Home Movies
TV Show • 1999 • Animation
ReportSynopsis
Home Movies is an American animated television sitcom that was originally broadcast from April 26, 1999 to April 4, 2004. Brendon Small is the creator, head writer and lead musician of Home Movies. Jon Benjamin, Melissa Bardin Galsky and Janine Ditullio also lent their voices to the show. The plot surrounds eight-year-old Brendon, who makes films with his friends Melissa Robbins and Jason Penopolis in his spare time. He lives with his divorced mother, Paula, and his baby sister, Josie. He is also friends with his alcoholic, short-tempered soccer coach, John McGuirk. Home Movies developed a cult following during its run, and is still considered a cult show to this day.
Home Movies was produced by Soup2Nuts, and originally aired on UPN, but the network cancelled the series after 5 episodes. Cartoon Network, seeing potential for the series, purchased the rights to it, and aired it as the first program on their nighttime adult-oriented Adult Swim block on the day of the block's launch on September 2, 2001. As part of Adult Swim, it finished the first season of 13 episodes and was picked up for three additional 13 episode seasons.
Creator Small would later go on to create the Adult Swim animated series Metalocalypse and co-creator Bouchard would go on to create the animated Bob's Burgers for the Fox network.
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Both
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Your Triggers
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5
Needs More Answers
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2
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Does someone attempt suicide?
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255)
124 supporters
Add comment
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Abandonment
Is a child abandoned by a parent?
46 supporters
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SiRenfield
Brendon has divorced parents and a good chunk of his character arc is grappling with his father abandonment issues
1 comment | Add comment
Abuse
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Seenit
There is some rough talk to the children often by the coach, but it is always intended to be comical.
1 comment | Add comment
Is there domestic violence?
National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233)
116 supporters
Add comment
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3
Is someone stalked?
29 supporters
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2
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dreamingneon
In Season 4 3 characters are looking and go into a neighbor's house.
1 comment | Add comment
Addiction
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Does someone abuse alcohol?
28 supporters
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Seenit
The coach has a drinking problem and is depicted as an alcoholic.
2 comments | Add comment
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Animal
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4
Does a cat die?
279 supporters
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SiRenfield
S1
E4
….I guess the comment below is a different episode. A cat dies after being put down from rabies
2 comments | Add comment
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8
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dreamingneon
There are mentions and a brief glimpse of dead fish in an episode.
2 comments | Add comment
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Are there bugs?
51 supporters
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rafalawliet
Liivin like a bug aint easyyyy....
1 comment | Add comment
Are there snakes?
28 supporters
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Season 1 episode 4 there is a snake shown eating a mouse
1 comment | Add comment
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Assault
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Is someone beaten up by a bully?
26 supporters
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SiRenfield
S1
E3
There’s a pretty well known early episode about two elementary school aged children getting into a fight
1 comment | Add comment
Bodily Harm
Is there eye mutilation?
148 supporters
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dreamingneon
There is a laser eye surgery scene at the beginning of an episode but the operation goes well.
1 comment | Add comment
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Does someone break a bone?
42 supporters
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dreamingneon
There is an episode where a character breaks his arm offscreen and 2 others wear a fake cast on their arm.
1 comment | Add comment
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3
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Children
Is a minor sexualized?
140 supporters
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brainzilla
the elementary aged characters occasionally revealing costumes for the movies (“sexy o’sullivan” comes to mind)
2 comments | Add comment
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Death
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Disability
Is the r-slur used?
1 supporters
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SiRenfield
S2
E2
McGurik introduces Brendon as his “r****** nephew”
1 comment | Add comment
Family
Is a child's toy destroyed?
41 supporters
Yes
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SiRenfield
S4
E13
(MAJOR SPOILERS) The series finale involves the destruction of a child character’s most precious possession/comfort object
1 comment | Add comment
Does a parent die?
41 supporters
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rafalawliet
Melissa's mom is dead since before the series events, this is briefly mentioned but never explored in more detail
1 comment | Add comment
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Fear
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3
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Are there ghosts?
9 supporters
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dreamingneon
Characters dress up as ghosts throughout the show.
1 comment | Add comment
Are there clowns?
1 supporters
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dreamingneon
There is a clown in one episode but is only there for a small portion of it (>5 minutes)
1 comment | Add comment
Gross
Does someone vomit?
172 supporters
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dreamingneon
One character has a long throw up scene in one episode.
2 comments | Add comment
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3
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Does someone spit?
21 supporters
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dreamingneon
There is a small fart joke in an episode.
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
3
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Large-scale Violence
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Law Enforcement
Is there copaganda?
1 supporters
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SiRenfield
S1
E12
The justice system is criticized on account of a child character being blamed for being hit by a car
1 comment | Add comment
LGBTQ+
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Medical
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Is there a hospital scene?
22 supporters
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dreamingneon
Half of an episode takes place in a hospital due to a heart attack and a pregnancy.
1 comment | Add comment
Mental Health
Does someone die by suicide?
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255)
128 supporters
Add comment
Yes
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3
Yes
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3
Is there autism specific abuse?
65 supporters
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3
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SiRenfield
You could argue that several characters including some of the main ones have autistic coded traits (albeit none officially confirmed) and it’s treated rather respectfully. Although the coach calls him the R-word at one point albeit it’s not clear if it’s because of his neurodivergence or just in the early 2000’s perjorative sense
2 comments | Add comment
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3
Is autism misrepresented?
50 supporters
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SiRenfield
Not canon but it’s not hard to view the show through a neurodivergent lens. I’m being extra careful though because while not 1:1 autobiographical, the main character is based on the actual co-creator and don’t want to come across as armchair diagnosing
1 comment | Add comment
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3
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Is there D.I.D. misrepresentation?
31 supporters
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brainzilla
jason wants to do a knockoff split movie
1 comment | Add comment
Are there anxiety attacks?
29 supporters
Yes
3
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dreamingneon
A character has onscreen panic attacks in at least 2 episodes.
1 comment | Add comment
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3
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Is there ABA therapy?
1 supporters
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brainzilla
no but brendon goes to therapy and has a bad therapist
1 comment | Add comment
Noxious
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1
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2
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3
Is there obscene language/gestures?
13 supporters
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2
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SiRenfield
PG-13 language so YMMV
1 comment | Add comment
Paranoia
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3
Pregnancy
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Are there babies or unborn children?
21 supporters
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SiRenfield
There’s a recurring baby character in the form of Brendon’s sister Josie
1 comment | Add comment
Prejudice
Are there fat jokes?
63 supporters
Yes
4
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dreamingneon
There is an episode centered around weight where various fat jokes are made.
2 comments | Add comment
Yes
3
No
0
1
dreamingneon
The character in question is not trans but is called female instead of male repeatedly in an episode.
1 comment | Add comment
Does an LGBT person die?
43 supporters
Yes
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3
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SiRenfield
Admittedly death on this show is rare anyway, but there are two characters named Walter and Perry that are heavy implied to gay and a few others like Shannon (who’s a boy despite the name) that are hinted to be LGBTQ+ and being a slice of life show they survive the show’s run unscathed
1 comment | Add comment
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3
Is there ableist language or behavior?
1 supporters
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3
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1
dreamingneon
The word r****d and 'retarded' are used by one character by one character throughout the series.
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
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3
Are there "Man in a dress" jokes?
1 supporters
Yes
3
No
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SiRenfield
S1E7 and 8, albeit the latter isn’t framed as too malicious (if still played for laughs) that Brendon expresses gender non-conformity on occasion
1 comment | Add comment
Race
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3
Relationships
Is there a large age gap?
46 supporters
Yes
3
No
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SiRenfield
Brendon’s father eventually re-marries a woman that is 11 years younger than him
1 comment | Add comment
Sex
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3
Yes
2
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1
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SiRenfield
S2
E7
Okay the other person might be HEAVILY exaggerating about the pregnancy (if they are indeed talking about Brendon anyway)…that said a child still has a weird, sexual-ish fantasy about the step-mom at one point
2 comments | Add comment
Is there sexual content?
86 supporters
Yes
2
No
1
2
dreamingneon
Many sexual jokes and small sex scenes happen throughout.
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
1
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2
Social
Yes
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3
Are there fat suits?
36 supporters
Yes
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3
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brainzilla
characters become fat and then are skinny again
1 comment | Add comment
Spoiler
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1
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Vehicular
Does a car crash?
33 supporters
Yes
4
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dreamingneon
There is a scene in Season 3 where a car crashes into a streetlight.
1 comment | Add comment
Is someone hit by a car?
33 supporters
Yes
4
No
1
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SiRenfield
S1
E12
An episode involves a child character being hit by a car and substanting injuries serious enough to be hospitalized
1 comment | Add comment
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3
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Yes
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Violence
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