Parents' Guide to

Mr. Selfridge

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Period drama shows dark side of living too large.

TV PBS Drama 2013
Mr. Selfridge Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 15+

Based on 4 parent reviews

AK2ME
AK2ME Parent of 10 and 12-year-old
September 24, 2019
age 16+

Kind of dirty for PBS

As an adult watching it, there were some good seasons, but it truly ends bad. The whole last season is just poor. The whole things is kind of painful to watch this guy ruin his life. I wouldn't recommend this show as good, it was eh. For appropriateness, if you take mistresses, affairs, and so on out of the show... there isn't much left. Though they don't show graphic stuff... though there are passion we would zip through, it was always revolving around sex, cheating, babies out of wedlock, and so on. He is constantly gambling and cheating on his wife and she kind of puts up with it. It really sends a bad message to girls about guys acting a certain why and to guys that you can get away with this kind of treatment. Not a family friendly show, bad messages, and morals.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much consumerism
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
1 person found this helpful.
Jane S.
Jane S. Parent of 13, 16 and 18-year-old
January 1, 2023
age 16+
I think the series is okay. Kind of of gloomy. Send wrong messages. Harry often cheats on his wife and is shown in bed with other women , he then argues with his wife and lies to her about miss Ellen love . Their is some bad language but that is pretty mild. Their is a love affair between Mr.Grove and miss Mardle . Some violence,Mr. Selfridge gets in a car accident and one one of the Character get hit with a car in one of the later season , some discussion about what happens in the war. Mr Selfridge wife dies.Henri and Agnes argue in the store window before he throw a everything down in the shop is window. Their is lot of adult drink and men smoking cigars.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 4 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Jeremy Piven is MR. SELFRIDGE, the self-made scion of legendary London department store Selfridges. But when we meet him, he's just a loudmouthed American meeting resistance from the Londoners who aren't interested in a Yank coming over and trying to tell them how to run things. Selfridge has boundless confidence when coming up with new ways to promote his store, and a lot of adoring things to say to his faithful, long-suffering wife, Rose (Frances O'Connor) and four children. But in private, he cheats on Rose with a succession of free-living dancers and socialites and will do just about anything to keep his business going. Meanwhile, the smiling phalanx of employees who serve his customers each have their own stories to tell...and their own secrets.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4):
Kids say (1):

PBS marketed Mr. Selfridge as a vintage cousin to its much-beloved Downton Abbey. But though this drama comes similarly wrapped in period-correct hairstyles and velvet gowns, it's no Downton. The acting is a bit more over-the-top; the plot points are less absorbing; the characters not as finely drawn. Nonetheless, particularly for those who enjoy whiling away hours in a bygone world, Mr. Selfridge is a fun little melodrama with incredible costumes, sets, and art direction.

Piven himself makes an enjoyable huckster, sweating and straining to make people notice his store. He hires everyone from famous ballet dancers to Sherlock Holmes in pursuit of free publicity with P.T. Barnum-ish zeal. Then he rolls in bed with his wife and tells her how very much he loves her... just before he sets his mistress up in an apartment. The antiheroic hero is in style these days, popping up in The Sopranos and Breaking Bad, amongst other spots. But there's something about Selfridge, or possibly the way Piven plays him, that makes him harder to watch (and to love) than those other characters. Maybe that's why Mr. Selfridge is merely entertaining instead of addictive.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the ideas Selfridge had about shopping and how the experience of shopping has changed. Do shop attendants help you with your purchases in stores now? How is shopping different in our modern times?

  • Is the audience supposed to like Selfridge? Admire him? Or draw cautionary lessons from his life? What about the way he is presented makes you draw this conclusion?

  • Do you know any other TV shows that take place in a bygone setting? How is Mr. Selfridge alike? How is it different?

TV Details

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