What Parents Should Know Before Letting Their Kids Watch The Blacklist
Though children's media tends to be much lighter compared with adult fare such as "Succession," younger audiences often gravitate towards darker stories. Look at the original "Grimm's Fairy Tales," or contemporary examples like "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and "Paranorman." BookRiot argues, "When children encounter new situations in books, whether scary or not, it gives them a chance to think through how they would handle such things, as well as experience new emotions from a safe and hypothetical place."
Kids can also be attracted to horror and darker material because they're processing their own fears and anxieties about the world (via BookRiot). It's common enough for parents to show more adult material to children if they seem ready, but it's best to be cautious about what your offspring can handle. That's why Common Sense Media reviews the content of films and shows so parents can judge whether the program is truly suitable for kids. This is what they had to say, for example, about the NBC hit "The Blacklist."
Parents liked the show, but it's not for children
In the show's reviews on Common Sense Media, several parents praised "The Blacklist" in terms of its sheer entertainment value, with Chandler D. writing, "Fantastic show that always keeps you interested and intrigued on what is going to happen next." But the user, often with other Common Sense Media users, warned parents that the thriller series, starring James Spader, was ultimately not meant for children.
For one, "The Blacklist" has a lot of grisly content even compared to other NBC dramas. One user, juanpasillo, wrote, "There are also some scenes that are so violent and bloody that I find it difficult to believe this is shown on regular network programming." Commenters also noticed the sex scenes as well, though Chandler claimed that "nothing over the top" was featured.
However, what seemed to really bother parents was the lack of any positive message for anybody watching. The reviewer greenacres45 wrote the show's ultimate stance "feels like salacious violence in a world of no-trust, and controlled by evil people and /or [sic] cartels, is only managed by a 'smart' murderous psychopath." SeriousDad noticed there are "no positive messages at all" on the show. This doesn't make "The Blacklist" a bad series — but maybe not one you'd want to watch with your kids either.