Parents' Guide to Panic

Parents need to know that Panic is a series about teens in a small Texas town who play a deadly annual game. It consists of escalating physical challenges that are quite literally deadly: two students died last summer walking across a highway with blindfolds on. Violence is not particularly gory, but it's presented dramatically, glamorizing the physical challenges with scenes that make stunts such as diving from very high points look beautiful and surreal. If you watch with younger teens, consider talking about the real-life consequences of such actions (though the show begins with a warning not to try what you see). We do see visuals such as a young women being buried alive in a coffin, and a girl screaming as she's covered in bees from a broken-open hive. Bullying is frequent, and sometimes physical, with a character who shoves, belittles, and hurts others physically. Frequent scenes show teens at parties drinking; some get reckless and sloppy when they do. Both teens and adults smoke cigarettes, and teens roll a joint at a get-together. Parents and adults are generally absent from the drama, and ineffective or actually harmful when they do appear. Expect romantic complications, kissing, and sexual humor, as well as cursing and language: "f--k," "bitch," "hell," "s--t," "ass," "damn." The show's main character is a relatable teen who's stuck in a cycle of systemic poverty, yet her choices are often reckless and dangerous. The series has been adapted by Lauren Oliver from her own YA novel of the same name.