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Damages

(Rated TV-MA, Drama, Starring Glenn Close, Ted Danson, Rose Byrne, Where to watch: FX, Online)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 16, age appropriate for kids over 99; suggested age 16.
  • Is it any good?

    4.0
  • Common Sense says

    Dark, criminally good legal thriller. Adults only.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 16–18

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    The main character seems to be a good, moral person, but she becomes involved with a cutthroat boss and wrestles with doing the right thing. Her boss fights for good causes but uses underhanded, illegal, and cruel means.
  • Violence:

    Several bloody crime scenes, one showing a dog with its throat cut and another showing a man slashed up. Threats of violence. Motorcycle accident (no blood).
  • Sex:

    At least one sex scene that shows very little but feels very intimate, with close-ups on slow kissing and skin.
  • Language:

    Frequent profanity, especially "s--t," though "ass," "bitch," and "hell" are also used often.
  • Consumerism:

    Mention of Quiznos.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Several social drinking scenes, including a comment about liquor helping a person deal with stress. At least one peripheral bad guy smokes cigarettes.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Damages

Parents need to know that this legal thriller contains several bloody scenes, including one of a man who's been brutally murdered. The camera lingers on his slashed, mutilated body, as well as the blood-smeared walls that indicate a violent struggle. One scene shows a dog with its throat cut lying in a pool of blood. At least one sex scene; it shows very little but is very intimate, with close-ups on slow kissing and skin. Several characters seem good but turn out to be bad. Overall, the series is dark and tense -- not great for kids.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about winning at all costs. Is winning a goal in itself? Can you think of an example of something that's worth winning no matter what the cost? What drives people to compete? Is it ever OK to use people to accomplish a goal without their knowledge?

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Our Members Say

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 16
    Lives in Virginia
    I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it 4.0

    Good Stuff

    good show

  2. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Arizona
    I rate this title iffy for age 17 and give it 4.0

    Very interesting show, but watcher beware!

    I watched this show for at least 6 episodes and just decided that was enough. Loved the plot, characters, etc. and the actors were great, but I kept seeing things that I can live without. Violence was definitely borderline in my opinion, but the sexual content was just too much. Not every episode had it, but enough that I decided to boycott. At one point they did reruns of early episodes for those that missed and each one was TV-14. If they would edit the Sunday rerun to TV-14 I would TIVO and continue to watch. Definitely would never want my kids to see it.

  3. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Georgia
    I rate this title on for age 17 and give it 5.0

    THE BEST EVER!

    The best ever on TV! Glen Close and Ted Danson are awesome actors and their characters leave you wondering about their "character". I can't wait to watch each week. I watched each episode twice and each time I learned something different that I didn't see the first time. A true mystery!

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