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Nurse Jackie

(Rated TV-MA, Drama, Starring Edie Falco, Eve Best, Peter Facinelli, Where to watch: Showtime, Online)
  • 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 not for kids

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

Parents need to know that the main character in this mature medical dramedy is a complex anti-heroine who grapples daily with her addicton to prescription painkillers and is having an affair with a colleague -- even though, on the surface, she's happily married with two young children. Conversations are riddled with strong language, including unbleeped words like "f--k," "c--t," and "s--t," and the emergency room setting produces plenty of blood and guts. Some brand names are mentioned, too, mostly in the form of specific prescription drugs and upscale merchants.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Familes can talk about Jackie's iffy decisions when it comes to her personal and professional life. In what ways do you admire her? What about her behavior do you find less than admirable? Would you consider her a role model? When Jackie acts dishonestly to achieve what she sees as a beneficial outcome -- for example, forging a dead patient's signature to make him an organ donor -- do the ends justify the means? Do you view her behavior as ethical or unethical?

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Our Members Say

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Parent Reviewer
    I rate this title off for age 17 and give it 5.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Excessive consumerism
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use
    • Negative message
    • Negative role models

  2. Kid Reviewer Age 12
    I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it 5.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use
    • Negative message

    • My highlights are:
    • Good role models

    She Ain't That Bad

    Obviously, I'm twelve. Most kids my age wouldn't watch a show like this. I know that there's a LOT of inappropriate content in this show. But at the end of the day, if you're kids are really, really mature, they may like this show. Sure, Jackie's an addict, but in the end, she's a loving mother, and she goes all the way for her patients.

  3. Teen Reviewer Age 16
    I rate this title iffy for age 16 and give it 5.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use
    • Negative message
    • Negative role models

    Acceptable for older teens, definitely not for 14 and under.

    I am 16 and I have heard nothing new in this show. If your child is 16 then in my mind this show is Ok for them to watch. Shows like this are not "appropriate" for any age but it is acceptable for older teens to watch. It is basically an R-rated movie.

  4. Kid Reviewer Age 9
    I rate this title iffy for age 16 and give it 5.0

    edie falco's character jackie peyton is funny

  5. Teen Reviewer Age 17
    Lives in Florida
    I rate this title iffy for age 17 and give it 5.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use

    NO KIDS, seriously

    Nurse Jackie is DEFINITELY NOT FOR KIDS. There are intense sex scenes with someone who isn't even her husband and drug use. Not for kids, at all.

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