Total Drama Action

After losing a chance to win a million dollars, campers from "Total Drama Island" get a second chance to win a million dollars through movie-oriented challenges for the next 6 weeks.

Total Drama Action (2009) is a Canadian animated comedy series created by Jennifer Pertsch and Tom McGillis for Teletoon. It is a single-season sequel to Total Drama Island, a parody of reality competition shows. Chris McLean (voiced by Christian Potenza) hosts a second chance at a million dollars for the campers who lost their earlier shot, and the challenges are built around movie genres and action set pieces. Principal campers include Gwen (Megan Fahlenbock), Duncan (Drew Nelson), and Heather (Rachel Wilson), and their rivalries, alliances, and romances drive the comedy from one elimination to the next. Chef Hatchet (voiced by Clé Bennett) adds a menacing foil to McLean's bright, manipulative hosting. The engine is simple: each week a new challenge narrows the field, and the contestants scheme to survive. Across twenty-seven episodes the show runs as a single continuous competition with escalating stunts and running gags. The tone is breezy, sardonic and irreverent, with a sincere streak beneath the mockery of television formats. Fans of Total Drama Island, Survivor and Teen Titans Go! will find resonance in its cartoon satire of competition TV and its teen rivalries. The overall register is playful, fast and self-aware, suited to a short evening of gleeful animated absurdity.

Audience reception is positive, with viewers appreciating the irreverent competition format and its movie-themed challenges.

• Total Drama Islandanimated competition reality parody, teen contestants, cringe comedy with sincere stakes
• Teen Titans Go!animated sitcom with irreverent teen humor and absurd challenges
• Survivorreality competition parody with outlandish host and elimination stakes

Created by

Jennifer Pertsch, Tom McGillis

Release Date

2009-01-11

Episode runtime

22 min

Rating

7.4 / 10 (77)

What is Total Drama Action about?

Eliminated campers from a reality competition get a second chance at a million dollars through movie-themed challenges in this animated parody.

What is Total Drama Action like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Total Drama Action as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as simple.

Is Total Drama Action violent?

No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Total Drama Action.

What did critics think of Total Drama Action?

Audience reception is positive, with viewers appreciating the irreverent competition format and its movie-themed challenges.

Which shows are like Total Drama Action?

Shows with a similar feel include Total Drama Island, Teen Titans Go!, and Survivor.

How long is Total Drama Action?

Total Drama Action: 1 season, 27 episodes.

Is Total Drama Action still running?

No, Total Drama Action has ended.