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Parents' Guide to

Echoes

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Dark mystery has language, bad behavior, tepid twists.

TV Netflix Drama 2022
Echoes Television: 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 14+

Based on 2 parent reviews

hyperdiegesis
hyperdiegesis Parent
September 4, 2022
age 16+

Messy Plot, but Interesting overall

Despite some of the professional critics I actually like the idea of the plot it was interesting. I think the delivery was convoluted. I would have liked it a lot more if the story was told from the Sherrif Floss’ perspective. Liked the soundtrack a lot though
maxicarter10
maxicarter10 Parent of 9, 10, 11 and 12-year-old
August 23, 2022
age 11+
Just a bit of bad but very good for teens and such
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In the limited series Echoes, Gina (Michelle Monaghan) is a bestselling writer who lives in Los Angeles and leads the glamorous life, while her twin sister Leni (Monaghan) stayed back home in rural Mt. Echo, Virginia to run a horse ranch. The sisters are remarkably close, communicating daily in a shared video diary, until one day Leni disappears, leaving her husband Jack (Matt Bomer) and daughter Mattie ((Gable Swanlund) desperate to learn what came of her. But the twins share a secret that could destroy both their lives, and now time is running out for Gina to figure out just what's gone wrong. Created by Brian Yorkey (13 Reasons Why), Quinton Peeples (Runaways), and Vanessa Gazy.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (2 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

With a lot of big name talent behind it, this soapy mystery is clearly reaching for Gone Girl-ish territory, but the twists are doled out too slowly for it to be truly grabby. Echoes could have been a fun feature film, maybe a Lifetime movie to better reach an audience who appreciates complicated women in peril. But with 7 50-minute episodes, Echoes just sort of pokes along, both repetitive and snoozy.

There's one Big Secret that Echoes is built around; we won't reveal it here. It's a good one, but it's simply not enough to sustain multiple hours of drama, and the smaller zigs and zags are not as compelling, though they head into many different directions (drugs! Betrayal! A headless doll!). Monaghan gives an enjoyably gonzo performance (that accent!), Matt Bomer is fun as a husband with secrets of his own, and Ali Stroker is a mean-mouthed delight as Leni and Gina's resentful sister, Claudia. But it's not enough.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the way women are portrayed on television and why main female characters tend to be a relative rarity. Are women on TV more often shown working together or working against each other? What about on Echoes? How do TV stereotypes match up to the behavior of the women you know in real life?

  • What role does sex play in this story? How is it entangled with violence? What message does that send?

  • Are any of the characters admirable? Are they intended to be? Who are we meant to root for/sympathize with?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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