Parents' Guide to

The Man in the High Castle

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Violence, tension in gripping dystopian thriller.

TV Amazon Prime Video Drama 2015
The Man in the High Castle Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

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age 16+

Based on 14 parent reviews

FatalCulture
FatalCulture Adult
September 1, 2021
age 16+

I’m really enjoying it so far!

It’s a great show, very well written so far and the acting has been amazing - especially in its subtly. I didn’t think I’d be interested but I was wrong. The show portrays realistic and complex characters, which just makes the show so much better and has the characters earning your endearment or liking toward them instead of telling you who you like and who are the bad guys. On to the kid related stuff: There is lot’s of violence, it’s very harsh, direct and realistic, so not gorey. But it might be a bit scary or shocking for kids if they haven’t seen anything like this before. It’s equal between men and women as well. You see people being blown up, gunned down, executed by a shot to the head and dead bodies, war scenes. It’s very political and might require someone who can keep up or understand to watch it, so I imagine younger teens wouldn’t be interested. There is nudity, from season 3 it changes and becomes quite graphic and heavily sexual. You see and man and woman in undies performing sexually for a solider, the woman is topless and you see a lot of her, it’s very sexualised content. There is another scene where you see another woman topless while working. So not for kids at all. I haven’t seen the actual episodes yet, just saw it online but I’m disappointed. In the seasons 1 and 2, there is breasts shown but it’s in the background and not a focal point of the scene and isn’t sexualised.

This title has:

Too much sex
3 people found this helpful.
glett74
glett74 Adult
October 13, 2018
age 17+

Great writing and story, but very adult

While the story is fantastic and well written, there is plenty of adult language, sexual content, some nudity and very frightening themes. Season 3 presents male and female homosexuality and explicit heterosexual nudity.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
2 people found this helpful.
See all 14 parent reviews

What's the Story?

What if the Axis powers had won World War II? That's the premise behind THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE, a bleak dystopian thriller based on the Philip K. Dick novel of the same name. In this alternate reality, Nazis have taken control of the East Coast of the United States, Japanese powers own the western Pacific States of America, and in between there's a neutral buffer zone. But with the impending death of Adolf Hitler in 1962, this is but a fragile peace. Japanese official Nobusuke Tagomi (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) realizes that with Hitler gone, his successor will use the Reich's nuclear weapons to drive Japan out of America. Meanwhile, in San Francisco, Juliana Crane (Alexa Davalos) is suddenly handed a film that seems to depict a different future, one in which the Allied forces won WWII. In her journey to uncover what this film means and the identity of its maker, the legendary Man in the High Castle, she soon encounters Joe Blake (Luke Kleintank), a new recruit to the underground American resistance who has secrets of his own. Together, Blake and Crane are on a collision course toward an uncertain future. Because the present can't be changed. Right?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (14):
Kids say (14):

Stylishly bleak and intriguing, this drama about an occupied America takes its time telling its story, a thrill for viewers who appreciate atmosphere over action and mystery over easy comprehension. The tension mounts steadily, but understanding what's going on, and fathoming the weight of the subtle developments shown on-screen, requires a mature and patient viewer. This drama's color scheme is overwhelmingly drab (blues, blacks, grays), its settings crumbling, its American people bowed by war and occupation by enemy forces, a type of sci-fi threat that has nothing to do with spaceships.

Yet as the lead American characters come to grips with the idea that the reality under which they live is only one way the story could have ended, in the real world political events threaten their very existence. Fans of twisty, moody sci-fi will eat this up with a spoon, but this is only whole-family watching for teens and up -- younger viewers will be alternately bored and terrified.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the premise of this show. Is it realistic? How would an Allied victory have changed America? What evidence do you see on-screen of how this drama's version of an occupied America has been affected?

  • Read The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick. How is this series different from the novel? What characters or scenes were added or taken away? What is the reason for these additions or deletions?

  • The world of The Man in the High Castle is a bleak one. How does the show depict this? Consider visuals (costumes, settings, colors used in shots) along with plot and dialogue.

TV Details

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Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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