Ginny & Georgia

The cast is majority White, but main characters include Ginny, who's biracial Black and White, and her father, Zion, who's Black. Supporting characters are biracial (Taiwanese and White), Indian, Latino, Filipino, Jewish, etc., and topics of race come up, especially as Ginny faces discrimination at school from her oblivious English teacher and her well-meaning non-Black friends are unable to relate. Series centers around a nontraditional family unit: A loving single mother and her two children, with multiple biological and step-fathers (some supportive, some abusive). Minor character Norah is an adoptee. Queer characters are normalized, especially lesbian best friend Maxine, who has multiple same-sex romances. Main characters are extremely thin, but supporting characters have a bit more body diversity. A family has a deaf father (played by deaf actor Chris Kenopic); they use American Sign Language to communicate in multiple scenes. Mental health is a major recurring theme, with characters who struggle with anxiety, self-harm, depression, panic attacks, bulimia, alcohol abuse, and other issues.

Flashbacks show men abusing women. Main character fights back by cutting the men with a glass shard and shooting them in the hand. Women discuss past trauma, including sexual abuse by a family member. An adult punches a child in the nose and tells him he'll never be believed if he tries to tell. A main character self-harms by burning and cutting. Another owns guns, even when loved ones beg her not to keep them in the house; when she uses them, it's always framed as self-defense, and only "bad people" are seen getting shot. Despite the series' many fights and arguments, there's very little on-screen blood.

Teens date, kiss, make out, and talk a lot about sex. Ginny loses her virginity at 15 in the first episode (panting and moaning audible; nothing is shown). Characters undress to their underwear and have sex (and oral sex); sensitive body parts are never shown. Georgia is sex-positive, has a drawer of vibrators, and gives advice to her daughter like: "Under no circumstances have sex; however, if you end up giving him a blow job, there's this trick with the balls ... " In one scene, teens watch pornography for entertainment (sounds are heard but nothing shown).

Frequent use of words including "s--t," "bulls--t," "a--hole," etc. Someone is referred to as a "p---y"; girls are referred to as "bitches" (often affectionately). A teen remarks of the mayor, "All the thirsty moms throw their twats at him." Regarding a kid who's bullying him, Georgia tells her 9-year-old son, "Screw that a--hole." Teens refer to their teacher's "small d--k."

Adults drink lots of wine. Teens get drunk at parties, swigging out of liquor bottles and taking shots. Teens often use alcohol to cope with depression, but it's portrayed as concerning behavior. Teens and adults smoke marijuana, mostly via joints and, in rare scenes, a bong.

Parents need to know that Ginny & Georgia is a show about a mother and daughter. That -- plus a bookish teen girl, an outgoing young mom, an adorable Northeastern town, pop culture chatter, and lots of junk food -- might make it seem similar to the beloved Gilmore Girls (complete with the initials!). But the resemblance ends there: This series is significantly more mature and faster paced. Within a short time after arriving in the fictional Wellsbury, Massachusetts, 15-year-old Ginny (Antonia Gentry) loses her virginity, smokes pot for the first time, and shoplifts with new friends. She also intentionally burns herself and has scars from cutting. All of the teens in the show seem to smoke pot (it's legal in Massachusetts, they point out) and talk about sex frequently. Words like "p---y," "bitches," "twats," "a--hole," "d--k," and "s--t" are used often. Mom Georgia (Brianne Howey) drinks wine, smokes pot, uses a vibrator, steals when her credit card is declined, and charms her way into a job in the single mayor's office. And in flashbacks, viewers see the physical and sexual abuse that Georgia (then called Mary) escaped as a teen. Despite these complex characters, many of whom live in moral gray zones and hurt others, the series is a positive example of inclusive casting and storytelling, spotlighting issues of mental health, past trauma, and teen anxiety.