Parents' Guide to

American Vandal

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Language, high school sex jokes in wry true-crime satire.

TV Netflix Comedy 2017
American Vandal Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

  • American Vandal TV Show: Scene #1
  • American Vandal TV Show: Scene #2
  • American Vandal TV Show: Scene #3

Community Reviews

See all
age 13+

Based on 5 parent reviews

Japak01
Japak01 Adult
October 14, 2018
age 18+

Demoralizing

Should’ve turned it off after the first 15 minutes. I guess I thought at some point there might be something worth while. This show has little to no redeeming qualities. It seems that it’s purpose is to desensitize the viewer’s moral sensibilities and keep our teens in perpetual immaturity. Premarital sex, drugs and alcohol, and profanity are all normalized and even glorified. I don’t know what these other parents are thinking, but I would never want my kids watching this, even in their 30s.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
1 person found this helpful.
Hippie_chaz
Hippie_chaz Adult
August 24, 2021
age 15+

As long as their mature

This show is very immature at its core a penis drawer and poop bandit. But the story is compelling and has you left with quotations demanding answers. It’s a fun crude mystery that’s actually pretty tame. If your kid is mature enough to handle the topics and see it for the story they’ll be engulfed in the mystery

This title has:

Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 5 parent reviews

What's the Story?

A heinous crime has rocked the quiet California high school of Hanover: Who stole into the parking lot and spray-painted a row of teachers' cars with phallic symbols, causing $100,000 worth of damage? AMERICAN VANDAL digs into whodunit. Was it high school senior Dylan (Jimmy Tatro), the ne'er-do-well known for drawing penises around the school, and who's already been expelled for the crime? Was it Alex Trimboli (Calum Worthy), the honor student who says he witnessed Dylan in the act? As Dylan's Hanover High Morning Show colleague Peter Maldonado (Tyler Alvarez) follows the case, the more he learns, the less he's sure of. In its second season, American Vandal's key sleuths Peter and Sam (Griffin Gluck) focus on a new school -- a private Catholic academy -- and take on a new misdemeanor (the "brownout" caused by laxative-spiked school cafeteria lemonade) and possibly unfairly accused miscreant, Kevin McClain (Travis Tope).

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5):
Kids say (14):

Clever, deadpan, and instantly quotable, this mockumentary pries some knowing laughter from a genre that typically takes itself very seriously: true crime. American Vandal starts in on the ironic imitation right in the credits, with (school paper!) headlines about the graffiti crime dissolving into grimly lit photos of the crime scene and portentous yearbook photos. There are talking-head interviews and close-ups of ominous-looking official paperwork; there are cork boards with string connecting photos and clues. And there is always the fact that the crime in question is a row of spray-painted penises.

Dylan, too, makes an appealing lead, his oafishness lightened a bit by scenes in which he talks about how much he loves his girlfriend and how disappointed he is that his life-goal plans (going to college with his girlfriend, opening up a surf shop) are disrupted by his expulsion. Before long, the boy we hear repeatedly described as a "f---ing idiot" and "the stupidest kid I ever met" emerges as something of a henpecked hero: He might have spray-painted the penises, because it's a laugh. But he didn't. And so we, along with Dylan, and Peter, and everyone else, slowly pick through the clues to find out who did. And why. Or maybe not. Because what does it matter what the answer is, when the search for it is so much fun? Update: In the show's second season, Peter and Sam investigate a new, more bodily function-related crime at a different school after the mockumentary the duo supposedly made in the first season became a viral sensation. This adds another layer of satire and complexity to the surprisingly clever comedy, which makes plenty of points about gossip, digital life, the reputation you make for yourself -- and the one that others pin on you.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about satire. What type of series is American Vandal making fun of? Would this show be as funny if it, like typical true-crime shows, centered on murder?

  • Why is it so difficult to figure out who committed crimes, both in this silly satire and in real life? What do you think about the process traditionally used to convict people?

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 suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended tv lists

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