Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

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Screenwise Verdict

Clone High is a weird, wild ride that's either brilliant or insufferable depending on your tolerance for early 2000s edgy humor. The premise is genuinely creative—Abraham Lincoln, Joan of Arc, Cleopatra, and other historical clones navigating high school drama—and when it works, it's sharp, funny, and surprisingly clever.

But let's be real: this is not family viewing. The sexual innuendo, substance references, and crude humor are constant. It's also a product of its time, and some jokes land with a thud in 2025. The massive gap between critic scores (100%) and audience scores (53%) tells you everything—this is niche, divisive content that rewards a specific sense of humor.

For older teens (15+) who love absurdist comedy, appreciate satire, and have enough historical knowledge to catch the references, Clone High can be genuinely entertaining and even thought-provoking about how we mythologize history. For everyone else, it's going to feel like a dated, try-hard mess. Know your teen before hitting play.

Age Fit

This is firmly in the 15-17 range—mature teens who can handle edgy humor and have enough historical context to get the jokes. Despite being animated, this is absolutely not for kids or even young teens. Adults who love irreverent comedy and cult classics will enjoy it too.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

45

Clone High is deliberately irreverent and satirical, featuring teen clones of historical figures in absurd situations. The humor is edgy, often inappropriate, and includes sexual innuendo, substance references, and characters behaving badly without clear consequences. While it's comedic parody rather than mean-spirited, it doesn't model healthy relationships or cooperation—it's more about mocking teen drama tropes and historical figures. The tone is chaotic and deliberately over-the-top, which is the point but not particularly wholesome.

Imaginative

78

The core concept—cloning historical figures and placing them in high school—is genuinely creative and original. The show takes wild swings with its premise, blending historical references with absurdist humor and animated zaniness. It invites viewers to think about history through a completely warped lens, and the animation style (early 2000s Flash-style) has a distinctive aesthetic. However, it's more about clever parody than inspiring creative expression or exploration in viewers.

Safe

52

Common Sense Media rates it 14+, which signals mature content. The show contains sexual innuendo, drug/alcohol references, crude humor, and occasional violence played for laughs. While nothing is graphic or traumatizing, there's plenty that would be inappropriate for younger viewers stumbling upon it. The edgy humor and adult themes mean parents need to know what they're getting into. It's not 'unsafe' in a traumatic way, but it's definitely not something you'd want an 8-year-old watching unexpectedly.

Enriching

58

Clone High offers satirical commentary on teen culture, high school social dynamics, and the absurdity of how we mythologize historical figures. For teens who get the references, it can spark interest in history (even if through a warped lens) and media literacy about parody. However, the educational value is heavily wrapped in crude humor and absurdism. It's entertaining and clever for its target audience but not particularly skill-building or emotionally insightful. The humor is the point, not personal growth.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Genuinely original premise that's still unique 20+ years later—cloned historical figures navigating teen drama is brilliantly absurd
Sharp satirical humor that skewers both teen TV tropes and how we idolize historical figures
Can spark interest in history for teens who appreciate irreverent comedy and catch the references
Cult classic status with 100% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics—the people who get it, really get it
Fast-paced, quotable dialogue that rewards attention and repeat viewing

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What to Watch For

Mature content throughout—sexual innuendo, substance references, crude humor that's definitely not for middle schoolers despite the high school setting
Early 2000s edginess that hasn't all aged gracefully—some jokes will make you cringe in 2025
The humor requires decent historical knowledge and media literacy; younger teens might miss half the references
Divisive audience reception (53% on RT) suggests this is love-it-or-hate-it territory

Conversation Starters

"Which historical figure do you think would actually be the worst to go to high school with?"
"The show makes fun of how we treat historical figures like heroes—do you think we do that too much in real life?"
"What did you think about how they portrayed [specific historical figure]? Was it fair or just ridiculous?"
"If you could clone any historical figure to be your classmate, who would it be and why?"

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