Dynasty

There are fistfights, kidnappings, fights where women wrestle (usually over a man), oil rig explosions, car crashes, terrorist plots -- but the bad special effects and cheesy acting keep the violence from being truly disturbing.

Expect to see revealing outfits, soft-focus make-out sessions, and implied intercourse (though there is no nudity, and bedspreads or sheets usually cover everything up). The character Steven Carrington was one of the earliest gay main characters on television -- though his sexuality is apparently fluid, as he is shown having relationships with men and women throughout Dynasty's nine-season run.

"Damn," "hell," "bastard," and "bitch" are all used. The patriarch of the family accuses his closeted son of "faggotry."

Lots and lots of champagne and cocktails in every episode. There's smoking, too: cigars, cigarettes, and joints.

Parents need to know that Dynasty is a classic soap opera from the 1980s about two feuding oil baron families in Denver, Colorado. The show has no redeeming moral value and is basically an excuse to watch filthy rich people behaving badly. The dialogue, acting, and plots are beyond cheesy: Over nine seasons there were at least three kidnappings, a half-dozen explosions, various surgeries, a military coup at a wedding, countless divorces and secret children ... even an alien abduction! Content-wise, the sex and violence are tame by today's standards, but still present. Many of the attitudes on display, especially toward issues of gender, sexuality, and race, are as outdated as the flamboyant fashions.