Parents' Guide to American Heiress

TV MyNetworkTV Drama 2007
American Heiress Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

Sierra Filucci By Sierra Filucci , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 16+

English telenovela is rich with campy melodrama.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 16+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

What's the Story?

The titular AMERICAN HEIRESS is Elizabeth Wakefield (Alicia Leigh Willis), a smart but spoiled young woman who finds herself in the jungles of Guatemala after her private plane crashes. The crash was engineered by her brother, Damien (Race Owen), who had intended to kill their business-tycoon father in order to inherit his fortune. In addition to following Elizabeth's travails in the jungle -- where she butts heads with her sole companion, handsome young pilot JD Bruce (Carter MacIntyre) -- the series checks in with the rest of the family. There's Elizabeth's younger sister Loren (AnnaLynn McCord), an unapologetically promiscuous young woman who has a fondness for men in her father's age range; Matthew (Robert Buckley), an athletic racecar enthusiast; and, of course, the scheming Damien, who's also involved in some illegal arms trading that's being investigated by the CIA.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say : Not yet rated
Kids say : Not yet rated

American Heiress is incredibly trashy -- it's full of intrigue, sex, adventure, silly plotlines, and some truly terrible acting. Some viewers who appreciate that kind of thing might find moments of guilty pleasure, though parents will want kids, even most teens, to stay away.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what's appealing about soap operas and telenovelas. How are these shows similar to real life? How are they different? Do you prefer soaps that go on indefinitely or ones that have a set ending point? Why are there so many evil people on these shows? How is this show similar to and different from Spanish telenovelas?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by

American Heiress Poster Image

What to Watch Next

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate