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The Good Wife

(Rated TV-PG, Drama, Starring Christine Baranski, Julianna Margulies, Chris Noth, Where to watch: CBS, Online)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 13, age appropriate for kids over 16; suggested age 14.

  • Is it any good?

    3.0

  • Common Sense says

    Timely, mature drama about surviving political scandal.

Themes in this show include:   family relationships, gender issues, honesty

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 14–16

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    The series sends multiple messages to and about women, ranging from how they should cope with a straying husband to what they must do to survive in the workplace. While some of the messages are empowering, others reinforce existing gender stereotypes.

  • Role models:

    Alicia is a survivor. She works hard to protect her children and overcome extreme public humiliation. She also shows that re-starting a career later in life is possible. Her husband Peter is a much less admirable character.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Frequent discussions of violent homicides. Occasional brief reenactments of violent events. Guns and images of bloody homicide victims are sometimes shown. Alicia slaps her husband across the face in anger.

  • Sex:

    Sexual scandal is one of the show's major themes. Peter Florrick was involved in a very public sex scandal that included exploits with prostitutes and sex tapes. Brief scenes from the tapes are shown, and there's some discussion of sex acts, but no sensitive body parts are shown. Frequent references to real-life public sex scandals.

  • Language:

    Occasional use of words like "hell."

  • Consumerism:

    YouTube pages are prominently visible.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Adult characters drink wine and cocktails at bars and over dinner.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About The Good Wife

Parents need to know that this drama about a woman who returns to the legal profession when her politician husband goes to jail after a highly publicized sex scandal deals with some mature themes, including illicit affairs and illegal activity. Expect plenty of not-so-subtle references to infamous real-life sex scandals, as well as frequent discussions of murder, occasional (and usually brief) reenactments of violent events, bloody crime scene photos, and social drinking. The language is fairly mild when it comes to swearing (“hell”), but there's plenty of talk about sex and related topics.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about why the media spends so much time reporting scandals. Why do these stories receive so much attention? What kind of impact can publicity have on the personal lives of those associated with these stories?
  • What kind of impact does sexual content in the media have on viewers? How can parents keep kids who aren’t mature enough to handle this sort of thing from being exposed to it, especially when it's in the news?
Tools and tips that can help

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