• Is it age appropriate?

  About our ratings

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  Not age appropriate for kids under 17, age appropriate for kids over 18; suggested age 17.

• Is it any good?

  4.0

• Common Sense says

  Mature, complex hospital dramedy isn't meant for kids.

Why We Rated This

What to watch out for

• Messages:

  The heroine is a complex character. On one hand, she takes her duties as a nurse to heart and is good at what she does, displaying intelligence, compassion, and guts. But on the other, she regularly engages in risky and dishonest behavior (including an extramarital affair) driven by her addiction to prescription medication, performing her duties under the influence. When she deems it necessary, she also metes out her own brand of vigilante-style medical justice.
• Violence:

  Given the hospital setting, there's a good amount of bleeding, vomiting, and other graphic injuries -- but not as much as on a show like ER. Examples include a patient losing his ear; another physically attacking a nurse, hitting her hard in the face; another coming in high with serious burns after inserting a Roman candle into his anus; and another needing more than 250 stitches to close her wounds after a violent attack.
• Sex:

  The main character is married but is having an affair with a colleague -- and when they have sex, they do it at work. They're usually clothed, so no sensitive body parts are shown, but you'll see plenty of thrusting.
• Language:

  Frequent, unbleeped usage of "f--k" (and all its permutations), as well as "s--t," "c--t," "c--k," "tit," "Jesus Christ," and "bitch," among others. Characters also use colorful phrases like "suck my dick," "blow me," and "vagina mom" (a more creative way of saying "birth mother").
• Consumerism:

  Expect mentions of brands like Barneys New York, Manolo Blahnik, and Bergdorf Goodman thanks to a materialistic doctor who loves to shop for expensive clothing. Drugs like Zyrtec, Percocet, Seconal, and Vicodin are also mentioned by name.
• Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

  Jackie has a serious dependency on prescription drugs and takes them at least three times a day in various, often desperately creative, ways. She's sleeping with the hospital pharmacist, who supplies her with many of her pills, but she goes to great lengths to keep her addiction a secret from her husband and colleagues. Other characters drink alcohol, and even some doctors -- including a pulmonary specialist -- are shown smoking cigarettes.

What Parents Need to Know

About Nurse Jackie

Families Can Talk About