Jupiter's Legacy

TV review by Martin Brown, Common Sense Media
Jupiter's Legacy Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 15+

Ambitious but flat superhero show has violence, swearing.

Netflix Drama 2021
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Parents say

age 14+

Based on 3 reviews

Kids say

age 15+

Based on 6 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Jupiter's Legacy is a superhero drama set in its own universe, outside of either Marvel or DC. It's similar to Watchmen or The Boys in that it's geared toward adults and uses superheroes as a platform to examine bigger societal and philosophical questions. Each episode features action sequences that include fights between superheroes and supervillains, explosions, gun violence, and sometimes death. You can also expect sex scenes, profanity throughout ("s--t," "bitch," "ass," etc.), and subplots about heavy alcohol and drug use. The show's central themes involve superheroes' moral and ethical responsibilities to society.

Community Reviews

FatalCulture
FatalCulture Adult
June 8, 2021
age 14+

Good, but I couldn’t get into it.

I did my best to watch this, looked like another hit or miss for me and eh, it was okay. There is fairly intense violence, realistic looking gore, equal between genders. Heavy drug use with one of the characters, too, who is a bit of rebel as well. A sex scene and sexual act, making out before sex, men and women seen in undies but nothing over sexualised. No nudity or anything is shown. You do see a woman being eaten out but you see her from behind her head and see nothing, but you hear her moaning. It’s very brief and stops very quickly. So I’d say it’s fine for 14+

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
Sammijolene
Sammijolene Adult
May 11, 2021
age 16+

Not for Childres or young teens.

Very fun and entertaining show. Lots of hard drug use and Sex though. We fast forwarded a lot. And will not watch when kids are home. Sex scenes pop up out of no where. All the daughter does is cocaine and hook up. We kept the remote in hand. If you can get passed that it’s a very fun show. Leaving a review because the current rating is far from on point and I had to many surprises with Sex being a PTSD trigger I don’t like surprises or lack of informations in parental guides.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

JUPITER'S LEGACY is a story about two generations. Shortly after the 1929 stock market crash, Sheldon Sampson (Josh Duhamel), his older brother, Walter (Ben Daniels), and his future wife, Grace (Leslie Bibb), all mysteriously receive powers that turn them into the world's first superheroes. Nearly 100 years later, Sheldon and Grace want to pass the torch to their young adult children, Brandon and Chloe (Andrew Horton and Elena Kampouris), who have their own ideas about how superheroes should act. Can they get the kids to buy into their rigid ethical code, even while supervillains and other unseen forces threaten to destroy life on earth itself?

Is It Any Good?

Following in the footsteps of Watchmen and The Boys, which invent new worlds and characters based on Marvel and DC archetypes, this newcomer tries -- and fails -- to spur a philosophical conversation. Just like comic books did in the '80s and '90s, more and more TV and film superhero stories explore what superheroes and their popularity mean about American culture itself. Jupiter's Legacy asks probing questions: Do people with special power have a greater responsibility to society? Is it ever morally right to kill someone? How do ethics change from generation to generation? Unfortunately, the series doesn't have the craft behind it to make any of those lofty questions exciting or dramatic. None of the characters are very likable, the dialogue overtly hammers the themes, episodes have zero dramatic arc, and the action arbitrarily jumps between the 1930s and the present. So instead of succeeding as an allegory or meta-commentary, Jupiter's Legacy ends up feeling like a rip-off of the more popular stuff.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the world of Jupiter's Legacy. What is unique about it and these heroes? Are they similar to other, well-known superheroes?

  • What is the conflict between the generations of heroes? How does this conflict affect the heroes' actions in the series? Who do you think is right? Why?

  • Do you think violence is necessary to tell this particular story effectively? Why, or why not?

TV Details

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Themes & Topics

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