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The Colony

(Rated TV-14, Reality TV, Starring Thom Beers, Farshad Farahat, Andre M. Johnson, Where to watch: Discovery Channel)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 10, age appropriate for kids over 13; suggested age 13.
  • Is it any good?

    4.0
  • Common Sense says

    Post-disaster survival experiment is fascinating, intense.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 13 and Up

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    The show makes the point that in a survival situation, working together is the best -- and perhaps the only -- way to survive. But some participants take on an every-man-for-themselves mentality in the absence of law and order, and bandits and marauders won’t think twice about stealing precious resources and supplies.
  • Role models:

    The smart shall inherit this post-apocalyptic Earth. The show makes clear the value of education, as the people trained in important skills are able to perform such valuable tasks as health care and restoring electricity. On the other hand, the group isn't necessarily the most realistic cross section of society.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Little actual violence, but the threat of conflict looms large. The producers send faux marauders to threaten the participants, who respond by grabbing pipes, sticks, and other makeshift weapons. They clearly feel threatened and seem ready to respond with violence.
  • Sex:

    In this post-apocalyptic survival situation, people have little time, energy, or opportunity to think about romance. Some participants are shown bathing in the nude, with parts of their bodies blurred.
  • Language:

    Some words are bleeped.
  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    No drinking or smoking, but some people talk about how much they miss having a drink and how much they want a cigarette.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About The Colony

Parents need to know that this reality series -- in which 10 participants volunteer to rebuild society in a faux post-apocalyptic situation -- gets quite intense. The characters take their task seriously and respond to threats realistically; primal instincts vie with social obligations every step of the way. There’s some bleeped swearing and blurred non-sexual nudity, but no drinking or hooking up; the people are working too hard just to survive.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about survival. Would you know what to do in a survival situation? Do you know how to perform any of the tasks that would help people get by after a major disaster? Does this show make you want to study something practical, like engineering or medicine?
  • The participants are sometimes threatened by “bandits,” who are introduced specifically to create tension. Do you think the participants feel like they're really in danger? Do you think they're ready to respond to the faux threat with real violence? How else does conflict manifest in the series?

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