Parents' Guide to

Counterpart

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Compelling thriller has intrigue, violence, cursing.

TV Starz Drama 2018
Counterpart Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

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age 18+

Based on 7 parent reviews

Cnafy
Cnafy Adult
August 15, 2021
age 18+

Needless, explicit depiction of gay porn

Every episode has either what amounts to porn, or random references to it. It gets worse as you progress through the series. I haven't finished it, and probably won't. In addition, there are a lot of references and depictions of a world destroyed by a "flu." A world of masked individuals living drab lives because they do not have a vaccine for their "flu." Very weird. I do not know why common sense media shows this show as "only innuendo." It is incorrect.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much consumerism
3 people found this helpful.
rcollinsut
rcollinsut Adult
May 4, 2020
age 18+

Intriguing story spoiled by nudity, sex, and language

I signed up for Starz through Amazon and watched some of the episodes on VidAngel, which made me think it was a pretty safe show. However, I had problems connecting to VidAngel one evening and watched an episode that only contained some bad language, but nothing else. Then the next episode started with a graphic, disgusting sex scene. Completely unnecessary for the story and it sent me back to VidAngel to watch the remainder of the series. If you can watch the show with the sex, nudity, f-words, and graphic violence filtered out, it is worth watching. Without filtering, the disgusting content makes it not worth watching for any age.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
2 people found this helpful.
See all 7 parent reviews

What's the Story?

COUNTERPART is a dramatic thriller about a man who discovers the coexistence of a parallel world. Harry Silk (J.K. Simmons) is a low-level government staffer at a Berlin-based spy agency. His life is one of routine, in which he is loyal to his job and devoted to his ailing wife, Emily (Olivia Williams). But when agency director Peter Quayle (Harry Lloyd) and Aldrich (Ulrich Thomsen), the director of counterintelligence, introduce him to high-level spy Harold Prime (also played by Simmons), his counterpart in a parallel world, Silk is quickly caught up in a dark and complex web of espionage. Despite the efforts of Ian Shaw (Nicholas Pinnock) to keep the peace between the two worlds, tensions rise as mysterious operatives from the other side (played by Sara Serraiocco and Nazanin Boniadi) seek out targets. Throughout, Silk and Prime learn more about each other, and wonder how their lives are the same, and yet so very different.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (7 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

This dark series offers a compelling story with a Cold War vibe that's both interesting and mysterious. The fictional premise, which is rooted in historical rumors of obscure Nazi experimentation and metaphysical thought, raises questions about free will, destiny, and what ultimately determines someone's fate. Meanwhile, J.K. Simmons gives an outstanding performance as the counterparts, who are as much the same as they are different.

Counterpart requires viewers to pay close attention in order to fully appreciate the subtler details of the narrative. But while there's plenty of intrigue, it's not too hard to follow, thanks to the well-balanced pace at which information is revealed about the cast and the secrets they carry. Overall, Counterpart is an intriguing show that will leave you wanting to know more at the end of every episode, and possibly pondering some big questions about the nature of self.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Counterpart's premise. How did the existence of the "other side" come about? How has it survived so long without people knowing about it? How would your life change if there was "another you"?

  • Counterpart raises lots of questions about people's ability to control their fate versus living a life that's predetermined. What do you think?

TV Details

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