Parents' Guide to

Dynasty

By Jenny Nixon, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Over-the-top soap opera packed with champagne and fighting.

TV ABC Drama 1981
Dynasty Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

age 10+

Based on 1 parent review

age 10+

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1):
Kids say (2):

Though not without a certain retro charm, the first season is an oft-painful slog through dull storylines set in oil fields -- but the show finds its footing in season two, with the arrival of Joan Collins as Alexis Carrington Colby, the prototypical soap opera vixen and villainess supreme. The ongoing rivalry between Collins' character and Linda Evans' Krystle became the show's hallmark, and the actresses spent season after season clashing with one another over men, miscarriages, and mansions. Though the two spent plenty of time verbally sparring, their spats had a habit of turning physical as well, with the characters wrestling and slapping one another in beauty salons, muddy puddles, and lily ponds.

Dynasty is a guilty pleasure for sure. It can be amusing to watch these unabashedly selfish characters flounce around in decadent settings, trying to seduce one another or ruin each other's lives (sometimes both). The fashions and hairstyles are simultaneously fabulous and incredibly dated. While not exactly purposefully comedic, the show succeeds because it embraces its campy nature and doesn't take itself too seriously. Probably best suited for older teens who can see the show for what it is: the television equivalent to junk food.

TV Details

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