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Secrets of the Dead

(Rated TV-PG, Educational, Where to watch: PBS, DVD)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 9, age appropriate for kids over 12; suggested age 12.

  • Is it any good?

    4.0

  • Common Sense says

    Experts take a new look at history's mysteries.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 12 and Up

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    The show takes viewers on educational tours through history, bringing it to life with video footage and re-enactments based on thorough research.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Graphic historical re-enactments (as well as actual footage, when it's available) include battles, ships sinking, disease-ridden bodies, and skeletal remains. Depending on the subject, guns and other weapons are often prevalent.

  • Sex:

    Not an issue.

  • Language:

    Not an issue.

  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Not an issue.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Secrets of the Dead

Parents need to know that this documentary series features lots of research surrounding some of history's most famous (and mysterious) fatalities. Subjects have included an American dogfight pilot shot down during WWII, unidentified victims of the Titanic, and those who perished in the Hindenburg disaster. The show uses archive video footage (when it's available) and re-enactments, both of which are graphic in their portrayals of war, disease, and death. This show isn't for young viewers, but parents who watch with tweens and teens will get some history lessons along with them.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about how science allows us to look differently at past events. What scientific and research advances have changed the way we look at history? How do experts use disciplines like forensics and carbon dating to analyze age-old mysteries? How will further discoveries affect the future?
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Our Members Say

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Adult Reviewer
    yomisan
    Lives in California
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 5.0

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate
  2. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    CelticBoy
    Lives in New York
    I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it 5.0

    Amazing and disturbing,

    This is a very good documentary series. But it is also very violent and sometimes outright disturbing. It is not for kids or the squeamish.

    This review...

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

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