Common Sense Media Review
By Joyce Slaton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Hilarious and mature series has language, drug use.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
High Desert
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
HIGH DESERT's Peggy (Patricia Arquette) is at a crossroads. Unmoored by the recent death of her mother (Bernadette Peters), she's financially insecure and desperately trying to keep her substance intake down to what the methadone clinic gives her. Meanwhile her brother and sister Dianne and Stewart (Christine Taylor and Keir O'Donnell) are threatening to sell her mom's house out from under her. But then a chance meeting with a local private investigator (Brad Garrett) sends Peggy on a new career path. She can do this detective thing, right? There's nothing to it.
Is It Any Good?
Black as pitch, absolutely hilarious, and occasionally heartbreaking, this series triumphs with great sharp jokes and the pleasure of spending time in Peggy's ramshackle life. Patricia Arquette is a wonder, on an absolute tear in the string of fantastic roles she's had in recent years. How can she play so icy and menacing in Severance and The Act, then be so authentically messy and lovable in High Desert? The audience is instantly on her side despite her many transgressions, and we want to see her succeed in finding a new and better life. But it's also really fun to see her flounder.
Part of the fun of High Desert are the quirky characters who inhabit Peggy's life: Her snotty and condescending siblings, her jailbird husband Denny (Matt Dillon), the down-on-his-luck private investigator who reluctantly takes Peggy on as his mentor; reading this list, it should be clear that the five-star comic cast is another strong point in High Desert's favor. But the best part of this series is simply sitting back and watching as Peggy's curiosity, brazenness, and lack of impulse control leads her into one adventure after another. Her brother and sister may be unamused by her antics, but viewers will be ready to adopt Peggy after spending just one episode with her.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Peggy is a character who's a familiar archetype on TV: the messy one who can't get her life together. What other versions of this character have you seen? Do you find this an appealing characterization?
How does the desert setting of High Desert affect the narrative? What are the dramatic or comedic possibilities of a big, empty space, and how does High Desert use its setting?
How does this series communicate things about its characters through costume? What does Peggy wear, vs. characters who oppose her? How do the showrunners signal who is to be taken seriously?
TV Details
- Premiere date : May 17, 2023
- Cast : Patricia Arquette , Matt Dillon , Rupert Friend
- Network : Apple TV
- Genre : Comedy
- TV rating :
- Last updated : December 8, 2025
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