Parents' Guide to

Heist

By Larisa Wiseman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Uneven crime caper for older teens and adults.

TV NBC Drama 2006
Heist Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

See all
age 14+

Based on 1 parent review

Jwheeler420
Jwheeler420 Adult
August 16, 2019
age 14+

Ok for teens

This is a show I’m comfortable with my kids watching, similar to stranger things/ riverdale for appropriate level.
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

HEIST, NBC's primetime comedic drama helmed by acclaimed director Doug Liman, stars Dougray Scott as Mickey O'Neil, a con man who's planning a burglary of epic proportions. Mickey's assembled a band of professional thieves (including Steve Harris, Seymour Cassel, Marika Dominczyk, and David Walton) to simultaneously rob three jewelry stores in Beverly Hills during the week leading up to the Academy Awards. While preparations for the heist are under way, LAPD detective Amy Sykes (Michele Hicks) -- along with partners Billy O'Brien (Billy Gardell) and Tyrese Evans (Reno Wilson) -- investigate a series of prior thefts committed by Mickey's team, unaware that the burglars are already planning something much bigger. Mickey intends to "keep his enemies close" by getting to know Amy, but ends up falling for her instead. Little does Amy suspect that her new love interest is actually the leader of the clever crew she's trying to nab.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Reminiscent of Ocean's Eleven in its main plotline, Heist unfortunately only ends up being engaging when the thieves are doing what they do best -- executing an intricate, well-thought-out plan that's intended to throw the cops off their track. The script is sadly uneven; on rare occasions, the crooks' banter and the cutting remarks between the cops are amusing, but other times they weigh down the show and even border on offensive. (Two cops assigned as partners -- one black, one white and overweight -- make racist and fat jokes about each other that are disparaging to the point of being truly unfunny.)

Mickey and Amy's subplot provides an intriguing hook, but some of the other plotlines -- such as Pops' (Cassel) visits to his Alzheimer's-stricken wife -- seem overly sentimental and disrupt the flow of the action. The show's worst offense, however, is that very few of the characters are actually likable, which can make their interactions painful to sit through. If you can get past the hit-and-miss humor and the silly/snippety dialogue, the scenes that actually relate to the planning of the heist are fun to watch -- but that's not enough to recommend the show.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the characters' questionable behavior. First up is sexism: How do these men seem to view women? Why is this disrespectful? What could they do instead? Next are the racist remarks thrown at a black cop by his white partner. How would you feel if you were on the receiving end of those remarks? Do you find this kind of humor appealing or just insulting? How do you react when you hear your friends make racist remarks?

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 suggesting a diversity update.

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