Parents' Guide to

Jailbirds

By Martin Brown, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Intriguing docu about female inmates can feel exploitative.

Jailbirds Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

age 16+

Based on 2 parent reviews

age 13+

Jailbird

I think it's a great show and I think it shows kinds of age that you don't want to go down the wrong past because of you do, this could be you, A jailbird

This title has:

Great messages
age 18+

Brutal expletive-rich reality of life in a jail cell - too real and exploitive of participants...

I can't imagine a scenario in which sharing this with children makes sense.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (2):

It's interesting that it's taken so long for Netflix to develop a show that depicts a sort of real-life version of Orange Is the New Black. Jailbirds is entertaining enough, and many of the inmates' coping mechanisms -- their unique system of communicating through toilet pipes, aka "toilet talk," will likely be a popular part of the show. However, like many reality shows, it's difficult to tell what is real and what the directors are manipulating for dramatic purposes. Other prison shows have a clear point of view and purpose: OITNB, for example, is about how the prison industrial complex can degrade and abuse prisoners. Without that clarity of purpose, Jailbirds is entertaining, no doubt, but can sometimes feel exploitative.

TV Details

  • Premiere date: May 10, 2019
  • Network: Netflix
  • Genre: Reality TV
  • TV rating: TV-MA
  • Last updated: February 27, 2022

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