Total Drama (2007–2014) User Reviews (57)

Kind of hit or miss

[joegratz · 7/10 · 11 January 2016]

Sometimes, I think TD is one of the greatest shows on television. Other times, it's a major letdown and I hate it. I'll try to review each season separately without spoiling anything.

Island: this was the only season that every fan can agree is good. If you don't like this season, you probably wouldn't like the show. It does start out painfully slow, but once it gets going, it really gets interesting. Some of the best moments of the series here.

Action: I think this season was a major letdown. It felt kind of like a rehash, and the plot developments that did happen felt either forced or OOC. No new characters and very few new interactions were introduced.

World Tour: I think the first half did pretty well, but the second half had too much drama and not enough comedy. And there was a certain character who fans drew a certain conclusion about at the end, but I personally don't see it. (Remember, this review is spoiler free.) The songs were kind of hit or miss, but there were a few standouts on both ends of the spectrum.

Revenge of the Island: It was the most exaggerated and comical of the seasons. A lot of people hate this season, but I don't think it was that bad. A lot of your opinion of this season will depend on your opinion of the new cast.

All Stars: Again, I liked the first half better than the second half. As the season went on, one storyline took over the entire show and crowded out other potentially interesting story lines. I did like how well they brought together elements of all four previous seasons, though.

Pahkitew Island: I might have given up on Total Drama if this season was not good. The characters were pretty weird, but somehow they made them work. But all Total Drama seasons had problems with the ending, and this one was the worst offender.

Ridonculous Race: I really hope we see more of this in the future. Its quality was reminiscent of Island. A lot of fresh, original ideas were brought to the table here.

Total Drama... does it still hold up?

[rockettriley-01554 · 8/10 · 8 March 2020]

I remember watching this show when I was younger on Netflix. Honestly some of it is still funny to me. But as the seasons went on, and they started running out of ideas, well it just became super cringy. The jokes were dry and the characters were lame. Total Drama pushes their limits, and honestly should have ended at season 5. After that, everything sucked. Season 7 was okay, but I missed Chris. The early seasons were funny because Total Drama didn't really care. It was a low budget cartoon and that's what it was meant to be, and I liked it that way. So I'm giving this an eight out of ten for good memories.

Very overrated, but the third Season is surprisingly decent.

[blakmanta · 6/10 · 2 August 2010]

The "Total Drama Series" is a parody of many well-known survival reality shows and their annoying clichés. The animated contestants are teenagers stereotypes that you shouldn't take too seriously, since it's all played for laughs. The premise has a lot of potential, but everything seems horribly written. Also, the show desperately wants the attention of older viewers, yet most of the fans are 9 or 13 years old: that's because it has horrible childish/toilet humor, which is really bad. Also, the animation is below average (though it has improved over time).

Basically, the first two seasons of the series, respectively titled "Total Drama Island" and "Total Drama Action", are uninteresting. However, the third one, known as "Total Drama World Tour", is actually much better than the rest of the series. The writing in Season 3 is good; humor and animation have improved; also, every episode features a nice song, obviously played for laughs, yet they're quite catchy so far (this was probably inspired by Disney's "Phineas and Ferb").

Overall, thanks to its third season, this is an OK show, though not nearly as good as other animated series on TV...

A Genius Parody Of Reality TV!

[littlemankazoo · 9/10 · 11 August 2009]

What happens when you mix 22 campers, a crummy summer camp, and all the cheesy drama from a reality show? THE BEST FREAKING PARODY EVER! Honestly, the show is cute in it's own way, it's characters are quite likable (Besides Heather), and it builds upon itself to offer innuendo, while using humor children understand. Oh my god, a cartoon that is appealing for both kids AND ADULTS?! It's hard to come by cartoons like this.

Meaning, it's hard to come by cartoons that parody it's based material, makes the stereotypes convincing and in character, and offer entertainment and humor for both young and old! 9/10! Incredible!

The Funniest I've seen on TV

[julcltr · 10/10 · 21 March 2009]

I remember watching 6Teen when a preview of this came on, and from the moment it said "from the creators of 6Teen", I was instantly captivated. I loved 6Teen, and I couldn't wait to see it. I was expecting to see something that had plenty of danger, but I didn't expect to have the funny in it too, especially with the third episode. There are a few fart jokes here and there, but, who cares? Every time someone did something wacky, I would laugh until it hurts. I also liked the way the characters were designed (no, seriously, they also have really good taste in clothes). I especially liked Gwen, who does have better taste than Heather by the way. Oh, and Owen, what's not to love about him? Anyway, if you just watch one episode, you'll be on the floor laughing. I guarantee it.

TOTAL DRAMA ACTION REVIEW: The Second Season is a Huge Disappointment

[carologletree · 12 September 2018]

NOTE: This is only a review for "Total Drama Action", the second season of "Total Drama." Since TDA doesn't have it's own IMDB page like some of the subsequent seasons do, the only way to review it is on the IMDB page for the "Total Drama" franchise in general.

"Total Drama Island" was such a success and it got people pumped for the follow-up season, "Total Drama Action." I'm glad to know that I'm far from the only one who was immensely disappointed by this season. It had problems that ranged from questionable writing decisions, character derailments, and being generally forgettable.

Total Drama Action takes place on an abandoned film lot somewhere in Toronto, Ontario. It follows the same format as Total Drama Island, with fifteen contestants from last season participating in movie-themed challenges on separate teams. After being voted off, contestants must take the Walk of Shame and travel to the Total Drama Aftermath show via the Lame-o-sine. This process continues until one player wins $1,000,000.

One of the biggest problems with this season is the directions that many of the characters were taken in. The first one was Bridgette and Geoff being the first ones eliminated because they literally did nothing but make out the entire challenge. It was pretty sad and just not funny. Next was Trent's derailment. He was becoming creepily obsessive with Gwen after they had been put on separate teams and when she started getting along with Duncan. In a desperate attempt to keep her, he started throwing challenges for his team. This lead to Trent and Gwen breaking up and Trent's early elimination. Trent was my favorite character from the first season, and what happened to him here really angered me.

Another rather annoying thing was Courtney, who was inserted into the competition in episode 11. She was mostly tolerable in the first season, but she was insufferable in this season. She was nothing but a spoiled brat who always whined and wanted her way and no longer cared about anything but the competition.

Aside from the annoying character derailments, a lot of the rest of this just feels like a bare-bones rehash of the first season. That's a real shame, because movies being the theme of the challenges had a lot of potential and gave the challenges more variety. Sadly, a lot of the challenges were pretty forgettable.

This season wasn't terrible, though, as there were some things I liked in it. While some of the challenges were forgettable, there were some really fun ones, too. Storyline highlights include DJ standing up to Chef Hatchet and proving that he was a real man, Leshawna and Heather becoming friends, Beth showing a lot of guts throughout the season and making it to the final two, and Duncan being the winner.

This season also introduces "Total Drama Aftermath," which is pretty fun.

Like I said, this season isn't terrible, it's just very mediocre and massively disappointing after the wonderful first season. Recommended only to "Total Drama" fans, but don't expect too much from it.

RATING: C-

An Interesting Concept

[thesmartducky · 7/10 · 17 July 2019]

This show has an interesting concept or idea such as taking TV shows like Survivor and replacing the adults with teenagers to see what chaos would unfold.However,some of the characters being eliminated,felt cheated from the audience just because they became a disadvantage to the group like being injured by other circumstances.One of the winners who I will not name,does not deserve to win unlike other competitors or get this far considering they did not do much and was even a liability to their team at a point in the show which was when they should have gotten eliminated.The show even though runs on stereotypes of people is also very interesting to watch. However,some of them are just obnoxious and stay true to their sterotype.But,there are others that the writers have expanded upon like Cody,Gwen,Courtney and Trent.The idea of having stereotypes of teenagers is a good idea.As the moment they think of a stereotype for example,the Asian kid.They can already create a character from those "traits" that people in those stereotypes would have.

review for total drama island

[destoroyah98886 · 10/10 · 18 September 2008]

I gave this show ten stars for a reason, to me, this show is great! It's full of twists, and believe me, It is worth watching, at least the creators of this show try to make it interesting! It's not like Johnny Test, with "J T" it's always "been there done that" and if that offends anyone,it's the truth. Total Drama Island is hilarious, granted, it does have its moments, but hey,at least it's something different! The way I look at it, there's nothing really wrong with this show. I'll definitely buy the first season when it comes out on DVD if it hasn't already! Overall, I enjoyed the show because it didn't leave me with that sense of wishing my time back. Everybody is entitled to their opinion, but I recommend this show if you're looking for something different to watch.

What an Unexpected Drama Series

[SaturnCoyote · 7/10 · 11 May 2023]

This is a rating for the first two seasons, Island and Action.

It took me a while to finish both of these and they were pretty pleasant to watch! I didn't really know what to expect going into this, but my expectations were succeeded!

There are likeable characters and some characters you will absolutely hate, giving 'drama' at its finest! And Chris is hilarious, he really makes the show.

The writing is unique in the sense of it's basically an animated reality show. It's something that is rarely ever done and it works!

However, I feel like some characters don't have great development (cough, Trent) and some plot lines aren't necessary. However, I'd recommend checking this one out! It's a pretty cool show.

Ok I'm 29 and I just discovered this show....

[brandonbray-35698 · 9/10 · 13 March 2020]

And being a fan of survivor, big brother, and amazing race I'm really into this. It makes me giggle. And it's got stuff for the kids and then dirty jokes for the adults. Super underrated. Can't wait to see what happens lol

YASSS

[alliehoovel · 7/10 · 28 December 2021]

Literally what can I say about this show. It's actually really funny for a kids show. All I'm saying is duncan and gwen should have ended up together, they were perfect!

Please, keep this show alive!

[ricardolucio · 10/10 · 12 December 2020]

It's a great show, it has its problems, but what doesn't? overall it's a pretty funny and well thought (not everytime) series, with characters that you can easily relate to, good improvements (not everytime, again) in the characters. anyway, I just wanted to show my love for this show that marked my childhood, as I'm sure also marked many people. so, bring this show back to live if you can!

Animated Reality TV Has Never Been More Dramatic!

[KinoBuff2021 · 7/10 · 3 November 2022]

This review is for Total Drama Season 1-6 (Total Drama Island, Total Drama Action, Total Drama World Tour, Revenge of the Island, All Stars, Pahkitew Island)

1. TDI: The 1st and most classic season of all of the entire franchise. Original, funny, exciting, and playful plots, challenges, and characters. The show finds its footing quickly with this season and creates a formula they will reuse forever.

2. TDA: Decent season with more characters getting the spotlight and developed to be more well-rounded or restricted to one trait. The movie-based challenge idea creates some pretty interesting scenarios. A little rocky at times, but the show remains stable.

3. TDWT: Although it seemed long it turned out to be a pretty good season that comes back to reality like the first season. Challenges are fun and the new villain revives the drama and makes the season very interesting although they do lose traction by the finale.

4. ROTI: Good season with a whole new cast. Although the characters seem awkward at first they become pretty ineteresting even if some of them are pretty one-dimensional. Some characters got better while others got worse as the season went along. The challenges were dull but the overall storyline remained captivating. This season also marks the beginning of the downfall of the hosts, Chris McLean who becomes unenjoyable and Chef becomes nonexistent.

5. All Stars: Cast consists of original generation of contestants as while as contestants from the previous season, ROTI. Interesting premise, but ends up as a very meh season. The challenges just seemed dull or pointless. The hosts become less professional and end up becoming irritating at times as they become more disconnected from reality. This season becomes pretty animated as plots and characters become over-the-top and beyond unrealistic. This season should just be considered as ROTI Part 2 as almost all of the original cast is widely ignored and forgotten.

6. Pahkitew Island: 14 brand new contestants on a new island that at first seems like the old island but with a few hidden features. Overall it was a good season with a cast that was very hit-or-miss. You might have ended up mad your favorite characters were gone or your least favorite characters remained, or experienced the opposite. Character development did seem to stall after a certain point with challenges becoming dull and less important as the season went on. There are a few callbacks to previous seasons though which can make the season more enjoyable for long time fans if they aren't terribly frustrated by this season.

Overall: A good-to-great series especially for its format as an animated reality tv show. Unique premise, diverse characters, and enjoyable Canadian humor that all make the show enjoyable to watch by pretty much anyone. Anyone could watch the show and find someone to root for or against. Even if you didn't grow up watching the show, new fans will still find something to love/hate. This is a definitely a recommendable tv show especially for the first three seasons, but I wouldn't be too stressed if you stop watching after that because while the later seasons may not add very much they will not take anything away from the original humor and dynamics.

Total Drama Island 1,2,3

[Kodmetlow968 · 4/10 · 5 May 2021]

Drama island is a nice fun and funny series in general 1 was good but I can't say for season 2 and 3. Characters break down in the next season and the script often begins to repeat.

Great Show

[mario-al · 10/10 · 18 October 2013]

It is a very good show. First season begins like any reality show, but it's really great the way characters are develop.

In season 2 is missing a main villain, so it's just regular.

But Season 3 called "Total Drama World Tour" is really the best season yet. His plots are well presented and characters develop in a way that seems made for adults. And each episode has a song that fits the storyline of the day and does not seem out of place.

Season 4 is not very good, but season 5 so far has been excellent.

Alejandro, Heather, Duncan and Courtney are very well created; there are some others like Noah and Eva that have potential and just need more screen time. And some others like Linsey and Sierra that are hilarious.

It's time worthy.

TOTAL DRAMA ISLAND REVIEW: The Season that Started it all is Still Fantastic

[carologletree · 10 September 2018]

NOTE: This is only a review for "Total Drama Island", the first season of "Total Drama." Since TDI doesn't have it's own IMDB page like some of the subsequent seasons do, the only way to review it is on the IMDB page for the "Total Drama" franchise in general.

I have such fond memories of "Total Drama Island." The summer of 2008 was one of the best times in my life, and this show is one of the reasons for it. It kept me hooked all the way through and really left an impression on me. Revisiting it, it still is a great show to watch.

Created as a parody of shows such as Survivor and Fear Factor, Total Drama Island focuses on 22 teenagers arriving to Camp Wawanakwa to compete on a reality television show. The contestants are divided into two teams and must compete in challenges every three days. While the winning team earns invincibility, the losing team has to vote off one of their own players. Whoever is voted off must walk the Dock of Shame to the Boat of Losers and leave the island. The teams eventually dissolve and the elimination process continues until the last contestant standing wins a grand prize of $100,000.

One thing that makes TDI so good is its extremely likable cast of characters. They all have their own individual personalities and they all feel relatable in some way, like people you would meet in high school. My favorites are Trent, Gwen, Duncan, Leshawna, Cody, Bridgette, Geoff, and Owen (not just because he shares my name).

The interactions between the characters are usually quite engaging and the many storylines built up between them are played out well. We would see most of them again in later seasons, but a lot of them started going downhill and ended up getting derailed in some way. They were all at their most likable in this season.

The first season, I feel, did the best job of utilizing its cast of characters. With only a few exceptions, I feel that everyone was eliminated at just the right time.

The challenges are a lot of fun as well. A lot of them are very creative and are filled with memorable moments. With an ongoing narrative filled with all kinds of interesting stuff happening every episode, it makes you not want to miss a single one.

The show can also be quite hilarious at times and the animation, while rather basic (as to be expected from Teletoon), fits the show quite well.

This season does have a few problems, such as some toilet humor here and there and a few unfair eliminations, but they are all rather minor in the grand scheme of things.

"Total Drama Island" has a special place in my heart, and it still holds up extremely well. Too bad the sequels aren't anywhere near as good (although the spin-off "The Ridonculous Race" was pretty awesome). You should check this show out if you haven't already.

RATING: A

Well...

[BobbeCole · 7/10 · 3 April 2013]

Total Drama Island started out great. It had good flow and good memories. I thought it was awesome. Total Drama Action was better because of how they were able to make use of their writing skills. I thought it would be better after Season 2, but I was wrong. Season 3 was sh*t because singing was their main focus, it was like watching a stupid kids show, seriously the change of writers ruined it. Season 4 improved from Season 3's failure, but was still crap due to how short it was, and how the jokes used were one's that were dead and done. I hope for the best that Season 5 turns out to be as good as the first two seasons.

Season 1: 8.5/10

Season 2: 8.7/10

Season 3: 3.1/10

Season 4: 5.7/10

Season 5: TBD

YES!!!!!!! Good cartoons are back!

[scbyrnetda · 10/10 · 29 June 2009]

this is the show that changed my view on children's cartoons today. i used to watch a lot of cartoons when i was little with my big bro. now I'm 16 and have a 7 year old niece and i was watching TV with her and they have all that chowder, spongebob and flapjack crap out now i thought felt like crying! what happened to power-puff girls, Johny bravo and old time nick????? these are the shows i grew up with, my childhood, gone! i felt like there was no good shows anymore like those, but then i came across this show. it has that good old adult humor that just flew over our heads when we where younger but we all get now. i can watch this with my niece and not worry about exposing her to Really bad stuff. i also relate to many of the people on the show, like Bridgett and Courtney. i know A LOT of people at my school who watch this and LOVE it! (most of them girls) teletoon is making some of the best cartoons today like 6teen, TDI/A, and the up-coming show stoked. they are really the Disney of cartoons and i LOVE THEM FOR IT!!!!!!!! U ROCK TELETOON, KEEP MAKING GOOD CARTOONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One Of the "Total" Great Shows Ever! But..

[azrex · 7/10 · 22 August 2014]

Look Im Saying This Show Is Still Great. But There's a couple Problems With The show. The Animation Was good so far Until Season 6 went down. What Was On my Nerves On all of the Seasons is The Language, Kissing and other Stuff, It Gets on my nerves!. Also They Really need to Bring back the Old Players Back In the show! Like Season 3, Season 4, and Season 6! So I got Pretty worried of the other Characters if they were coming back! Did they die? Did they Drowned, Did they Burn in the sun? I don't know! I really Don't know! So Please Bring Back Some Of the Characters From Your Last seasons! So I hope it still keeps going!! :D :D :D

Super funny

[chloebetts · 8/10 · 3 August 2021]

This show is so funny but I can't believe I was allowed to watch this as a kid. There were a lot of things that I didn't remember about the show but I'm really glad I rematched it.

Varies for seasons

[cades-80515 · 7/10 · 4 February 2023]

This review is for seasons 1-6 Season 1: I find this season one of or the best season of this. Most of the characters were either mildly likeable or very likeable. The challenges were arguably the best, and it was the best season for comedy.

Season 2: Season 1 but different setup and less characters. In some ways, I like having less characters. The writing got a bit worse, but it was pretty good.

Season 3: This is where the quality goes down. In both ways. The characters got more annoying, and the songs were super hard to sit through. I skipped through most of them, though. The humor was non-existent, and it was the worst of the original cast.

Season 4: New cast of characters and new twist on the island. The concepts were pretty hit or miss, most of the characters were ok, but some were well-written in my opinion. Other than that, it was pretty mediocre.

Season 5: A breath of fresh air. The characters are from season 1, 3, and 4. The concepts were new, and it felt like season 1 all over again.

Season 6: The worst season by far. The characters were very annoying and poorly written. I also felt like the quality dropped down in bushels.

Overall it is a 7/10.

First season worthy of a watch, the rest can be a hit or miss

[Lmma434 · 9/10 · 23 February 2020]

Total Drama Island - 9/10 Had good potential; characters were interesting, character development was even better. The challenges were intriguing to watch. The show is so hilariously bad it's good.

Total Drama Action - 6.5/10 Not a bad season but no refreshing ideas or characters. Same old jokes and the aftermath shows got somewhat annoying as episode fillers.

Total Drama World Tour - 3.5/10 I know many like this season, but I couldn't get past the 6th episode (The aftermath show). It was yet another repetition from the previous seasons. Nothing new asides from the dreadful musical numbers in every episode and two new characters. Not a lot of "drama" from what I was watching. The show has clearly ran out of ideas and has become officially unwatchable. Couldn't bare to watch the following seasons.

Give the first season a try and perhaps the second and you may enjoy this show. But the third just wasn't for me.

A pleasant Surprise

[Admiral_DongSmoker_III · 5/10 · 6 November 2008]

The introduction of an impressive array of stereotypical characters began this animated reality television show, the most brilliant and unexpected oxymoron I encountered as of late. There's a way to relate almost any of the characters to someone you've met at one point in your life. Each character is memorable in their own way, if only because of the brilliant stereotyping, or the sheer wackiness of some.

On the "reality" half, there is very little real about it, and yet, it actually feels real in ways. At times, it's a biting satire of many of the absurd reality TV programs aired in the past few years. At others, the relations and rivalries between characters feel very realistic. The only problem, really, is that some of the humor feels weak and forced. On the other hand, some of it works really well.

If only this show didn't spawn so much awful fan-fiction...

7/10, for a great concept and intelligent writing, if weak in the humor department at times.

It's My Favorite Animated Kids Show

[dtx-11107 · 10/10 · 6 November 2020]

I started watching Total Drama on July 2020 and the first episode I watched was the 1rst one. I've loved Total Drama ever since. My favorite character is Lindsay.