Parents' Guide to

Durham County

By Will Wade, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Creepy drama about families, friendship, murderers, lies.

TV ION Drama 2009
Durham County Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

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What's the Story?

After his partner is murdered, police detective Mike Sweeney (Hugh Dillon) moves back to his hometown in suburban DURHAM COUNTY. He's looking for a quiet place to raise his kids and help his wife (Helene Joy) recover from cancer, but he's stunned to discover that his new neighbor, Ray Prager (Justin Louis), is a childhood rival who may be hiding a dark secret. Sweeney is quickly assigned to a murder investigation and realizes that he has a secret connection to the victim. As he digs deeper, he finds that the evidence points to Prager ... but his own hidden link to the case may also make Sweeney a suspect.

Is It Any Good?

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

Durham County has plenty of secrets beneath its well-manicured lawns. This enjoyable Canadian production isn't really a mystery, since the viewers know who the villain is from the start. Instead, it's more of a cat-and-mouse thriller, as Prager and Sweeney try to keep their personal connections to the crime hidden while implicating each other. The fun of the show is watching the two men gradually come unraveled as the police zero in on the killer -- and wondering how far each will go to protect themselves and their secrets.

The show creates an atmosphere of gloom and menace. Sweeney's teenage daughter likes to build crime scene dioramas, and his younger daughter likes to wear an unsettling mask for fun. There's a killer -- or maybe two -- running around town and a gang of predatory potential rapists in the high school. And what's the deal with the constant power plant imagery? Some of this helps boost the tension, but some seems unnecessary and sometimes distracts from what's otherwise a satisfying drama about the lengths that men will go to justify their choices to themselves.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the main characters' lives affect the way they interact with their families and friends. Is it difficult to maintain a lie? How does telling one lie sometimes force people to tell another? Have you ever tried to hide something, only to realize how difficult it is to keep the story going?

  • The "crazed murderer" is a common character in movies and TV series. How does the family man/psychopath in this show compare to the typical portrayal of this kind of character? Which do you think is closer to reality?

TV Details

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