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Privileged
By Kari Croop,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Status-driven teen drama is surprisingly positive.
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What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.
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Based on 1 parent review
its great
What's the Story?
When Yale-educated writer-on-the-rise Megan Smith (Joanna Garcia) loses her job at a New York City tabloid, it opens the door for a whole new career in Palm Beach: playing tutor to a pair of privileged teens (Lucy Hale and Ashley Newbrough) whose parents were killed in a tragic accident and now live with their cosmetics mogul grandmother, Laurel Limoges (Anne Archer). If Megan can get the errant high schoolers into Duke University, the girls' grandmother will pay off Megan's pile of student loans. But for Megan, pulling it off might mean sidestepping a few of her noble ideals. After all, Laurel doesn't care how Megan gets the girls into Duke -- as long as she makes it happen.
Is It Any Good?
Armed with a hummable soundtrack of pop hits and an intensely likeable protagonist, PRIVILEGED is more appealing than "just another teen soap." Teens will love the characters, the romantic subplots, and the glamour of a fashionable world in which girls routinely "puke outfits cuter than yours." But parents will be happy to know that the overall message is more good than bad. Sure, there are a few plot points that require a serious suspension of disbelief (like the fact that Megan could land this gig in the first place). But the best part of the show is that it doesn't blindly idolize the lives of society kids -- instead, it reveals a bit of tarnish on all that bling they're wearing.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how this show compares to other series about teens who live in mansions and live lives of luxury? Does it seem more or less realistic? Why? How do this show's messages compare to those of other teen series? Families can also discuss whether the two privileged sisters in Megan's care resemble any of the "society celebs" you read about in the tabloids. Does it surprise you to see that someone who's living the "good life" isn't truly happy? Do you think Megan made the right choice in taking -- and keeping -- her job as the twins' tutor? Would you have made the same decision? Why or why not?
TV Details
- Premiere date: September 9, 2008
- Cast: Ashley Newbrough , Joanna Garcia , Lucy Hale
- Network: CW
- Genre: Drama
- TV rating: TV-PG
- Last updated: October 13, 2022
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