Parents' Guide to

The Luminaries

By Marina Gordon, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Supernatural drama has murder, sex work, opium, alcohol.

TV Starz Drama 2021
The Luminaries Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 16+

Based on 1 parent review

Beagphaidi
Beagphaidi Adult
January 19, 2022
age 16+

It should be rated higher not suitable for children

Mention of whores, prostitutes, murder, violence and sex scenes. Sex scene on beach. Mention of drug use
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

Based on the Booker Prize-winning book of the same name, author Eleanor Catton adapts her work for this six-episode miniseries that kicks off with a perplexing nighttime scene -- a Maori man is shot, a body is discovered in a remote cabin, and gold spills from a woman's wound. After the credits roll, Anna Wetherell (Eve Hewson) and Emery Staines (Himesh Patel) meet as their ship from England arrives in 1860s New Zealand, where they both intend to dig for gold. Immediately they're drawn to each other and agree to meet up that night, but Anna suddenly becomes ensnared in the world of a local madam-astrologer-proprietor of the mysterious House of Many Wishes. It's no accident that Anna is there, we come to suspect, and that few things in this world are as they seem.

Is It Any Good?

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

In contrast to the stunning New Zealand scenery, this is a dark -- literally and figuratively -- series that muddles the real and the supernatural in a confusing but intriguing stew. The Luminaries is at its best when focused on the two women leads -- Anna (Eve Hewson, from The Knick) and Lydia (Penny Dreadful's Eva Green) are both captivating and mysterious. The show loses its focus with an overwhelming number of plot threads and characters, plus it veers back and forth from Anna's arrival in New Zealand to nine months later.

The first episode leaves viewers feeling not "I must know more!" but "There's too much to know!" Just a few of the questions: Are "astral twins" switching places with each other? How did Anna end up wearing a dress with gold sewn into its seams? How did Lydia seem to know exactly how to ensnare Anna? Who was the dead man in the cabin, and why was he killed? Though light may be shed on those questions, The Luminaries is poorly illuminated. The cinematographer presumably aimed for naturalistic lighting, but struggling to simply see who was present takes you out of a story that was already hard to focus on.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the enduring appeal of gold rush stories. Why are audiences drawn to outlaw tales like Luminaries and Deadwood, and what do you think about the way women and minorities are depicted?

  • Many shows go back and forth between two or more time periods to tell their stories. How is it different from a linear narrative? Do you find it effective?

TV Details

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