Graceland
By Kari Croop,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Twisty drama with guns, drugs rises above hokey premise.
Add your rating
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Graceland
Community Reviews
Based on 2 parent reviews
The show turns into trash
updated info
What's the Story?
When rookie FBI agent Mike Warren (Aaron Tveit) leaves Quantico for his first real assignment at GRACELAND -- a decked-out beach house that doubles as HQ for undercover FBI, DEA, and U.S. Customs agents -- he finds a tight-knit group of new roommates who love to surf and a mysteriously Zen mentor in senior agent Paul Briggs (Daniel Sunjata). But as Mike gradually adapts to living life undercover, he learns that secrets and lies are all relative.
Is It Any Good?
It might sound like a description for the next season of The Real World, but Graceland's premise is, in fact, supposed to be taken seriously. Or at least that's what we gather from the gritty overtones of this borderline ridiculous crime drama that at least gets points for creativity. The fact that the beach house got its name thanks to its former owner, a drug lord who was obsessed with Elvis, is mere icing on the cake of crazy.
On the plus side, the largely unknown cast (including Brandon Jay McLaren, whom kids might recognize as the Red SPD Power Ranger) has good chemistry -- although the female characters feel comparatively flat. But the real draw is the plot twist that sets the stage for a gripping game of cat and mouse. That takes place, of course, at the beach.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the show's premise and how realistic -- or unrealistic -- it is. Is it possible Graceland was inspired by actual events, or is the concept of undercover agents living together in a swanky beachfront villa entirely too fictional to believe?
How does violence play into the action? To what degree does the criminal activity on Graceland reflect the nature and frequency of real-world crime?
How do these characters stack up as role models? What about a character like Briggs, whose mysterious past and loose definition of "the truth" cast doubt on his motivations? Do the female characters seem as strong as their male counterparts do onscreen?
TV Details
- Premiere date: June 6, 2013
- Cast: Aaron Tveit , Daniel Sunjata , Vanessa Ferlito
- Network: USA
- Genre: Drama
- TV rating: TV-14
- Last updated: October 14, 2022
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.
Suggest an Update
Where to Watch
Our Editors Recommend
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate