Exploding Kittens parents guide: Not an animated series for kids!

Netflix released its latest animated comedy series Exploding Kittens on July 12. The series, which is based on the popular card game of the same name, follows the trials and tribulations of both God and the Devil as they are each exiled to Earth, but not in their usual forms. They are now in the bodies of domesticated house cats, forced to fight good versus evil from a new perspective.

With its elevated themes and larger-than-life animation full of flames and funny gags, Exploding Kittens isn't unlike your average adult animated comedy. But is the show's comedy as raunchy as Big Mouth or as mature as BoJack Horseman? As with anything, each viewer will have to choose what's right for them, but for the parents out there, it's not a cartoon for children.

Given the show's subtextual religious subject matter, the series probably already doesn't sound like something the younger Netflix watchers in your home will be watching on their iPads in the car. Here's a bit more information about what to expect from the new series' content!

Exploding Kittens series rated TV-MA

According to the show's official page on Netflix, Exploding Kittens has been designated with a TV-MA maturity rating, which means the series is intended for mature audiences. As reasoning for the elevated maturity rating, Netflix offers violence as an explanation. The maturity rating section makes no mention of other categories such as language, sex, nudity, or substances.

Violence being the streamer's main warning makes sense because the series does feature quite a bit of sequences that contain some frightening elements (at least for younger viewers) including flames, fighting, injuries, weapons, and other instances that contribute to animated violence. But even though the maturity rating doesn't include other categories, they are also present.

The very first scene of the first episode shows God drinking a margarita before the board, who references him watching a nature documentary about pterodactyls mating. A scene then shows God in his apartment watching the documentary, which plays offscreen though mating sounds are still heard. Obviously, all of this would largely go over the heads of younger viewers. (The scene ends with God getting drunk and passing out with a pizza in the oven, which burns down part of Heaven, if you were wondering.)

As for nudity, the opening sequence features a short glimpse of a naked man, though his genitals are covered by a leaf. Nudity and violence (maybe?) combine in the second episode when the opening sequence begins in Hell with nipple-biting hamsters (yes, you read that correctly). These are just examples of the lightly adult-oriented imagery and themes at play in the show. The rest of the nine-episode season plays out in similar fashion with nothing too, too graphic.

Overall, Exploding Kittens is the kind of adult animated comedy that probably could also fit in on broadcast TV alongside the likes of Family Guy, though some aspects of the storytelling would make it a better fit for the Adult Swim or TBS (see: American Dad!) audiences. Even though it's rated TV-MA, high school-aged teenagers could probably watch, but no one much younger than that.

Watch Exploding Kittens only on Netflix.