Common Sense Media Review
By Marty Brown
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Ambitious but flat superhero show has violence, swearing.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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Jupiter's Legacy
What's the Story?
JUPITER'S LEGACY is a story about two generations. Shortly after the 1929 stock market crash, Sheldon Sampson (Josh Duhamel), his older brother, Walter (Ben Daniels), and his future wife, Grace (Leslie Bibb), all mysteriously receive powers that turn them into the world's first superheroes. Nearly 100 years later, Sheldon and Grace want to pass the torch to their young adult children, Brandon and Chloe (Andrew Horton and Elena Kampouris), who have their own ideas about how superheroes should act. Can they get the kids to buy into their rigid ethical code, even while supervillains and other unseen forces threaten to destroy life on earth itself?
Is It Any Good?
Following in the footsteps of Watchmen and The Boys, which invent new worlds and characters based on Marvel and DC archetypes, this newcomer tries -- and fails -- to spur a philosophical conversation. Just like comic books did in the '80s and '90s, more and more TV and film superhero stories explore what superheroes and their popularity mean about American culture itself. Jupiter's Legacy asks probing questions: Do people with special power have a greater responsibility to society? Is it ever morally right to kill someone? How do ethics change from generation to generation? Unfortunately, the series doesn't have the craft behind it to make any of those lofty questions exciting or dramatic. None of the characters are very likable, the dialogue overtly hammers the themes, episodes have zero dramatic arc, and the action arbitrarily jumps between the 1930s and the present. So instead of succeeding as an allegory or meta-commentary, Jupiter's Legacy ends up feeling like a rip-off of the more popular stuff.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the world of Jupiter's Legacy. What is unique about it and these heroes? Are they similar to other, well-known superheroes?
What is the conflict between the generations of heroes? How does this conflict affect the heroes' actions in the series? Who do you think is right? Why?
Do you think violence is necessary to tell this particular story effectively? Why, or why not?
TV Details
- Premiere date : May 7, 2021
- Cast : Josh Duhamel , Leslie Bibb , Elena Kampouris , Andrew Horton
- Network : Netflix
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : Superheroes , Family Stories ( Siblings )
- TV rating :
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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