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Parents' Guide to

The Murders at White House Farm

By Marty Brown, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Murder mystery drama based on true story is well-done.

TV Max Drama 2020
The Murders at White House Farm Poster Image

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What's the Story?

THE MURDERS AT WHITE HOUSE FARM is based on a real murder that took place in England in 1985. Sheila Caffell, a former model who is being treated for schizophrenia, takes her twin sons to visit her parents at their farm in Essex. That night, the police are called to the farm by Sheila's brother, Jeremy, who claims that Shelia is holding the family hostage with a rifle. The police eventually find the entire family dead in what looks like a murder-suicide at Sheila's hands. But when Detective Stan Jones looks closely at the crime scene, the details don't add up. He begins to suspect that something entirely different has happened at White House Farm.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Detective work often comes down to seeing small details that no one else does. The Murders on White House Farm's mystery is driven by a policeman who makes a series of discoveries that his peers don't care enough to notice, and what appears to be a straightforward crime unravels into a much more complex and morally ambiguous morass. Similarly, the series itself feels detail-oriented in a way that most crime shows are not. Every aspect of the investigation is revealed clearly and thoughtfully, allowing the case to feel both complex and easy to follow. Crime dramas often seem interchangeable, but that attention to detail makes The Murders on White House Farm stand out.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the crime. What appears to have happened at White House Farm? Why does DS Jones suspect something different happened? Are there any clues that we know that DS Jones doesn't? What are they?

  • What is standing in the way of DS Jones discovering the truth about the murders? How does he navigate these obstacles?

  • What do you think happened at White House Farm? Why do you think the Bamber family was killed? How did your opinion change over the course of the show?

TV Details

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