Parents' Guide to

Collateral

By Jenny Nixon, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Ambitious but convoluted British crime drama is violent.

TV Netflix Drama 2018
Collateral Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 13+

Based on 1 parent review

Franco44
Franco44 Adult
February 27, 2021
age 13+

A little violent. Some heavy subject matter.

A good show to watch with the older kids.

This title has:

Great messages
Too much swearing
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

COLLATERAL is a British crime procedural starring Carey Mulligan (Mudbound) as no-nonsense detective Kip Glaspie, who's investigating the murder of a pizza deliveryman with her partner, Nathan (Nathaniel Martello-White). When it turns out the victim is an illegal immigrant with a violent backstory, who leaves behind two sisters who risk deportation in an increasingly isolationist, post-Brexit London -- and that the pizzeria has been delivering drugs along with their pies -- this seemingly random act uncovers a web of conspiracy that threatens to expose leaders in church, state, and military alike. John Simm (Doctor Who) appears as left-of-center MP David Mars, with Jeany Spark (Red Lights) as troubled soldier Sandrine Shaw.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Though the four-part series kicks off with a murder, the killer is revealed before the first episode is through -- making this less a "whodunnit" than a "why'd they do it." Writer David Hare (The Hours) tries to maintain a suspenseful tone as the various threads unspool, but the dialogue is often clunky and full of awkward exposition, and the interconnected storylines come across as contrived instead of clever. A coincidence is one thing, but a plot wherein the MP's boozy ex-wife happens to order a pizza from the murder victim/refugee, whose death on her doorstep happens to be observed by a bystander, who happens to be in a relationship with yet another of the MP's exes ... who is a bisexual female vicar who happens to be counseling the woman who sent the murder victim out on the original pizza delivery? It's a stretch, to say the least. Collateral suffers from an overabundance of subplots that go nowhere, along with some gratuitous female nudity that feels wildly out of place in a show that simultaneously wants to convey messages about institutionalized sexism and hypocrisy. Mulligan, however, makes a great detective, bringing a wry confidence to a role that's refreshingly different from the characters we've seen her play before in period pieces like The Great Gatsby.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the political topics raised by Collateral, such as illegal immigration. Did the depiction of these issues in a British setting remind you in any way of similar issues facing the U.S.? Does it matter if someone is seeking refuge from their home country for safety-related reasons, or for economic ones?

  • Collateral was filled with intertwining plots, and characters who all had some sort of connection to one another. Did this seem realistic to you, especially in a city the size of London? Which storylines did you think were the most effective?

TV Details

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