Person of Interest

I understand the motivation in rating this a 14+ as it does have quite a bit of violence, but I think this is a 'you know your kid' situation. The first season came out when I was 9 and I loved it then, however the show does get much more intense and dark as it goes on so 9 would probably be too young for the later seasons. While there isn't a whole lot of blood, there are some intimidating memorable villains and many intense torture scenes (even if they aren't super graphic). Characters also go to pretty dark places throughout the show which can be upsetting and intense the show's themes also get quite heavy and depressing at times, but that is part of why the show is so great.

Just a phenomenal TVS that describes the current generation situation (2018), world is getting watched by AI's now-a-days and no Harold Finch here to teach our AI's.

The first three seasons are decent. It is heavy on violence, but there are good guys and bad guys. Detective Carter is a great black female role model. Season 4 gets into a same sex relationship, with an onscreen kiss and several innuendos. The story line becomes a little ridiculous and honestly, boring. The violence also increases each season.

Person of Interest exists as a work of incredibly grounded science fiction; that is to say, it is tackling issues that we are currently facing or could be facing in the future, specifically: mass surveillance and artificial intelligence. The show intends to look at all the gray areas of these topics, and as such most characters exist in a morally gray area, which only serves to make them more well-rounded and intriguing. Still, the show does have a core set of values, among them that every life is important and has value, that people must make their own choices (and live with the consequences), and that we must all work to help each other. The show, primarily through the character Finch, and by extension The Machine, certainly preaches altruism. Person of Interest also includes a significant number of complex female characters. From Carter to Shaw, all the way to Control, the show puts women in positions of power and rarely, only one instance comes to mind, relegates them to the position of just girlfriend. In that same vein, the show has some wonderful LGBT representation in Root and Shaw, and from time to time features other queer individuals, never demonizing them. There is indeed a lot of violence in the show, though it is never particularly gory. To be honest, thematic elements (torture of the physical and psychological variety, living with the loss of loved ones, etc.) are probably more of a concern than the relatively over-the-top and stylized violence depicted in the show. And there is one sex scene, though no full nudity (the two women can be seen in their bras and underwear, other shots show their unclothed backs) and it lasts perhaps one minute. Other instances of sex are implied rather than shown. With a complex show like this, it is more appropriate for older children. I'd say a benchmark around 14 seems appropriate for them to fully understand the entire story and to be able to handle some of the darker elements of the show.

Although there is a lot of violence in this show, its portrayed in a positive way, and the show is constantly enforcing positive messages. I believe the people that officially reviewed this are on some drugs themselves, because the fact that they gave it only one or two stars for positive messages and role models is just ridiculous. There are some drugs in the show, however it is constantly enforced that they are a terrible thing and a waste of time. When there is violence involved, the main characters refuse to kill anyone, and only shoot guns when it's absolutely required - John Reese will constantly shoot people in the kneecaps, and then tell someone nearby to bring them to the hospital. This show also shows a lot of truths about the government and police forces - children are constantly taught they are great people and are lied to and brainwashed to help their country. This show employs several, several positive messages, and although there are some drug references and violence, it's all done in a positive way (/negative to drugs) I believe kids twelve and up should watch this as that is just the age they start rotting their brains out with video games like "Call of Duty" and "Battlefield" where all they do is kill people and become brainwashed into military activities. Twelve and up is a perfect age as they know about violence and drugs and a lot of the things shown, however are open and if they can conceive the show properly they will learn things many teenagers don't know and become much, much smarter than average teens.

Personally, i find this a well-made interesting show. However it's not appropriate for teens to be watching week in and out. It has mature themes as well as constant violence. Think Alias mashed up with a detective show. The main characters are trying to accomplish something good, but in order to do it, there is a lot of violence. Probably 12 people were killed in the first episode. Have to watch a few more to see how it turns out. Worth it for adults who like that sort of thing.