True Detective

This series is perfectly executed--amazing acting, directing, photography, script, score...a real home run. It is, however, disturbing on a level I have never before experienced. The graphic scenes of torture, incest, murder, sex, violence, and moments leading up to child molestation feature such powerful imagery, they are likely to pop into your head for quite some time to come. You will be disgusted at what your brain chose to retain. There is not a lot of hope or beauty in this series. It's interesting and compelling, but I think of these things in terms of payoff. If you go through the grisly to land on something soul-satisfying, the investment was worthwhile. If you come up feeling empty, though, what was the point in exposing yourself to the darkness? What was the point in sinking so much time into it? I expected the first "shock" scene to be the most disturbing, as a method for hooking the audience. It actually got darker after that, though. The season is so short that by the time I realized I was too sensitive for this show, I was already halfway through and figured I should power through to get the ending payoff. I should have considered it a sunk cost, though, because the final episodes were the most disturbing. Knowing this is how an adult feels about the series, you can imagine how inappropriate it would be for kids of any age. As a nearly 40-year-old "child," I would actually be embarrassed if my parents saw this and knew I had watched it. Certainly, there are plenty of adults who can handle it and would enjoy it. Like I said, it's brilliantly done. However, in order for an actual child to watch it and not be traumatized, they would have to be desensitized to the level of a future serial killer. No child of any age should watch this.

Very well acted, but way too much sex and exploitative nudity!