Parents' Guide to

Sherwood

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

Fresh animated Robin Hood tale set in dystopian future.

TV YouTube Drama 2019
Sherwood Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

  • The future of the world.
  • Robin Hood leads the way.
  • What awaits imprisoned insurgents.

Community Reviews

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age 9+

Based on 2 parent reviews

nrata
nrata Adult
March 30, 2019
age 5+
Classic themes of social justice, fighting for freedom, standing up for the oppressed, caring for each other and working together despite our differences etc set in a dystopian future. A multi-cultural cast and (voice actors and on-screen characters) and a smart, techno-talented, female, problem solver for a lead makes this a fresh new take on an old story. My six year old and nine year old love it. I would suggestion it might appeal more to children with good language skills as despite its action context, the narrative is strongly led by dialogue (as befits its strong leading voice actors!). The villains/ aggressors are sometimes menacing but their aggression is most usually of the sneering verbalised sort (Sheriff Nottingham is Joseph Fiennes afterall), or mediated by largely ineffective flying robots. It has lots of action sequences but no violence to speak of from what I've seen. Love the range of characters, especially Aunty Tui played by Rachel House.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
zzt
zzt Adult
March 18, 2019
age 13+

˜Not TV-7, mixed feelings

Alright, I watched an entire episode, and it's not that bad. There are parts of it that have huge potential, but I wonder how an episode like this was put together. By the time you read this, it may be updated, but I can't find anything substantive on the crew of this series. Did YouTube develop this in-house? License the rights? If this was in-house, I question how the way the Originals group is operating. What I find the weirdest is that it's rated TV-7. The only part of this that fits that age range is the intro and outro songs. It struggles with somehow (seriously, who the heck approves this stuff) trying to fit into a particular category (TV-7 I suppose), with some of it that would appeal to a tech-minded 11ish-year-old, with underlying content more appropriate for a teenager. Not a bad flick, I enjoyed watching most parts of it, but I can tell you that this wouldn't fly with my 7-year-old and she would find most parts of it scary.
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What's the Story?

SHERWOOD is an animated series based on the legend of Robin Hood. It’s 2270, and most of the world is underwater, forcing people to live in the mud and below the surface. King Richard has built Sherwood as a way of rebuilding their lives, but he is missing, and they are at the mercy of the Sheriff. While he hoards food and medicine for the rich people who live within the city’s walls, the poor must live in the mud as sea croppers and try to survive. But a young insurgent known as Robin Hood (voiced by Anya Chalotra) is fearlessly entering the city to steal food and medicine for the sick and needy, while looking for ways to undermine the Sheriff’s power. When Robin manages to steal a special gauntlet from the Sheriff, she realizes that she has the power to do much more. With the help of a few brave others, she sets her sights on returning Sherwood back to the people.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (2):
Kids say: Not yet rated

This original series offers a creative adaptation of the story of Robin Hood by setting it in a future (and very wet) dystopian universe, and making the lead character a young woman. While it follows the classic in that Robin Hood is heroic and the Sheriff is evil, everyone is also technologically savvy to some degree. The fact that this version highlights climate change issues as the reason for the world’s demise also gives it a contemporary twist.

Sherwood is full of weapons, chases, and creepy villains that include enhanced squid-like henchmen; the kind of things you might expect from a tween animated adventure series. But it's not all goofy fun; in fact, the strikingly dramatic soundtrack gives it a rather serious tone. Those familiar which the legend may find the interpretation of key characters and themes interesting.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about adaptations of classic stories into different genres. What kinds of universal themes does a story have to have in order for it to be adapted in different ways over the years?

  • What are the similarities between other TV and film versions of Robin Hood and Sherwood? Despite being in set in the future and in the water, is the story itself that different than the original legend?

TV Details

  • Premiere date: January 15, 2019
  • Cast: Anya Chalotra
  • Network: YouTube
  • Genre: Drama
  • TV rating: NR
  • Last updated: January 16, 2019

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