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Parents' Guide to

The Prisoner

By Jenny Nixon, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Superb 1960s "spy-fi" series is low on iffy content.

TV Roku Channel Science Fiction 1967
A collage of images from The Prisoner, with the show's title in white lettering at the top of the image.

A Lot or a Little?

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

  • The Prisoner TV show screenshot 1: A man in khaki pants, a black turtleneck, and a black sportcoat with white piping on the lapels is pictured walking down steps outdoors. A man in a similar blue sportcoat and grey pants passes him.
  • The Prisoner TV show screenshot 2: A large, rounded Space Age-style room with purple ombre walls houses a curved desk and egg-shaped chair. A man stands at the left of the image, speaking to another man who sits in the chair.
  • The Prisoner TV show screenshot 3: A fully clothed man lays unconscious, face-down on a desolate beach with a huge white orb resting upon his back.
  • The Prisoner TV show screenshot 4: A woman with a hat and blue cape stands in the foreground. In the background are two men in striped shirts who appear to be working at some kind of computer.

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What's the Story?

THE PRISONER wastes no time setting up the premise. A British secret agent of some kind (Patrick McGoohan) angrily turns in his resignation and seems in a mad dash to get out of town, only to be gassed and abducted while packing his suitcase. The man, referred to only as "Number Six," later awakens in a seemingly idyllic seaside hamlet called "The Village," exact location unknown. The eerily cheerful townspeople dress in similar clothing, repeat precise phrases ("Be seeing you!") to one another, and appear to be brainwashed in some way. Each episode details Number Six's countless attempts to escape The Village, which are invariably thwarted by the sinister leaders running this mysterious operation from the shadows. These creeps will stop at nothing to keep Number Six in hand — drugging him, sending in their own secret agents to gain his trust, even hounding him with big, menacing white balloons that somehow engulf and stun him into surrender, even if only for a moment. What is their endgame? Who is really behind all this, and why do the villagers go along with it?

Is It Any Good?

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

This vintage "spy-fi" serial is full of trippy Space Age/mod visuals, suspenseful plotlines, and a droll, defiant protagonist -- making it hard not to press "next episode" and keep going. Whether or not you really understand just what the heck is going on is kind of beside the point. The Prisoner has a lot to say about authority, non-conformity, paranoia, and technology; not all of it is coherent. But it sure is fun to watch, which is probably why this avant-garde exercise in weirdness remains an influential cult classic to this day.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the themes of The Prisoner, namely individualism vs. collectivism. Why was it so important for Number Six to be seen as a man, not a number? Where do you think he drew strength from while plotting his escape?

  • Talk about the imaginative science fiction elements in the show. What are your theories on how the tech in The Village worked? Have you seen other shows and movies that feature similar ideas?

TV Details

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