The Othersiders

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Teens' unaccompanied ghost hunts too scary for little kids.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that even though the ghost hunters on this show are young (they range in age from 13 to 16), there's nothing juvenile about their chilling experiences at the reportedly haunted buildings they visit. Young and sensitive viewers may get scared by scenes of apparent ghosts moving in front of a camera, eerie voices picked up by recording equipment, and the cast's palpable fear. Older tweens and teens may find this same content thrilling, but the show will leave parents with a lot of unanswered questions about the reality of the teens' supervision on their late-night quests.

  • The teens are passionate about what they do and very thorough in their research and investigation. Often they’re required to overcome their fears of the unknown to gather data. But all of this is overshadowed by the fact that either their parents are unconcerned about their midnight escapades, or the show is misrepresenting their supposed unchaperoned visits to these frightening locales.
  • No violence, but the teens discuss the presumed ghosts’ violent pasts, including instances of torture, murder, and death.
  • Not applicable.

What's the story?

In THE OTHERSIDERS, five young friends team up to investigate reports of paranormal activity. The teens -- who range in age from 13 to 16 -- select sites based on credible reports of ghostly encounters and, after some background research, head out for midnight investigations of their own. Using high-tech equipment like infrared cameras and voice enhancement software, the team gathers data onsite before returning to their lab to analyze it and determine the likelihood of an actual haunting.


Is it any good?

 

Don't be misled into thinking this show is for kids of all ages because of the youthfulness of its cast or the fact that it airs on Cartoon Network. Flashes of glowing figures and creepy recordings of disembodied voices are no less chilling for being witnessed by older tweens and teens rather than adults. The show's content is intense, and the teens are visibly frightened by what they experience. In other words, The Othersiders isn't a show for young kids, and sensitive viewers of any age might get the creeps, too.

What's more, the show's premise is a bit disturbing, as it suggests that thee five teens -- one of whom is only 13 -- are heading off unaccompanied on these late-night ghost hunts in abandoned buildings, junkyards, and the like. And, disturbing as that idea is, the alternative -- that the show misrepresents the teens' autonomy during the investigations -- sends just as many negative messages to young viewers about the reality of shows like this one. While the team's investigations are intriguing and their conclusions will certainly make you wonder about the spiritual world, this show is best reserved for teens and adults who can handle its content.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about paranormal activity. Do you believe in ghosts? What evidence exists for and against the idea? Were you scared by any of the content of this show? What do you think the show's intent is? Families can also discuss how technology allows ghost hunters to conduct investigations. What equipment can they use to record images and sounds not heard or seen? Do you agree with the conclusions they draw from what they find?


This review was written by Emily Ashby
Parent
September 26, 2011
 
GORY, SEXY, CREEPY, FOUL, ULTRA-VIOLENT
This should be TV-MA/TV-MA-V, the teens say "s--t" "a--" "holy crap" "damnit" "f--k" etc. the teens make out in random areas and ARE BY THEMSELF, HELLO STUFF LIKE ZOMBIE S--T RANDOMLY FALLS AND BLOOD SPLATTERS. Not for under 15

Flag as inappropriate 
Teen, 15 years old
July 29, 2009
 
Exciting for tweens, but obvious for older teens.
I like the show, but the people they picked as "the five friends" have different ages all over the place. Tweens (Like me) and teens will realize these people are actually hired because I know most tweens and teens would be friends with people their age or a year younger than that. I enjoy this show, and the experiences in it. Younger kids shouldn't be watching this. But, please Cartoon Network. Reality shows? Didn't you notice the name of your channel is CARTOON Network?

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Teen, 15 years old
July 17, 2010
 
Teens only is my opinion.
I personally would reccomend this program to some of my braver friends, but I'd say that this show is not suitable for children below 13 years. And as a side note, what happened to CARTOON Network showing cartoons, eh? I appreciate that thay are showing this program, but maybe it's time to leave Nickelodeon do this kind of stuff. It's great and all but not what i would think as a 'CARTOON Network' 'show'

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Kid, 13 years old
July 8, 2009
 
10+ NO litthe kids it scared my 4 year old sister
I LOVE THIS SHOW! THEY ARE INVESTIGATING A MANSION TONIGHT AT 8PM!

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Teen, 15 years old
July 6, 2009
 
eh
i hate this show cause i dont like scary stuff but if your into horror stuff this show is for you

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Teen, 14 years old
April 26, 2011
 
Overall a great show.
I see how it could be a little bit scary for younger kids, but it teaches kids to face their fears. I really like this show, and wish that they still showed it! I think that they did a bad review of it on this website...

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Kid, 12 years old
October 13, 2009
 
too scary for under 8
I watch this show WEEKLY and sometimes its scary sometimes the places are crap. I LOVE this show but may be scary for some

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Teen, 14 years old
July 7, 2010
 
It isn't fake.
Have any of you that have said its fake looked at the credits at the end of the show? If this was fake, it would have the actors names in it and a director. It doesn't.

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Parent of 11 year old
June 3, 2010
 
OMG!
Some episodes have words like (holy crap, what the heck, I can't see a d**n thing, and this is freakin cool)

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Teen, 18 years old
May 22, 2010
 
Really? Children Ghostbusters? Really?
You have to be kidding me CN! You must be running out of even bad ideas! "Oh, let's make some 11 year olds go into a deserted airfeild and look for casper!" Really?

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This review was written by Emily Ashby
TV rating:TV-PG
Network:Cartoon Network
Genre:Reality TV

This review was written by Emily Ashby
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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