Bordertown has a lot going for it. Created by Family Guy writer Mark Hentemann, executive-produced by Seth MacFarlane, and starring Hank Azaria and Alex Borstein, it should have been hit right out of the park. I love Hank Azaria, and have been a fan of Alex Borstein since the early days of MadTV, and admittedly, they both shine here, but the show is not the sum of its parts. I'll spare you repetition. Let's just say all the common points of all the bad reviews are spot-on. I'm not even one of those easily offended types, and I still found myself thinking some of the jokes were mean just for the sake of being mean. I watched the entire first season hoping it would hit its stride and settle into a decent show. It never did. To me, it seemed like it was written by juvenile delinquents under the supervision of their "cool" uncle that can totally get them beer. I'm not saying avoid Bordertown. Just don't set your expectations very high.
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PaulSenpai22 February 201680% of all the characters are stupid and you hate them 1) because they looks horrible and 2) because they are stupid, but not in the good way like in Family Guy... The jokes are sometimes good, sometimes they are too over the top and sometimes the jokes are just retarded. The art style will most likely off put a lot of people off and maybe the racist jokes will help too... I like the openings with Bud and El Coyote in the in the style of the Road Runner Show.
So if you like Family Guy and you are not easily offended you will have a laugh or two. But if you love Family Guy you most likely will hate the show. -
cherold11 January 2016For a number of years, Family Guy and American Dad were these brilliant, irreverent shows from Seth MacFarlane that were bold and outrageous and disgusting and horrific and wildly funny. And then at a certain point - somewhere around the same time Seth created the tedious Cleveland - the air went out of both shows.
I haven't watched anything from Seth for tears (except the cute Ted movies), but I thought I'd check out his new show and see if it was any good. But while not *terrible*, it's also not especially interesting.
The show is about a racist white guy and his Mexican-American neighbors in a border town that, in the first episode, passes a anti-illegal immigrant law.
A number of white people seem to think the show is racist against white people, but I'm pretty sure having one racist white guy in a series that has other non-racist white people is not a very good example of a racist system that won't give the white man a break. Also, these people must never have seen a Seth MacFarlane series before.
If you've seen Seth's shows, you won't be surprised by the cheap, easy jokes about alien probing and child pageants, nor by the extremities of its political correctness, nor by its jaundiced view of humans. And if you remember when Family Guy stopped being funny, you won't be surprised that this is only mildly amusing.
Ultimately, nothing in Bordertown is surprising. And that's the problem. -
ecrawford-1156510 January 2016Fox has had its share of bottom feeder programming. We can always count on something really, really bad from them at least once a year. But if there was an award for the worst show that ever aired on television, this brain fart would have a case full of awards.
What could Hank Azaria and John Viener thinking by attaching their names to this?
Have they spent all of their money on Duff beer and Pawtucket Patriot Ale and now they have to scrape the bottom of the jobs barrel?
I am a HUGE Hank Azaria fan, I have watched anything and everything that dude has ever made, but honestly, watching this was painful. A real buzz killer. Not only is it not funny, the animation looks like Steven Hawking had a huge hand in the drawing process.
Use this 30 minutes to get ready for bed, you're not missing a thing. -
augustgutting-4423010 January 2016Look, the reasons it's awful have already been listed. Poor animation, poor jokes, the fact it's a quick cash grab on the fact Trump thinks he can actually build a wall... Remember when Family guy stopped being funny? I can only assume all the material used in this show is just what was left on the floor from those episodes.
I like dirty humor, and don't get butt-hurt over race. It's just not well done. An on the nose joke about how one of them hates getting "jazz" on their face, but oh, wait, no, it's adult contemporary he hates getting on his face...
Here's my worst part, the main character, Bud Buckwald's voice is just Hank Azaria doing a 50/50 mix of Apu and Comic Book Guy. -
nzswanny22 March 2016Watched the first episode, and I thought it was pretty good! I don't know about all of these people complaining, but in my opinion, it's the best show Seth MacFarlane has made yet! The good thing about this show is that it doesn't just make fun of Mexico...it makes fun of all countries. And, well, that's what Family Guy and all of other Seth's shows fail to deliver. I was expecting this show to have mixed reviews, but...GAH! It has extremely poor reviews! How can you not like this??? I bet my review gets heaps of hate, but you know, I seriously don't care. People need to stop hating this show! There is nothing wrong with it! I think it deserves 6.7/10! But myself, I think you should give it a watch yourself and make your own opinion, not read others. I just rated it a 10/10 so the rating gets higher.
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roncarnes9515 May 2017Some reviewers try to assign depth to this show that just isn't there. These same people must have written thesis papers on the philosophical lessons imparted by The Three Stooges. Warner Brothers cartoons had more depth. And laughs. Ironically, the only thing funny about Bordertown is the reviews saying viewers are too PC to laugh at it. It's just a lame, forgettable show. There's a reason why it was swiftly cancelled.
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aflev14 November 2021This is one of those shows I'm very sorry about it only had 1 season, it's a lot of fun, it had to have at least one more season, showing a city on the US-Mexico border and making jokes was very interesting, some cartoons like South Park, Simpsons and Family Guy could have a few episodes less and this show could have more.
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ptownmail-camera3 April 2017To joeywieberg-92286, the guy who tried to say Seth Mcfarlane has nothing to do with the show..."Seth MacFarlane ... executive producer (13 episodes, 2016)" "Seth MacFarlane ...
Peter Griffin (1 episode, 2016)" maybe he should read the credits before making statements.
Maybe you have to actually live in a border town to think this is funny. We do, and love this show! Where we live could be Mexifornia! Sometimes it's like living right in Mexico with all the billboards in Spanish, grocery store fliers in Spanish and having to speak Spanish to get a job... -
elliotcatharell5 January 2016Bordertown is clearly an attempt by Seth MacFarlane to milk whatever money FOX has left to give him. A cheap knock off of his previous Family Guy, the characters are two-dimensional and bland. The show offers nothing in the way of entertainment.
I remember when my mother would tell me not to watch South Park, because of the bad language, violence and racism. South Park had all those things, but it also had incredible writers who interwove fantastic satire and wit into every episode. Bordertown is the kind of show I expect my mother would not want me watching even today now. Tasteless, lowbrow humour, it feels like it's been written by 15 year old children. I couldn't even finish the first episode. It wasn't that I was offended by anything I heard, but frankly it felt like the show was being racist just for the sake of it.
Barely deserving a 1/10
TL;DR - The worst cartoon you'll never hear of again. Don't bother watching. -
edarsenik31 August 2016Personally I hated this when I had first seen it, yet after watching every episode I can say that its actually a really funny show. It takes the series some time to warm up, but mid season I think its just as good as Family Guy or the other MacFarlane shows. If you're really PC and against some racially charged humor it might not be for you, but when you watch the series as a whole you'll see they all get along at the end of the day, and most of the jabs are in good fun. The art style is its weakest point in my opinion and I think they should have just drawn them in the same fashion as the other MacFarlane shows, as people would find them more familiar.
All and all I think its a great show and if at first you weren't impressed, Id say give it another shot and you may be surprised. -
MovieHoliks18 January 2016I've only seen the first couple episodes of this new animated Fox series, but after the terrible "Golan The Insatiable", this one is a pleasant surprise! It concerns two families living in the border town of "Mexifornia"! (LMAO at that name alone!) One of whom is your typical white-trash type who of course thinks all illegals should be deported (and hung! LOL), and works for the border police in a little office in the desert where he dreams all day about -what else- deporting illegal immigrants. LOL.
This show I guess does take the side of the illegals, so I guess it is a political satire of sorts-?? But regardless of your political beliefs, I think you will find yourself chuckling at this show. Thumbs up so far! -
I'm almost through watching episode number two, and this will be the last episode of this show that I will ever watch. I see a lot of other negative reviews here but they seem to be focusing on politics, and how this show allegedly has a "pro-illegal" immigrant lean, and discusses the politics and right-versus-left or left-versus-right lean of the Fox network, whatever it is.
The fact is, I don't live in the U.S. and don't have a horse in that race at all. The only thing I'm watching this show for is jokes and entertainment value. I'm looking for good stories, writing and above all characters.
The problem is that this show has none of that. Like at all. I spend the entire time rolling my eyes and sighing in disbelief at how bad this show is. It really just comes off as desperate, how hard they're trying to sell these jokes that everyone involved must know are just not funny.
By the way, getting back on the politics/Fox thing, and this is totally unrelated to the topic of this show but I honestly don't understand - so Fox News is very right leaning but Fox network is very left leaning? I just don't get what's going on, but sometimes I read hate of Fox being "too conservative" but also of shows like this being "too liberal." Again, I live in another country.
Anyway I still enjoy other Fox animated series. I don't watch The Simpsons any more because I think it's a pale comparison of what it once was and also after all these years I'm just tired of it. Futurama was incredible, about as funny as The Simpsons in its prime. American Dad is still good, Family Guy isn't what it once was either but is still funny.
But Bordertown is really awful. I wouldn't be surprised if it got canceled before the end of this season. It's so bad it actually makes The Cleveland Show look not-so-awful, and that show was garbage. (Still, it lasted several seasons somehow, so I guess whatever few fans Bordertown has can hold out hope for this one too.) -
charlesagarcya16 April 2017Horribly unfunny. I am not looking to have political views shoved down my throat I can think for myself. I just want simple comedy and this is not it at all. This show has its an agenda. If you want more close minded, one sided politics and non stop disrespect of America I recommend this show. If you want to laugh go far from border town.
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clickbaitusa9 January 2016Just a bland, uninspired piece of crap. Lazy animation, reused/unused Family Guy jokes is basically the highlight of this show. I would rather watch season 3 of Brickleberry all over again than this sh*t. Seth MacFarlane has reached an all-time low. If you enjoy bland jokes and sh*tty animation, this show is for you. If you are someone with a set of basic standards in life, this show isn't for you. We all know MacFarlane is a cold-hard liberal, but basically they're trying to make illegal immigrants seem "good". All the characters are also super annoying, especially the daughter. This show really doesn't deserve to even be on TV. I hope this lazy, crappy show burns to the ground and FOX will decide to stop letting Seth and the crew create shows. Instead of making new shows, work on Family Guy (which needs help).
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ashtvshows31 March 2021This is a hillarious show. Its nothing worse then Family Guy, American Dad and Simpsons. That should have been a many seasons. I wish this is one of the big shows.
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rsmstr6 April 2017First let's get how bad the characters look out of the way. There must have been some other style they could have gone with or they could have made it look exactly like Family Guy and I may have given it an 8.
It's a lazy attempt at topical humour, that is it. People will eat it up because that's what the news has been about since ol Trump said he'd build a wall; How much a certain American people dislike Mexicans (I accept anyone if they accept me: disclaimer).
There are some decent jokes but many are similar to the Jew, celebrity, grotesque injury, or slapstick you would find in Family Guy and they seem shoehorned in at bad times.
I guess if you were on some potent hallucinogenics or psychotrophics it would be a great show. -
jtungsten167 February 2016Love,Love, Love Bordertown! I missed the live airings of it and watched 3 episodes on Hulu and I have to say it's a great show. Bordertown is funny, entertaining and visually stunning. I Ike the look of the show and the music is great too. People really need to give the show a chance, I don't understand the low rating.
This show deserves at least a 7.2 I will let people know how great this show is. Please give Bordertown a chance, you will not be disappointed.
I like the voices on this show and the sound, especially when the characters walk on the floor. I really hope fox keeps this show on the air. -
I hadn't seen to do reviews that much lately. So for my first review of the year I do the first cartoon that premiered this year: Bordertown.
This show is about two families living next to each other on a city in California while dealing with the city's laws. Honestly I thought I wasn't gonna like it. The first few episodes weren't the greatest thing ever (as well as Groundhog Dog which sucked as well). But later on, it becomes just an okay show for me to like especially since most jokes are kinda harmless. There's still some downsides, like unwanted fourth wall jokes (Family Guy had overdo it a lot in the later seasons we don't need to have that in here), racist jokes (what you except in a show like this), and a few others. The characters are a mixed bag. Some of them are unlikable or boring, but there's some characters I enjoyed like Ernesto, the coyote, and a couple more. The animation is really stiff as heck and I don't like that. But then again later FG episodes had lackluster animation so this doesn't matter much. Speaking of which, the writing can be a little too similar with Family Guy at times. Either way, in the end, I actually don't think it was a bad show, but it's just rather forgettable, even for Mark Hentemann's standards. -
pootrooster24 September 2019This show isn't the worst, but most definitely can't be described as good. The character designs are beyond hideous and the animation is low budget. It's not very funny and often the jokes are over-the-top dumb. I did laugh at some moments.
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joeywieberg-9228620 January 2016I'm not quite sure why everybody on here is giving crap to Seth McFarlane. Seth does not make, write, direct, animate or have anything to do with this show. Unlike most of the reviews left for Bordertown, I think it is highly entertaining, very funny, and easily one of the better shows to air as of recently. Maybe it's just me but Bordertown and F is for Family are hilarious. Maybe instead of bashing McFarlane you all should check and see who actually wrote the show. This show has shown a strong and very funny start and I'm excited to see what they will do next. Bordertown is unique from other "Adult Animations" and I see having a good long run. I'm very interested in the show only three episodes in. Looking forward to more. 9/10.
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Man992044 January 2016How could anything this INCREDIBLY BAD BAD BAD ever be green lighted to go on National television? It is even bad by "Fox Standards".
This is also one of the most incredibly RACIST programs I have ever seen. But, apparently this is OK at Fox because it is WHITE PEOPLE who are the brunt of the worst insults. Folks, racism is racism. If the "jokes" are inappropriate, then they inappropriate for ANY ethnic group.
The animation is almost as good as the Hanna Barbara TV animation from the 1960s. The character voices are just painfully bad. This is surprising considering that folks like Hank Azaria and Missi Pyle are lending their talents to the production.
This is not "cutting edge", this is not "hip adult", this is just INCREDIBLY STUPID... and not in the good way. -
danielpacecar5 March 2018Really really really really bad. This is maybe the least funny animated comedy show I have ever seen in my life. I can't believe this actually got made and put on TV.
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dwaynemayo604 January 2016If you too blind or too stupid or too close minded to acknowledge the difference between legal immigrants and ILLEGAL aliens or the difference between racism and expecting people to obey our country's laws and regulations, then you will like this.
If you think everyone that thinks illegal immigration is a problem because of criminals, terrorist's and people using other people's social security numbers (it's called fraud and if i did it I'd be behind bars), etc., sneaking across our borders is a stupid redneck racist who hates Mexicans and/or all minorities then you will like this.
If you are offended by being lumped in with those said rednecks who are a small tho LOUD percentage of the people who believe that illegal immigration needs to be dealt with instead of just ignored and the tactics of using the generic term "immigrants" to combine both legal AND illegal immigrants together so as to imply people that are anti ILLEGAL immigration are also anti immigrant then you probably won't.
I gave it two stars because some of the humor is funny but mainly just portrays Americans, especially WHITE Americans as uneducated redneck Mexican haters.
I am not a racist and my wife is a permanent resident at this time, That means she is a legal immigrant. There's a difference. The show is just too one-sided. There's not one character in the show that brings up any anti-ILLEGAL immigration that isn't an idiot. If they had shown a couple of digs at the left wing opinion then maybe it would fly a little better but no it just shoves the illegal immigrants down your throat. -
Johnny-the-Film-Sentinel-21878 September 2021I tried giving this show a go. It's just... unwatchable. You can't really judge a show like this in the modern TV landscape because it just doesn't compare to even the most modest Simpsons rip-offs out there.
I tried giving a couple of episodes a go: I made a terrible mistake. That's two episodes of television-watching I'll probably never get back (but who knows?).
I say give this one a miss, guys. Go watch Bob's Burgers or The Simpsons (or anything else, really) instead.