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South of Nowhere

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 13, age appropriate for kids over 15; suggested age 13.

  • Is it any good?

    4.0
  • Common Sense says

    An eye-opening portrayal; OK for mature teens.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 13–15

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Strong cast diversity and some good messages about self-esteem (a girl tells her date that she's working on being the woman of her own dreams, not his); on the other hand, one character emails a nude, doctored picture of her "enemy" to the entire student body and is publicly humiliated in retaliation, the characters do a lot of IMing/text messaging, and a teen boy looks at porn on the computer while "doing his homework."
  • Violence:

    Not an issue.
  • Sex:

    One character films her friends' stories about their "first time" one main character is a lesbian (whose relationship with her "straight" best friend is fraught with sexual tension); plenty of sexual innuendoes ("glad we don't shoot the same DNA," "[that shirt] says that you're happy not getting any," etc.); sexualized teen girls wear tiny skirts and shorts and cropped shirts.
  • Language:

    Some language, including "ass" and "bitch."
  • Consumerism:

    Teens are attached to their cell phones; while the show is running, other N shows and web sites are promoted on-screen.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Not an issue.

What Parents Need to Know

This review of South of Nowhere was written by Jill Murphy

Parents need to know that this edgy teen drama series openly discusses a range of complex topics, including sex, sexual orientation, adoption, loss of virginity, dating, and cyberbullying. Characters use mature language, and both dialogue and characters are sexually charged.

Families Can Talk About

Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
  • Families can talk about the show's reality level. Do its scenarios and characters reflect real teens' everyday life? What ideas about style, sex, dating, and friendship do teens get from this program? Have any kids at their school come out? If so, how are they accepted and treated? Another interesting topic might be adoption. How do you think Clay feels? What would it be like to be a minority in your own family?
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More on South of Nowhere

What’s the Story?

At the heart of SOUTH OF NOWHERE is the Carlin family: teenage Spencer (Gabrielle Christian); her older brother, Glen (Chris Hunter); their adopted brother, Clay (Danso Gordon); and their parents, Arthur and Paula (Rob Moran and Maeve Quinlan). Like Beverly Hills, 90210's Walsh clan before them, the Carlins relocated from the Midwest to Los Angeles, only to discover that they were unprepared for their diverse, eclectic new community. Glen -- a jock and a stud with the ladies -- dates the highly sexualized head cheerleader, Madison (Valery Ortiz). Spencer has found a best friend in Ashley (Mandy Musgrave), who has come out as a lesbian. The sexual tension between Ashley and Spencer is on a constant incline, despite Ashley's purported straightness. Clay faces a separate, unique set of challenges -- convincing people that he's truly content being an adopted African-American in a white family ... and a virgin, to boot. Aiden (Matt Cohen), Ashley's ex-boyfriend and the school basketball star, and Sean (Austen Parros), the smart kid with all the potential who often runs with a bad crowd, round out the cast.

Is It Any Good?

Though reflective of modern teen issues (dealing with friendships, discovering sexual orientation, dating, having sex, maintaining a reputation), South of Nowhere is a little indulgent in its sexual connotations and sexually charged characters and behaviors -- at least from an adult's perspective. But it's likely accurate. Parents could benefit from watching a program like this, with or without their teens. It offers a quick lesson in the importance teens put on privacy, IMing, texting, having sex, fitting in, coping with first crushes, and dealing with stereotypes, cliques, and friendships. Each character seems to embrace more than a few typical stereotypes, perhaps to ensure that all viewers will have someone or something to relate to. Thanks to good writing and strong performances, it's actually a successful recipe.

Overall, the series is a nice blend of modern teen life for mature teen viewers and the traditional dating and high school behavior adults might better relate to. And while South of Nowhere certainly isn't lacking in overtly flirty glances, occasional zoom shots of body language, ultra-short skirts, and super-low necklines, it actually lands on the map somewhere between the raciness of The O.C. and the edgy grittiness of Degrassi: The Next Generation.

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Our Members Say

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 17
    Lives in Texas
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 5.0

    i love this show!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:)

    i think its wrong 4 them to have canceled s.o.n its super duper stinks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  2. Teen Reviewer Age 17
    Lives in Michigan
    I rate this title on for age 0 and give it 5.0

    South Of Nowhere is The BEST

    The-N canceled this show..for no reason at all. please SAVE SPASHLEY! South is an amazing show..It is REAL..Not like Queen Bees..and stuff the-n is putting on now. South Went there..were no other Tv show would..Even Degrassi didnt touch on Everything South did! South shouldnt be canceled! South Of Nowhere Delt with what alot of teenagers are facing in real life...and Teens NEED this show! It is remarkable tv show..Teens Relate to this show..Which is y it needs to stay on The-N! SAVE SPASHLEY

  3. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Missouri
    I rate this title on for age 0 and give it 5.0

  4. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    Lives in New York
    I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it 4.0

    Great Show, Isn't Afraid to Deal With The Issues

    This is a great show, but one thing that Common Sense forgot to mention was that one character is killed by a drive by shooting at a school prom, and others were seriously injured, which is iffy for voilence.

  5. Adult Reviewer
    I rate this title on for age 0 and give it 5.0

    (I'm am addicted to watching this show. It's so..real!)

    This tv series is very realistic. I'm only 11 and I think that it's the best tv show I've ever seen.

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