Parents' Guide to Paradise Lost

TV Spectrum Drama 2020
Paradise Lost Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

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

age 16+

Half-baked Southern mystery series has some violence.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 16+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

What's the Story?

In PARADISE LOST, Yates Forsythe (Josh Hartnett) is called back to his family home in Mississippi by his father, Judge Forsythe. Being back home has its perks; his wife Frances is able to set up her psychiatry practice and they have a beautiful home, but Yates also is now forced to reckon with a mysterious crime from the past that the rest of the town hasn't forgotten, especially Frances' patient Boyd Sutree, whose visions may be based on something real.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say : Not yet rated
Kids say : Not yet rated

This southern-fried mystery pulls out all the stops of the genre (whiskey on the plantation house verandah, hunting, gators, and the like), but the end result doesn't hold a candle to its clear inspirations. Tennessee Williams and Elmore Leonard were able to tell specifically southern stories with heart and intrigue, and even Sharp Objects, with which Paradise Lost shares a lot of parallels, combined traditional vibes with modern troubles in a more authentic way. Hartnett is still charming, but it's the supporting characters that truly carry the weight, especially the troubled Sutree, who seems to hold the key to the central mystery. Whether it's worth sticking around for the reveal, though, depends on the viewer's patience.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the American South. What makes it the setting for so many movies and TV shows like Paradise Lost?

  • Why do you think people have such strong attachments to their hometowns?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by

Paradise Lost Poster Image

What to Watch Next

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate