Animated Series MY DAD THE BOUNTY HUNTER Marred By Faulty Worldview

Animated Series MY DAD THE BOUNTY HUNTER Marred By Faulty Worldview

By Movieguide® Contributor

In Netflix’s 10-episode animated children’s series MY DAD THE BOUNTY HUNTER, siblings Lisa and Sean accidentally embark on an intergalactic adventure when they discover their father is an extraterrestrial bounty hunter. From fighting aliens to freeing an enslaved population, Lisa, Sean and their parents learn that family is more important than anything. MY DAD THE BOUNTY HUNTER stars Laz Alonso, Priah Ferguson, Jecobi Swain, Jamie Chung and Yvonne Orji. It was written by Everett Downing Jr., Juston Gordon-Montgomery, Patrick Harpin, Shakira Pressley and Adele Williams. Everett Downing Jr. and Patrick Harpin produced the series.

MY DAD THE BOUNTY HUNTER begins when Tess, Lisa and Sean’s mom, drops the kids off at their dad’s house for what was supposed to be a fun weekend celebrating Sean’s eighth birthday. Things quickly take a turn when a man from Terry’s work appears at his back door. Terry decides to take the job, further damaging his already tenuous relationship with Lisa caused by his absence in her life. However, when the kids disobey their father and decide to stow away in his trunk to go to work with him, they discover that there’s a lot more to their dad than they ever could have imagined. As an intergalactic bounty hunter, Terry finds fugitives anywhere in the galaxy and brings them to his bosses at The Conglomerate or EHC. With no way to take his kids home, he must bring them along on his dangerous mission to capture the fugitive Vax.

Along the way, Lisa and Sean frequently disobey him, often landing them all in more trouble. At one point, Lisa helps free a planet’s native inhabitants from slavery. Terry meets his former-partner-turned-rival, who pursues them across the galaxy. After the final fight sequence, Terry and Tess fix their relationship and decide they are all better together as a family. While Lisa and Sean play a big part in the series, the primary character change appears in Terry, who transforms from an absent father who seemingly cared more about money than his family to a father who wants to be present in his kids ’lives.

MY DAD THE BOUNTY HUNTER has some moral worldview elements. Families are encouraged to stay together and work together. The series reveals the important role fathers play in their children’s lives and the disintegration of the family that occurs when the father is absent. Characters learn to forgive one another, help those in need and do the right thing. However, these positive elements are marred by an underlying Romantic worldview. Throughout the series, the children are portrayed as knowing better than their father because they haven’t been as corrupted by the “world” as he has. For example, when they discover that Terry’s company has enslaved a native population, he doesn’t seem to care, focusing only on getting his bounty and money. Lisa, however, becomes very angry with her father, sneaking away to help save them. The show implies that because she is a child and hasn’t been “corrupted,” she knows better than her dad. Similarly, Lisa frequently does what she feels is right rather than thinking through the implications of her actions. The show glorifies this worldview when her decisions positively impact the story, while her father’s decisions, frequently guided by logic and wisdom, do not. There are a few minor pagan elements, including references to a sacred animal and initiation rituals.

In MY DAD THE BOUNTY HUNTER, there is one use of the “d” word obscenity. A character almost says GD but instead says, “gosh darn.” Characters frequently say “butt.” A few characters say, “I swear.”

This series has a significant amount of animated action violence. Hand-to-hand combat, laser gun shootouts and spaceship fight scenes frequently occur. Additionally, there are some disturbing moments with an alien creature who looks like a man. His arm is chopped off at one point, but it grows back. A character stabs him in the chest and shoots him in the head, and he respawns. While there’s no blood, some of these images could be disturbing for younger children and sensitive older children. Additionally, some aliens can be slightly disturbing for those unfamiliar with the sci-fi genre. Characters are also frequently shocked for misbehaving and in fight sequences.

There is no explicit nudity, however, two female characters are dressed in very skimpy bikini-like tops for a moment. There is no depicted sexual content. However, two parents are separated. There is also a brief lesbian interaction between two EHC guards. While their faces are covered, both seem to be female, and as one is dragged away from the other, she says, “I love you.”

There are no drugs or smoking scenes, however, a father does jokingly say he will make his kids cocktails in one scene.

Miscellaneous immorality includes disobeying and sassing parents, which is sometimes rebuked. In addition, characters frequently argue and lie, though they usually make up, and the series ends by emphasizing the importance of honesty. Viewers also see Lisa gamble, and her dad eventually reprimands her.

MY DAD THE BOUNTY HUNTER is well-animated and visually interesting. The series uses bright colors, imaginative creatures and creative world-building to draw viewers in. Flashback scenes are created in a vintage comic animation style. The dialogue and acting are engaging. The show also uses rap and hip-hop music in various montage scenes to add to the overall atmosphere.

MY DAD THE BOUNTY HUNTER tells an interesting story about a family learning to work together. There are several positive, moral, and pro-family elements, and forgiveness and helping others are emphasized. However, these positive elements are marred by an underlying romantic worldview. Some intense animated violence could disturb younger viewers, and various protagonists do not always set a good example for children. Because of this, Movieguide® recommends discernment for older children.