Parents' Guide to Haven

Haven Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

By Will Wade , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 13+

X-Files meets Twin Peaks in unoriginal but fun show.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 13+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 13+

Based on 6 parent reviews

age 11+

Based on 10 kid reviews

Kids say the show offers a mix of supernatural elements and mystery, with plenty of violent and suspenseful moments that vary in intensity. While many reviews emphasize its entertaining storyline and character development, parents are advised to consider each child’s maturity level due to some implied sexual content and occasional gore throughout the series.

  • supernatural elements
  • mystery and drama
  • parental discretion
  • character development
  • mild violence
Summarized with AI

What's the Story?

FBI agent Audrey Parker (Emily Rose) is sent to HAVEN, Maine, to investigate a mysterious death; once there, she uncovers even more mysteries. Strange things happen in this seemingly peaceful fishing town -- things that appear to violate the laws of nature and physics. And there's more: Parker, an orphan, finds that a local legend about an unsolved killing years earlier may be a clue to her own background.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 6 ):
Kids say ( 10 ):

There's little original in this X-Files-esque show about a hotshot agent who finds herself immersed in strange events that defy explanation and is determined to get to the bottom of things. It's a tried-and-true formula, but it's so common because it usually works. The dialogue is snappy, and Parker has an easy chemistry with both Nathan (Lucas Bryant), the local cop she teams up with, and Duke (Eric Balfour), Haven's surprisingly urbane ne'er-do-well.

But this kind of show lives and dies not by the acting, but by the plot -- and that means the writers could face a tough task coming up with more and more mysteries in this small town. In The X-Files, the agents could travel the world to investigate weirdness, but Haven's structure means that Parker is stuck in Haven. The whole point of a show like Haven is the barely believable mysteries, so limiting it to a single small town could make it hard for the show to stay within the realm of even semi-plausibility.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the supernatural. Do you think the mysterious things that happen in Haven could happen in real life? Do you think there are hidden forces at work?

  • Why do you think there are so many shows about people investigating unexplainable supernatural events? Do viewers want to believe in the supernatural?

  • What's scarier -- violent scenes or eerie ones? Why?

TV Details

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

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