Home Before Dark

TV review by Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media
Home Before Dark Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 11+

Kid lead is fabulous in intense mystery for tweens and up.

Parents say

age 9+

Based on 12 reviews

Kids say

age 10+

Based on 8 reviews

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.

A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.

Stands out for and .

Community Reviews

age 10+

Awesome for my 12 and 15yo

I'm annoyed with professional reviewers who give this series a poor review because they don't know how to categorize it. Yeah, it doesn't seem like it's *quite* for adults alone because it has a child lead and because it avoids sex and gore. And it's darker and way less cheesy than standard "family programming," of which my kids have mostly grown out of. (We tried a different kids' series last night that has 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and found it unwatchable... just too cheesy and condescending for my 12 and 15yo). Home Before Dark refuses to talk down to its audience, offering complex characters, good acting, a twisty plot, and an awesome soundtrack. We all loved it, and as a parent I'd love to see more programming like this.

This title has:

Great role models
3 people found this helpful.
age 10+

Excellent show, content gets more mature as season progresses

I agree with all of the other reviews of this show, that it's a fantastic whole-family watch for families with kids 10+. The characters are fantastic, the message of overcoming is a strong one, and the plot isn't entirely predictable. That said, we have watched six episodes so far and the content gets progressively more mature. Cussing is much more frequent now (but always emotionally relevant and never overdone). Episode 6 has rebellious teens doing rebellious things (smoking and trying to be cool) in a school bathroom, another main character outlines and we see his irresponsible use of marijuana, and the episode has a seance. We skipped the seance bit with the kids, but I watched it later and it was innocent enough; one is trying to summon a dead person while others aren't convinced that it's even real at all. The messages of empowerment are fantastic, though, and create room for some great family discussions about the content.
1 person found this helpful.

TV Details

Our Editors Recommend

Character Strengths

Find more tv shows that help kids build character.

  • Little boy whispering to a girl
    Communication
    See all
  • Kid looking through telescope
    Curiosity
    See all
  • Child cross country skiing
    Perseverance
    See all

Themes & Topics

Browse titles with similar subject matter.

  • Cartoon picture of a girl
    Great Girl Role Models
    See all

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