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In Treatment

(Rated TV-MA, Drama, Starring Gabriel Byrne, Blair Underwood, Dianne Wiest, Where to watch: HBO, DVD, Online)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 17, age appropriate for kids over 17; suggested age 17.

  • Is it any good?

    3.0

  • Common Sense says

    Daring, mature drama won't interest kids.

Why We Rated This not for kids

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Every character -- including the therapist -- is flawed and morally ambiguous. As a result, there are no clear-cut role models. Self-destructive behaviors (from lying to adultery) are discussed in each episode.

  • Violence:

    Most of the "action" involves two people sitting down and talking. But conversations occasionally mention violent acts, including teen suicide and an overseas bombing that killed a group of schoolchildren.

  • Sex:

    Sex isn't part of every episode, but a few characters do discuss it graphically. One woman, for example, describes a sexual encounter she had with a stranger in a bathroom stall. The same woman confesses she has sexual feelings for her therapist.

  • Language:

    Explicit language (like "f--k" and "motherf--ker") isn't used constantly, but a few characters do use it liberally -- and it's not bleeped.

  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    A few adult characters mention drinking to excess, but they aren't shown doing it.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About In Treatment

Parents need to know that the plot of this unconventional drama is driven by a core cast of mainly adult characters who share sordid details about their lives with a therapist who has problems of his own. Self-destructive behaviors discussed in each episode range from simple lying to adultery, and one 16-year-old patient is suspected of having suicidal tendencies because she rode her bike into oncoming traffic. While the series is too intense for kids, older teens should be emotionally capable of processing the complex emotions embedded in the content. But the format is so cerebral that it's unlikely they'll really want to watch.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about how this series (which is based on the critically acclaimed Israeli show BeTipul) takes drama in a new direction by essentially moving the action along in real time over the course of several weeks. Do you think other real-time dramas like 24 might have inspired this show's creators? How else could the show have been structured? Do you think the unusual format makes it more interesting to watch, or does it make the action seem too real -- and therefore boring?
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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Adult Reviewer
    viprubr
    Lives in California
    I rate this title on for age 17 and give it 5.0

    I LOVED IT.....

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate

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