TV Show review
September 29, 2017 · 27 min · TV-MA · Ended
Woke Score
Lower is better
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Big Mouth.
Woke representation / casting
Recast of Missy to Black voice actress explicitly framed around correcting white privilege and erasure; addition of trans character with trans performer and writer input; multiple visible queer, bisexual, asexual, and non-binary characters and arcs across later seasons.
Woke political dialogue
Characters discuss sexual orientation spectrum, bisexuality, asexuality, and gender identity in dedicated scenes and a "Spectrum of Sexuality" song; some orientation questioning treated seriously amid comedy.
Identity-driven story themes
Puberty stories increasingly center queer self-discovery, gender spectrum acceptance, racial heritage exploration, and non-binary elements especially in seasons 4-8; positive framing of diverse identities as part of growing up.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Satirizes awkward school sex education, parental discomfort with bodies, and body shame culture, but presents these as universal teen experiences rather than systemic attacks on Western norms, patriarchy, or institutions.
Review
Big Mouth is an adult animated comedy about a group of middle school friends in suburban New York dealing with the gross, confusing, and explicit realities of puberty through personified hormones, shame, and emotions. Created by Nick Kroll and Andrew Goldberg, the series ran for eight seasons from 2017 to 2025 and mixes crude body humor with honest talks about sex, crushes, mental health, and growing up. Later seasons add more storylines about sexual orientation, gender identity, a trans character, non-binary elements, and a recast Black voice actress for one main role after 2020 events.
Woke character or canon changes
Voice recast of established character Missy for racial alignment after cultural pressure; expansion of canon with new trans and non-binary characters and identity arcs not central in early seasons.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Niche online complaints, mainly Reddit, about later seasons pushing identity politics and "wokeness"; criticism of Missy recast as performative; no widespread mainstream campaign.
Creator track record context
Main creators are liberal comedians open to social feedback on representation; writing staff includes several openly queer and activist voices (trans writer Patti Harrison, queer activist Jaboukie Young-White, Black queer activist Brandon Kyle Goodman) whose careers emphasize identity themes.
Production
