Sue Perkins: Perfectly Legal

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Sue Perkins: Perfectly Legal
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Sue Perkins: Perfectly Legal is a three-episode reality series about a woman's (self-described) midlife crisis that is full of heavy and frequent profanity and drinking, hallucinogenic drugs, people playing with handguns and explosives, raunchy sexual references, the occasional bare butt, and more. It presents Latin American culture in a way that is not likely to have people clamoring to visit, and in fact, casts some groups in an arguably offensive light.
What's the Story?
SUE PERKINS: PERFECTLY LEGAL follows the British comedian as she visits various locales in Latin America in an attempt to shock herself out of the rut she's in via one eye-opening and/or dangerous activity after another. A different local comedian meets her in each new city and hangs with her while playing games like tejo, which involves tossing metal discs at a board filled with gunpowder while knocking back shots; or visiting a sex hotel in hopes of catching a live swinger show. Along the way, Perkins reflects on how successful (or not) her adventures have been in helping stave off the 50-something blues.
Is It Any Good?
Watching a White lady explore other cultures as a way to achieve enlightenment isn't new, but Eat, Pray, Love this isn't -- unless that movie has a director's cut with a bestiality storyline. Indeed, Sue Perkins: Perfectly Legal features an incredibly unfortunate and painfully unfunny extended scene centered on the host's quest to find and interview men along the Colombian coast who will admit to having sex with donkeys. The decision to include this legitimately disturbing, casually cruel, and stereotype-laden segment is mind-boggling.
Perkins is an affable presence, though, as fans of the early seasons of The Great British Baking Show can attest. There will be many who crack up at seeing the hapless, self-described nerdy Brit boozing until blackout drunk and freaking out at the prospect of walking through a fireworks festival notorious for sending crowds to the emergency room. The scene where she allows herself to be shot in the abdomen with a .38 handgun while wearing a bulletproof vest, later describing it as an "adrenalin rush," may not play as well to viewers who are fatigued by gun culture in the age of mass shootings. It's a wildly mixed bag that's uneven at best and offensive at worst, ultimately straddling a very shaky line between exploring and exploiting the cultures depicted.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the way travel shows depict other countries and the people who live there. Do you think Sue Perkins: Perfectly Legal is an authentic representation of the locations featured? Why or why not?
The "midlife crisis" is a very popular topic in television and film. Can you think of some examples you've enjoyed?
TV Details
- Premiere date: October 13, 2022
- Cast: Sue Perkins
- Network: Netflix
- Genre: Reality TV
- TV rating: TV-MA
- Last updated: December 1, 2022
Our Editors Recommend
For kids who love armchair travel
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