Common Sense Media Review
By Joly Herman
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Violent, graphic true crime series about serial killer.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 17+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Black Bird
What's the Story?
Based on a true story, BLACK BIRD begins with a man's voice (Taron Egerton, Rocketman, Kingsman series) musing about the butterfly effect -- a theory that considers the consequences of unexpected interconnection. His name is Jimmy Keene, and his story begins with a drug deal that goes awry, his arrest, and a court date that sees him sent to prison for ten years, rather than the five years he was offered. While in prison, he passes the time renting porn mags to fellow inmates and feeling cheated of his best years. His father (Ray Liotta, No Sudden Move, in one of his last screen roles), a former cop, tries to advise him when he's offered a deal by the FBI. The deal seems too dark, too horrible to even consider. Jimmy is asked to transfer to a maximum security prison specializing in the criminally insane to coax a confession from a suspected serial killer. Will he take the bargain? Will he survive it if he does?
Is It Any Good?
Dark, sleek, and action-packed, this true-crime series can't quite rise above the misogyny inherent in its storyline. Blackbird turns over the rock that sits smugly atop the murders and disappearance of more than a dozen young women, peeking at the criminal behind their murders and his hatred of the female person. Cops brush off complaints of stalking and harassment by girls and women, ignore facts, even go so far as to protect a suspect's innocence because he's "weird." But the series doesn't propel itself higher than its lowest denominator. In part, because the anti-hero who's supposed to crack the case doesn't seem to care much about women. "I don't know these women," he says when offered an opportunity to help solve over a dozen murder cases involving young women. No, like the majority of men in this show, he's truly in it for himself. The cliché-heavy dialogue is a drag, too.
But, Greg Kinnear (Little Miss Sunshine, Invincible) moves with certainty-- taking up the role as the cop with a moral compass -- in a series that needs a moral compass. Enter a very believable creep, Larry D. Hall (played to skin-crawling perfection by Paul Walter Hauser, Cobra Kai), and the stuff squirming under the rock comes to life.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about true crime and real violence that's retold in movies and podcasts like Black Bird. How does something that's based on fact change your take on the story? How does violence in media impact kids and teens?
Possession of weapons gets the main character a longer sentence than he would have had without their presence in his home. What are your feelings about possessing guns and weapons? How does media portray guns?
Violence against women is a theme in this show. How does it make you feel when the authority figures in this show write off teen girls' report of sexual harassment as "dramatic?" How do you think that compares to real life?
TV Details
- Premiere date : July 8, 2022
- Cast : Greg Kinnear , Ray Liotta , Taron Egerton
- Network : Apple TV
- Genre : Drama
- TV rating :
- Award : Emmy - Emmy Award Winner
- Last updated : January 16, 2024
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