Parents' Guide to

For Life

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Compelling legal drama has violence, drugs, mature themes.

TV ABC Drama 2020
For Life Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

age 12+

Based on 3 parent reviews

age 12+

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Great role models
age 11+

Is It Any Good?

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

This compelling series is inspired by the true story of Isaac Wright Jr., who successfully had his drug trafficking conviction overturned after serving seven and a half years of a life sentence. It centers on Aaron Wallace's efforts to help inmates who are victims of the institutional flaws inherent in the criminal justice system, which requires him to work alongside the same people who are intent on keeping him locked up. It also weaves in family narratives to underscore the collateral damage caused by his wrongful incarceration. Like many police procedural TV shows, there are some predictable dramatic moments. But the show's quiet subtleties, ranging from calls to action written on papers hanging from cell walls, to Wallace wearing a small smile and a prison uniform while handcuffed to a bus seat after successfully winning a trial, highlight the difficult and dangerous metaphorical tightrope that he walks every day. These are the details that make For Life worth watching, regardless of how frustrated the story may make you feel.

TV Details

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