Parents' Guide to

Gypsy

By Dana Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Flat psychological thriller mixes therapy, sex, and lies.

TV Netflix Drama 2017
Gypsy 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 17+

Based on 3 parent reviews

gorezm
gorezm Adult
December 10, 2020
age 18+

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
alex N.
alex N. Adult
October 18, 2020
age 14+

Age 14 and up.

i think this show is fine for teenagers to watch. i dont think alot of teenagers would enjoy watching, but i dont think that there is anything in this show that is inappropriate for tennagers.
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

GYPSY begins in the therapy office of Dr. Jean Holloway (Naomi Watts), as she sits empathically listening to her patients' complaints. Soon, however, we see another side of her. She secretly involves herself with a patient's ex-girlfriend (Sophie Cookson) by pretending to be a journalist named Diane, near-stalking her at the coffee shop where she works and then showing up drunk late one night at her concert. She shows up at another patient's daughter's hair salon for unknown reasons. She lies to her husband (whom she fears is attracted to his secretary), worries about her possibly transgender daughter, and seems to have an alcoholic drink or a pill in her hand whenever she's outside the office.

Is It Any Good?

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

The what-will-happen-next tension that's at the heart of this show's storyline isn't enough to cover the show's flat emotional vibe. Gypsy's Dr. Jean Holloway is the most common sociopathic character. On the surface, she's a perfectly appropriate, dressing-on-the-side kind of woman, wife, mom, and professional. But the deep, dark reality of who she is seeps out after hours. The problem is, so what? There seems to be no conflict of conscience in Jean, no internal struggle in which she questions herself. She just goes full throttle into bad behavior with seemingly no regret. Why should viewers care about a sociopath who doesn't care about anything?

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the main character in Gypsy, Dr. Jean Holloway. What could make a character behave in this way? What does it mean to be a sociopath?

  • Talk about the ongoing drinking in Gypsy. This show depicts drinking alcohol as something done at every meal, every social event, and every stressful moment. Learn more about how to talk about alcohol abuse here.

TV Details

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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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