Parents' Guide to

Past Life

By Will Wade, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Sometimes-iffy crime show reincarnates familiar formula.

TV Fox Drama 2010
Past Life Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

age 13+

Based on 1 parent review

age 13+
I like the show's premise. The directing, cinematography and acting are well done, while the stories have been interesting and engaging. A possible limitation might be found in the fact that (so far) the subject character's 'Past Life' is always that of a person who had died shortly before the character was borne. A story where the past life incarnation was from several hundred years in the past might give the team a wider venue.

This title has:

Great role models

Is It Any Good?

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

Past Life plays much like other police procedurals. There's a case, usually involving death, and just a few tiny clues. Whatley and McGinn are forced to trust their instincts, even when others think they're following outlandish hunches. Whatley, always a pragmatic cop, is reluctant to believe in McGinn's theories about reincarnation, but he's slowly won over after clients continue to uncover long-hidden crimes using knowledge that could only come from the victim.

But without the twist that the tiny scraps of information may come from beyond the grave, this show doesn't really stand out from the procedural pack. Watching Past Life could give viewers the sense that sometime, somewhere, they've already seen this show.

TV Details

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