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Spaced

(Rated TV-14, Comedy, Starring Simon Pegg, Jessica Stevenson, Mark Heap, Where to watch: BBC America)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 14, age appropriate for kids over 99; suggested age 14.
  • Is it any good?

    3.0
  • Common Sense says

    Brit Gen-X tales will tickle young adults' fancy.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 14–18

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    The characters often show little responsibility or direction in life, mostly just getting by on a series of dead-end jobs. In one scene, a man steals armor supplies for repairing his robot. Occasional obscene hand gestures (the two-fingered British equivalent of flipping someone off).
  • Violence:

    Mock gunfights, paintball fights, and battles and explosions involving remote-control machines.
  • Sex:

    Some kissing, sexual references, and innuendoes.
  • Language:

    "S--t" is common; "ass" and "bitch" are less frequent. "F--k" is bleeped.
  • Consumerism:

    References are made to PlayStation (two characters often play it), as well as Star Wars and other pop culture touchpoints.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Lots of drinking (beer and wine) in bars and other social settings; one female character drinks and smokes heavily.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Spaced

Parents need to know that this British sitcom is fairly heavy on strong language, sexual innuendo, and sporadic drinking and smoking. The main characters are young adults, down on luck and love, who are disillusioned with their lives and pretending to be a couple so they can hold onto their apartment. One character hops from one short-lived job to another but rarely seems bothered by her lack of direction (or affected by her presumably unreliable income). It's not exactly a realistic view of the world, but teens and young adults who understand that will get some laughs over the show's funny take on life's challenges.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about starting out on your own. What challenges do people face when they leave home? What new skills do you have to acquire to succeed on your own? What parts of this show do you think are accurate? Which aren't? Teens: What are your plans for when you're independent? Where will you live? Will you live alone or with a roommate? Where will you work? What excites you about independence? What frightens you? What will you do if things don't go as planned?

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Our Members Say

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    Lives in Massachusetts
    I rate this title iffy for age 15 and give it 4.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Excessive consumerism
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use

    Not as Good as Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz but...

    Violence - There is a lot of comic violence in this show (Tim shoots Zombies (blood is seen). Language: Every word u can think of, there is an f-word in every episode (not beeped on dvd) other words include sh**, c**k, tw*t, and etc. Sex: Not Major, but stuff youd here on U.S. TV. There isnt mutch to mention. Commercailism/ Drugs - Whole show is making fun of things (Star Wars, etc). A few minor drug refrences

  2. Adult Reviewer
    I rate this title iffy for age 17 and give it 5.0

    Better than I could have hoped!

    I bought this on a whim as I thoroughly enjoyed Simon Pegg's films "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz." I was hopeful that Spaced would deliver that kind of humor, and the thought of said humor in the length of a series was heavenly. In this way the show more than delivered, as not only did it have that same "charm" as Pegg's films, but it had so much more. The character line-up is just fantastic, with the bubbly and unpredictable Daisy, the war-aholic Mike (played by Nick Frost for fans of Pegg's films), and my personal favorite, the depressed, semi-gay-but-really-straight, emotive-styled artist Brian. The rest of the cast is by no means any less wonderful, and you'll find the misadventures of these 20-somethings to be more and more entertaining as the series goes on (and sadly, ends). As far as who should view this, anyone enthralled by a sort of "geek culture" is sure to appreciate the humor and references. However, it's hard for me to imagine anyone under the age of 17 truly appreciating the material, and it's not really appropriate for those under this age group anyways. This is really one for the college crowd and older.

  3. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Colorado
    I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it 5.0

    LOVE IT!

    I am almost obsessed with this show--I wish it had been longer than 2 seasons. Not knowing the content, my 12 year old sat down and watched it with us--and after two episodes, got up and left as he was bored. I was actually quite thankful as the language can be a bit course and there is some dealing with drugs--Tim stays up for 24 hours after taking speed. I can't see how anyone under 25 would really enjoy this--with all of the pop culture references, you'd really need to have been a child of the 80's to appreciate. A brilliant program, though. Still, either you'll LOVE it or not get it.

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