Parents' Guide to

Extracurricular

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Dark, thrilling Korean teen crime drama is violent, mature.

TV Netflix Drama 2020
Extracurricular Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

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age 14+

Based on 1 parent review

Bts-kdrama19998
Bts-kdrama19998 Adult
August 11, 2020
age 14+

Must watch if you love crime shows

10/10 hands down love this show and can’t wait for more, everything was good about this shows from the plot to the acting. This show had me a edge with what will happened next, I haven’t reacted to a show like this I’m years. I’ve watched it all on two days, I couldn’t stop. Highly recommend watching it if you are a fan of any crime tv shows or if you also like 13 reason why

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

EXTRACURRICULAR is a Korean dramatic series about a high school student who lives a double life as a criminal mastermind. Oh Ji-soo (Kim Dong-hee) is an awkward, but gifted, 18-year-old high school student who wants to go to a top university and escape his dead-end life. To pay for living expenses and save for tuition, he uses his smarts to secretly run a lucrative escort service that provides "special protection""(played by Choi Min-soo) for the women who work for him. His quiet demeanor puts him above suspicion, but things start to get tricky when he befriends classmate Bae Gyu-ri (Park Ju-hyun), who just happens to be his secret crush. Making it worse is the fact that their obnoxious classmate Seo Min-hee (Jung Da-bin) is inextricably caught up in Ji-soo's scheme, while her unsuspecting boyfriend Kwak Ki-tae (Nam Yoon-soo) relentlessly bullies him. Soon Ji-soo and his young cronies find themselves in over their heads as they sink deeper into a violent criminal world.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (3 ):

This character-driven drama (which is dubbed into English on Netflix) creates a compelling world by combining stories about teenage school life and serious criminal activity. While Ji-soo awkwardly deals with the school's annoying guidance counselor (played by Park Hyun-kwon), bullies, and a toxic parent, both Gyu-ri and Min-hee cope with their own insecurities and growing pains as they enter into adulthood. However, neither the law or moral values are factors in their collective sphere as they navigate the criminal world with an almost-sociopathic ease.

Extracurricular's characters are unapologetic, and not particularly likable. But the relationships between them grow more interesting and complex, which makes them worth investing in. Meanwhile, as Ji-soo's criminal enterprise expands, the stakes get higher, and create lots of entertaining suspense. The result is a binge-worthy series that is as thrilling as it is disturbing for those old enough to handle it.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what compels the teenagers in Extracurricular to engage in criminal behavior. Is it simply greed? Is Ji-soo's criminal behavior more justified than the behavior of the others?

  • Why do some shows and movies about teens often feature lots of cursing, smoking, and other risky behaviors? What impact do you think this has on viewers, if any?

TV Details

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