mental health, trauma, career challenges, and the complexities of adult relationships. While the visual style is whimsical, the content is geared towards mature audiences, frequently navigating sensitive subjects with both comedic and serious undertones, focusing on personal growth and the enduring bond of female friendship.
Things to Consider
LGBTQ & Gender Identity
The series explicitly features LGBTQ+ characters and themes, with main characters Tuca and Bertie both identified as being attracted to women. Tuca is canonically bisexual or pansexual, having relationships with both men and women. Bertie is also revealed to have a history of same-sex attraction, developing a crush on a female friend in high school. The show also features other queer characters and generally embraces non-normative adult timelines.
Tuca Toucan is depicted as bisexual or pansexual, shown having sexual encounters or relationships with various partners of different genders, including a significant same-sex relationship with Kara, a lesbian seagull, in Season 2. Bertie Songthrush is revealed in the episode "Screech Leaches" (Season 3, Episode 6) to have had a romantic crush on her female best friend, Muriel, in high school, confirming her attraction to women.
Violence
The show contains instances of implied and depicted violence, some of which are played seriously and contribute to character trauma. This includes past sexual assault, a mugging at gunpoint, and implied fatal incidents, impacting the main characters' emotional states.
Romance and Sexual Content
Tuca & Bertie features extensive romance and sexual content, including explicit discussions, fantasies, and implied sexual acts. Nudity, particularly partial female nudity, and themes of sexual harassment and assault trauma are central to the plot and character development.
Profanity
The series utilizes frequent strong language, including explicit curse words, throughout its dialogue. Profanity is common in character interactions, reflecting an adult-oriented tone and often used for comedic effect or to express frustration.
Substance Use
Substance use, particularly alcoholism, is a significant and recurring theme, central to the development of main characters. Tuca is a recovered alcoholic, and other characters are depicted struggling with addiction, highlighting its serious impacts.
Scary & Intense Content
Despite its colorful animation, Tuca & Bertie frequently addresses intense and potentially frightening content, including deep psychological trauma, mugging, and disturbing imagery within dreams, which can be unsettling for viewers.
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Additional Context
Best For Ages
TV-MA. This recommendation is due to frequent strong language, explicit sexual references and themes, the depiction of substance abuse and addiction, the candid exploration of sexual assault trauma, and occasional instances of violence and unsettling imagery. The show's mature content and complex themes are unsuitable for younger viewers.
Good to Know
Parents considering 'Tuca & Bertie' should be aware that while it is an animated series, its themes and content are explicitly for adults. The show tackles very sensitive and mature topics, such as sexual assault, addiction, and complex mental health issues, with a raw and unfiltered approach. The vibrant and often quirky animation style belies the weight of these subjects, and viewer discretion is strongly advised for those sensitive to graphic discussions of trauma, sexuality, and strong language.
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