Parents' Guide to

Captive

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Compelling true-crime series chronicles real kidnappings.

Captive Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

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Is It Any Good?

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

Thorough research and reporting uncovers the kind of throat-clutching detail that true-crime fans will particularly respond to in this smart but dark series. Each of the events spotlighted in Captive made the news, but unless you're a world news completist, you probably haven't heard of many of these incidents, which makes the retellings all the more gripping: Will these people make it out alive? And in one piece? When they do, it's cathartic. When they don't, haunting.

Viewers may find themselves Wikipedia-ing the details of each story to find out more, but you won't get much further than what Captive has shown you. This is an eminently binge-worth series, but parents should consider carefully whether teens should watch, since some of the material is quite unsettling. If you allow it, you may want to watch along to reassure them that they're safe in their own home and everything they're seeing has long been resolved.

TV Details

  • Premiere date: December 9, 2016
  • Network: Netflix
  • Genre: Reality TV
  • TV rating: NR
  • Last updated: February 26, 2022

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