Parents' Guide to Killer Sally

Killer Sally TV show: poster

Common Sense Media Review

Polly Conway By Polly Conway , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 15+

Bodybuilding true crime details violence, abuse, murder.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 15+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 9+

Based on 1 parent review

What's the Story?

On Valentine's Day 1995, Sally McNeil killed her fellow bodybuilder and abusive husband Ray. In KILLER SALLY, she tells her side of the story. Friends and family are interviewed, as well as peer bodybuilders and experts on the subject. Some bodybuilding history is also addressed, including Arnold Schwarzenegger's role in popularizing the sport during the 1980s and '90s.

Is It Any Good?

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

This true crime tale is eye-opening and intriguing, but its exploration of the bodybuilding lifestyle is almost more interesting than the murder. As it recounts McNeil's sad story, Killer Sally also exposes the sexual side of bodybuilding culture, including "muscle worship" where women were paid to wrestle or beat up men in private sessions, and the many VHS recordings of these acts. Interestingly, McNeil is frank about exploiting herself for money doing these kinds of videos; to her, it was worth it at the time. She presents as an interesting character who's served her time, though it's up to viewers to decide if she deserved her sentence.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about bodybuilding culture. Why do you think it because so popular during the 1980s and 1990s? Do you think it's a healthy thing to do as a hobby?

  • Do you think it's fair that McNeil served a lengthy prison sentence? Why or why not?

TV Details

  • Premiere date : November 2, 2022
  • Network : Netflix
  • Genre : Reality TV
  • TV rating : TV-MA
  • Last updated : November 3, 2022

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Killer Sally TV show: poster

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