Clone High (2023– ) User Reviews

Not nearly as good as the original

[mrbwiz422 · 6/10 · 27 June 2023]

The original Clone High 2002 seemed to be aimed more at college students. Abe (glorious Will Forte) was mostly the main character but Joan was the 2nd main with about a 60/40 split.

This new show seems mostly aimed at highschoolers. There's no more Ghandi and he's sorely missed. Joan is now the main character, and Abe/Will Forte has now become a side character with about a 90/10 split.

Barely any Cleopatra except when they need a lesbian story. Oh right, suddenly she's a lesbian now versus the man eater she was before.

Instead of the Abe, Ghandi, Cleopatra scenes we now have scenes with...Frida Kahlo and Harriet Tubman.

Frieda is an awful character and could have not been in the show at all and could have been better for it. Harriet Tubman is just okay.

So we have more or less an amazing mix of characters from the original re-made with a less funny, less interesting, less enjoyable mix of characters.

(reviewed after episode 2) Flanderized Clone Debacle - From Satire to Confused Schlock

[seymourpantaloons · 6/10 · 26 May 2023]

I'll start off by saying the obligatory "clone high was one of the best cartoons of all time". It was funny in a pretty unique way, and it's amazing that it worked so well considering how weird it was, and how inexperienced the creators were. It was lightning in a bottle.

This one is just missing something - a lot of things, actually. First of all, no Gandhi, which is dumb but forgivable. Then, they changed Cleopatra's voice because the original actress wasn't of Egyptian descent - yes, the clone of cleopatra, raised as a valley girl, was apparently not Egyptian enough. That was a nonissue and the new voice just makes it seem like the original actress left the show, but she didn't, because she plays a new character (who is generally off-putting and not particularly good in any way). The other new characters are in unlikeable girlboss tropes, clearly written by people who don't understand that high school culture has more or less stayed the same since the original show. Popular kids are still the ones who play football and have sex, not the ones who are all about "positive vibes" like Harriet and Frida. These two new characters would not be popular, and the fact that they were written to be popular feels out of touch. Also, they just admit to committing murder and don't show any remorse for it, which fails to be off-the-wall and comes off as genuinely bordering on "Velma" territory. Actually, these two new characters feel like they belong in "Velma" more than they belong in Clone High.

The pace of the show is way slower than it used to be. It's not as fast and there are less jokes, and when there are jokes, they feel like they're out of The Simpsons, and not in a good way. Clone High used to have a unique identity, but the whole show has become just another adult cartoon - the same style of writing and jokes that you'd find anywhere else.

This is more of a personal taste thing, but the show definitely feels more "feminine" than it did before. Many scenes (mostly ones involving the new characters) ooze a very "we have women in the writers room now, look at these women talking and be amazed!" type of vibe, and it just isn't entertaining. There's something about the reboot that makes it feel like it would be embarrassing to tell people that you watch it, and I didn't feel this with the original show.

To give credit where credit is due, there are many scenes and jokes that work, but to have so many duds in a reboot of a show that was nearly flawless is really disappointing. Clone High used to be a satire, but now it seems like it doesn't know what it is, and it's just kind of... lame.

This gem of the 2000s should have been left in the freezer

[sandcastle-10358 · 5/10 · 9 June 2023]

What was once a parody of teen dramas, with excellent wit and comedy, is now purely a teen drama plagued by the stale elements that burden most other modern adult animation productions. The show's original off-the-wall and at times tender aesthetic feels like it was left in the storeroom along with Ghandi. The new character additions to the show add little to the experience with some such as Ghandi's and the S. B. O. S. F's replacements being far below their predecessors. Despite the more disagreeable portions of it, the show isn't all negatives. The animation and design while almost feeling less fitting for the series is fine, the returning voice actors do a good job, and some moments almost reach the cleverness seen in the first season. In conclusion, it's not horrible and it could have been far worse but the fact it's such a downgrade from the first season makes this pseudo-reboot not all that worth watching.

Woof, it's like they weren't even trying.

[jakecfarr · 3 June 2023]

Try hard humor at its floppiest. So much of it is referencing the high points of the original that it feels like it has nothing new to say. What the writers might have had to say, surely they were too afraid to go there. I feel like Ghandi got them in so much trouble back in 2001, that the whole experienced has been stifled by the fear of being cancelled. This new reboot is full of jokes, but none of them land. The new characters are just milquetoast archetypes that other shows have done better. Frida Kahlo is a nice touch, Confucius is almost as capable as a watered down replacement for Ghandi, but still the whole thing feels stifled, bereft, and empty. Do yourself a favor and rewatch Another Period, maybe even drunk history. Everything this show tried to do this go around has been done better elsewhere by a mile. Just finished the first three episodes this morning and I want my time back.

I honestly enjoyed it, but it does fall short of the original

[kaylasage · 7/10 · 19 June 2023]

I really don't think it's as bad as everyone is making it out to be, but it does lack a lot of the charm the original had. I don't entirely hate the concept of modern commentary and they definitely could do interesting things with it, but I think they're leaning too hard into it here. I'm sorry but I don't think there's any show out there that can reference TikTok without making me feel put off. The use of modern terms is also a bit overabundant for my liking, and even confused at points. You do get the tightly-written comedy of Phil and Chris here, but the rapid fire delivery gets overwhelming at times.

Aside from the narrative direction, there's also the elephant in the room -- the character design. The only new characters that actually look like the historical figure they're supposed to represent is Frida and Columbus, and at least you could tell what their characters are like upon first glance. The others feel noticeably flat and rely heavily on the voices and script. Most of them already appeared in the original show, I don't understand why they couldn't have just used them as references. As the show went on I got more used to them though and they definitely grew on me.

Overall, I can't lie, it's been a fun watch so far. It's not exactly like the original show, but I didn't really expect it to be. The only thing it really needs to do for me is slow down the pacing, dial back the modern elements a bit, and flesh out its new characters more. It's far from a misstep, but it does need some time to gain its footing.

Season 2? Sucks. Season 3? MAYOR ORIGINAL CLONE HIGH VIBES!!!

[ravencoolmcd · 9/10 · 4 February 2024]

I absolutley adore the original 2003 Clone High, so I was quite excited to say the least when the reboot was announced! Turns out it wasn't Clone High, it was a cheap copy that left me with a rather bad feeling. THEN SEASON 3 CAME OUT!!!! With this season you actually feel how the writers WATCHED THE ORIGINAL SHOW. From the titles to the plots, I couldn't help but even imagining Ghandi in some of these. Eveything falls back into place. Of course, it wasn't perfect, but it was genuenly great. I really wish we get a season 4 with the G-man and this sort of chapters. It wont't be just like the 2003 show, yet the 3rd season has done a good job. A fourth one could give us the actual ending it deserves.

PLEASE RELEASE A 4TH SEASON WITH MAHATMA GHANDI AKA THE G-SPOT/ THE G-MAN!!!!!!!

I thought it was great until episode 5

[moeburn · 6/10 · 10 June 2023]

I'm surprised at how low rated the first episode is, that was my favourite one. Lots of great writing, great jokes, I was smiling ear to ear. Sure not everything is the same - Ghandi is missing, and Cleopatra was recast for some reason. But there were lots of interesting new characters, and they were exploring modern themes with a 2003 lens.

And then I guess they ran out of ideas and went back to the old "haha white people are so dumb and ignorant" barrel, and well, it's getting old. At best it's lazy and unfunny, and at worst it's hurtful and leads to real life bullying. It's a shame because I was really liking the show until then.

I waited 8 years for this?!

[CM84 · 1/10 · 22 June 2023]

Just finished the new season and man that was awful. The new characters suck, the old characters they suck now, I probably laughed like 5 times during the whole season and just everything was off about this revival.

I won't be watching the next season if this is what clone high is going to be like now. The original is light years better than this sorry excuse of a show.

Even the "jokes" are just topical issues and "omg it's 2023 not 2003". Honestly don't waste your time with this cheap clone of a brilliant series. Just watch the original, it's on YouTube and i guarantee you'll have a better time and actually have a laugh in every episode.

As good as it gets, missing just one thing...

[tsevelevsl · 9/10 · 26 March 2024]

It's amazing how reviewers hate the reboot and claim that it's "not as good as the original", citing the very things that the original did. "The clones are just insults to the original historic chaaaracters!" Really? And the original clones weren't? Do people actually believe that Joan of Arc, Cleopatra, Abraham Lincoln, John Kennedy and Ghandi were more like the original clones than Frida Kahlo, Frida Kahlo and Confucius and their respective clones? Spoiler (not spoiler): they were not. It was a comedy show to begin with.

"Oh no, they joke about white privilege!" Newsflash (not newsflash): the original show joked about sex, religion, homosexuality, homophobia, rape, homosexual rape, death, prisons, and arthouse films.

"Oh no, there's so many cliche sentiments and themes!" Well this is what it always has been, it parodied the cliche sentiments and themes. Duh.

The only thing missing is, of course, Ghandi. But he's always mentioned.

"Thawed Out Decades Later...Why?"

[owen-watts · 6/10 · 3 July 2023]

The twenty years belated reboot/sequel to the cult cartoon series Clone High is dominated by a single question. Why? Why reboot it? What is the function of this reboot? The Dawson's Creek teen dramas the show was originally satirizing are now a thing of the past, and the edgier humour must be cut out or skipped over, so why even revisit it at all? What's even more galling is that outside of its fundamental pointlessness and some lame "how do you do fellow kids" gags it's actually pretty solid, Scudworth and Mr. B are still very strong as a duo and in one episode they even give up all pretence, ignore all the new characters and just do an episode about the two of them. It's awkward. I'm now raising both my hands, open, palms upward, looking imploringly.... "why?"

Watching this show feels like getting a Cleveland Steamer

[alexplotnik-42172 · 1/10 · 9 June 2023]

Considering the inherently funny concept, historical figures are brought back to life and forced to go to high school together - Why don't the characters have anything interesting to say? Why are the jokes so stale? Why bother bringing back a beloved television show only to completely strip it of whatever made it good? If this castrated, bowdlerized attempt at a reboot manages to last longer than another singular season I'll officially give up on television and become an avid fly-fisher. Also, please do not brag directly to the audience that you have more female writers in the writing room of your show is going to suck. Women have it hard enough already, believe me.

Now I'm going to put as much effort into my next paragraph as the writers did on this show:

Considering the inherently funny concept, historical figures are brought back to life and forced to go to high school together - Why don't the characters have anything interesting to say? Why are the jokes so stale? Why bother bringing back a beloved television show only to completely strip it of whatever made it good? If this castrated, bowdlerized attempt at a reboot manages to last longer than another singular season I'll officially give up on television and become an avid fly-fisher. Also, please do not brag directly to the audience that you have more female writers in the writing room of your show is going to suck. Women have it hard enough already, believe me.

The Clones are Finally Back (All but one)

[nasdagoodshepherd · 9/10 · 26 May 2023]

Clone High is one of the most fan-favorite animated shows of all time and it's also one of my favorite MTV cartoons alongside with Beavis and Butt-Head, Daria, and 3-South. And I noticed it's cancelation and I acknowledge the reason because of one of the characters, Gandhi. Everyone loves Gandhi, but he was the reason why Clone High got canned.

20 years later, the show got revived by HBO Max (now called "Max" which is obviously a lame name. Like, burn in Hell, Warner Bros. Discovery and get bent, David Zaslav)

I watched the first two episodes of the Clone High reboot and I really enjoyed the heck out of it, sure it's animated in Toon Boom Harmony, but I quickly got used to it and there are some new characters who I find are quite enjoyable. Abe, Joan, Cleo, JFK, Scudworth, Mr. B, etc. They're still enjoyable and so are the new characters too. The humor is still remarkable and it also holds up.

This is undoubtedly a fun revival of the old show, still we all miss Gandhi and who knows, maybe he'll make a comeback later on in Season 4...I hope there's a Season 4.

I give Clone High (2023) a 9.8/10.

Review Episode by Episode

[vkchhy · 6/10 · 19 June 2023]

Episode 1

Overall based off the 1st episode this show feels a tad...neutered. The new characters are kind of just thrown in and while they serve as a nice catalyst for the old characters understanding the modern world they all kinda feel copy and pasted. Also..Joan has been turned into an air head and the new animation style is a bit stiff. Though it is nice to see Abe getting what he deserves after blatantly ignoring Joan's feelings throughout the entirety of the first show. 4/10 so far.

Though I do find some promise in this show (maybe nostalgic reasons) so I'll give the rest of the episodes a chance before outright calling it bad.

Episode 2

This 2nd episode was a lot better, the animation style when Joan was having her dream was very well done. Confusious got a bit more defined and I've realized Topher Bus is my favorite of the new characters just cause of his mannerisms and his assholish personality.

Though Harriet Tubman and Frida are still pretty identical character wise. Also a bit of the wittiness from the first shows been lost but not entirely. And one last thing, Mr. Bs subtle voice change is a tad glaring. Though overall Topher Bus vs JFK online was very entertaining to watch and I see a glimmer of the charm the OG Clone High had so I'd give this episode a 6/10z.

Weak, and dissapointing.

[spleenerific · 5/10 · 2 June 2023]

I really enjoyed the original show, but this is just weak. So many cliche sentiments and themes. One thing that is still consistent is the comedy, but even that has died down significantly. It just isn't the same. They are missing the original flare of shock comedy, and most of the jokes don't land well. I'm still slightly optimistic about the shows future, because I can tell that all they need is there, they just can't figure out how to put it to the screen. The idea that teenagers who have been frozen for 20 years, and are now living in 2023, makes for a lot of potentially interesting stories and themes.

Literally Grasping a Rope of Sand

[justinrogde · 6/10 · 28 June 2023]

This show was good, but not great, and I don't think it lived up to the original. The positives are the show's animation looks great and is a good upgrade to the original in terms of technology and style. The voice cast overall was great, except Will Forte, who had this weird lisp thing going on. Also, the show brings back the alternative and emo music that helped make it a cult classic, but I wish they had used more of it. As for the negatives, the show is no longer a satire of teen dramas and tries to be more of a straightforward comedy, which works in the show's detriment, as the premise and characters are too ridiculous to be taken seriously in a standard comedy tv show. The show also introduced too many new characters, which led to it struggling with character management, pacing of character development, and the notable absence of side characters, who made the original show a lot funnier. Though I like most of the characters introduced, I disliked Topher in a bad way, and the character of Candide was completely unnecessary and honestly held the show back. Overall, I found some enjoyable moments, and I really liked the finale, but I am overall disappointed with this season.

It's a challenge to find its footing on a new plan, but it made it

[robert_brothers · 9/10 · 18 June 2023]

As a follower of the original show, it was a thrill to see the premiere of the long awaited second season of Clone High, even though most won't understand its sense of humor.

Many negative reviewers point out that it is preach and patronizing, particularly with Frida's character who "cancels" Abe and later sings about "White Guy Confidence ". It is that the new viewers are missing the point in the Frida is just as flawed as all the other characters . All learn they were out of line by the end. It's not intended to be mean spirited; it shows how misguided the clones' preconceptions are and demonstrates how they own up to it. This is a very dark comedy, by the way.

With a third season next year, there is an opportunity for a major improvement with some marketing so that more people can know. With all the dark turns so far, it's the suspense and satire that many fans will turn in to see, along with a plethora of visual Easter eggs!

I felt it was better then the original

[Vancour · 7/10 · 24 June 2023]

Before this one came out I decided to watch the first series but I couldn't get into it for some reason. I only made it to Ep 8 but I finished the Max one before the original and I enjoyed it more. Its not surprising so many fans of the original felt the new series wasn't good because it does have a different kind of humor. That said I have to say Ep 9 and 10 were some of the most engaging episodes of everything I've seen so if you do end up watching this, and find out that it really isn't your type of humor but want to come out of it with something. Just skip to Ep 9 and 10 and if those are not satisfactory be glad you skipped out on the rest.

a former satire is now a social commentary too afraid to take risks

[animegamer420 · 1/10 · 1 June 2023]

Clone High 2023 is clone high neutered. Ghandis gone a long with his comic relief. Christa Miller was racis tly removed from her role as Cleopatra and gone with it is the hilarious over the top sultry voice of the original. The new voice actress sounds so flat that I thought she was a substitute voice actor. The jokes dont reference teen drama cliches as easy or as often. The animations and designs look lower quality. The new characters are bland. The new actress for Cleopatra isn't even Egyptian, proving the dis criminatory intentions were the real reason for the recasting. The new boss Christa Miller plays isnt funny. Definitely shoehorned.

I like the way this party is currently going...

[morswajnoswin · 9/10 · 24 June 2023]

I understand where the hate for the new season comes from, but people can't just expect it to be the same as 20 years ago.

Personally... I love it so much. The humour can be weird at times but the heart is still there after all these years. You can tell the creators love these characters and wanted to do so much more with them.

The new additions to the main cast (Confucius, Frida, Topher, Harriet and Candide) are all incredibly charming and I'm very attached to them already! When it comes to the old crew, there is so much more added to them this season (I actually started to love Abe lol). My only problem is with Cleo (although I love her relationship with Frida). She feels like a completely different character now.

I enjoyed every episode and had so much fun every time. I hope episode 9 gets some kind of an award...(wink wink).

No matter what most people think about this revival, I adore these characters very much and cannot wait for more!

A terrible revival.

[seansohr · 1/10 · 16 June 2023]

The clever jokes and timing of the original are completely absent, the new characters are flat and uninteresting and look more like Total Drama characters.

And, I know this is obvious, but it's just not the same without Ghandi. He was by far the show's funniest character and part of what made Clone High stand out so much.

Essentially the show has had its heart and soul ripped out, completely stripped of everything that made it so great to begin with.

Whereas the original shined with surreal comedy and interesting characters, the changes brought with season 2 leave the show sadly lacking in character and humor.

It was okay until episode 5

[a-christiansen · 5/10 · 12 July 2023]

The original had me laughing every episode. It had very clever writing compared to this new one. They removed what was in my opinion, the best character (Ghandi) and added new characters that just aren't funny at all. I thought it was okay until episode 5, when they just had to throw in this ridiculous political-social agenda with the white privilege b.s. And now I don't even know if I want to continue watching. I don't know about everyone else, but I don't watch movies and shows with the intention of having ideologies of any kind shoved in my face. I don't care if they are left or right leaning. If this is the direction they are going to take this series, count me out.

Poor portrayal of todays youth.

[devinjohnson-81454 · 5/10 · 22 June 2023]

I made it to the 5th episode before I couldn't watch it anymore. I think this show has a lot of potential and I started watching it with an open mind. I obviously knew the show wouldn't be as "out of pocket" as the original but I didn't think it'd be this unfunny. I enjoyed the original and as someone who's recently graduated high school I think it's safe to say that the writers clearly do not understand how the youth is in todays society. The only thing I've seen properly portrayed about the youth is that it's lame to be a delinquent and cool to be smart. Every episode there's some social issue that's thrown in and the reality is teenagers really don't care as much as millennials think they do. I think the writers should've tried to focus a little more on the old clones adjustment to the things that actually matter in modern life and do a better job at tying in the old story.

Idk how to feel about this

[JakeMcKenney · 4/10 · 10 June 2023]

I like most people watching the show love the original clone high, one of the funniest adult cartoons ever. But this show falls victim to the problem that most reboots fall victim to nowadays, not having the spirit and not nearly being as good as the original. This reboot of the show kinda lacks everything that made the original so good. It's not nearly as funny, the pop culture feel more forced, and instead of making fun of teen dramas this just feels like a teen drama.

I understand why they needed to remove Gandhi but his absence is really felt. Everyone just feels like they are trying to be more like Gandhi. The new characters they added I don't really connect to like the original and some of the old characters feel super different. Frida Kahlo is fine, but the rest are either barley in it or just kinda annoying. I'm glad they gave Joan female friends to connect with, I just wish they were better characters. I also find it weird how Cleopatra and Abe's relationship is basically just forgotten about in this reboot, or even Cleopatra and JFK's past relationship. And one gripe I have with JFK, I want more ers and ums!

One thing I can give this reboot is that scudsworth parts of the episodes are actually pretty fun to watch, and where I get my most laughs. In the original I sometimes got sick of seeing him, but in this reboot he's my favorite part of each episode!

Theres been only 1 episode where I can say I enjoyed it, and there's been one episode where I couldn't even finish it the first time I watched it, the rest have been so so. I will continue to watch as new episodes come out because I hope they can have at least 1 more enjoyable episode in them. The show is not terrible but it's not nearly as good as the original.

It's alright, but they need to do less social commentary

[dow-03668 · 2/10 · 9 June 2023]

They should have used the same characters and stuck closer to original source material. They inject a lot of strong social views into the show. In one of the most recent episodes they do a whole musical number called "white guy confidence", where the gist of the song is that white men are untalented and overconfident. Most of the show so far has been just social commentary.

I think the excessive social commentary has substituted historical material. Why do a show about characters from history if you aren't going to use the fact the characters come from historical contexts. Maybe some of the material is too controversial? I think the show originally got cancelled because of the Gandhi's character.