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Parents' Guide to

The Purge

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Dark, violent film-based show is better than it has to be.

TV USA Drama 2018
The Purge 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 7 parent reviews

Fernando V.
Fernando V. Parent of 8, 14 and 17-year-old
September 15, 2018
age 13+

The Purge Tv Series Review

The Purge TV Series is a show about the experience of multiple people throughout the 12 hours of lawless. The show kind of disappointing me in a way that is kind of hard to explain. The show does not have the same fun feeling like The Purge films had. The show also had a slow start in the first episode to start the night of anarchy. The series so far has shown a threesome in flashbacks and has some scary popouts that could be fighting to certain viewers. Overall I'm not impressed by this series as it is disappointing, weak on gore and scares. I'm going to give The Purge TV Series a 5.9/10
Glo777
Glo777 Adult
August 10, 2019
age 18+

Violent

There’s way too much violence In this tv show that it shouldn’t be aired. The way the world is now this is giving bad ideas for people to act out more violences . This should be banned and canceled. So disturbing.
See all 7 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Sometime in an apocalyptic future America, a shadowy political group known as the New Founding Fathers has seized control of the federal government -- and instituted THE PURGE, a 12-hour night each year in which all crimes, including murder, are legal. Naturally, such a night is going to cause a bit of furor for everyone. But some have more at stake than others: Miguel (Gabriel Chavarria), a tough former Marine on the trail of his disturbed sister, Penelope (Jessica Garza), who has taken up with a cult with some very strange ideas about redemption. Powerful financier Jane Barber (Amanda Warren), who hates someone enough to pay a Purger to arrange a hit while she attempts to close a major deal. And Rick (Colin Woodell) and Jenna (Hannah Anderson), a married couple who attend an ultra-right, ultra-rich Purge Night party in hopes of soaking up an investment for their own purposes.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (7 ):
Kids say (3 ):

This spooky, compelling series proves that a night in which every crime is legal makes a dandy idea for a series -- not just a movie (or four). Some pretty deft storytelling is afoot here, and those who have a taste for darker entertainment will be sucked in by the very first world-building episode. The line between the haves and have nots is stark, particularly on the big night, when the rich hide behind high-tech security systems and the poor behind plywood panels, despite the fact, as an opening news radio voice-over tells us, that Purgers are increasingly targeting such easy-to-break-into homes. And, the series soon reveals, the Purge itself was specifically engineered to get rid of said have nots; it's "the Great Liquidator," in the parlance of one rich creep who has a lot to gain from the 99 percent offing each other.

Meanwhile, several other plotlines keep things boiling on other burners. Just who does Jane want dead enough to risk her own safety, and what's involved in this big-money deal important enough for a Purge Night all-nighter? What's Penelope's motivation for joining a blue-robed cult that sells sacrificial suicide? The twists are slowly doled out, but this show's nicely handled shots of menace and creepy visuals keep things snappy. At one point, a panicked Jane runs into a man sharpening a huge blade in the basement of her building. He smiles and calls out in a friendly way, "Don't worry. It's not for you!" But if you think that makes Jane safe, The Purge has another think coming for you.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about The Purge's strong violence. Is the violence necessary to express the show's point of view? Could it have been less violent? More violent?

  • Have you seen any of the films on which this series is based? If so, how are they alike or different from this series? How does a show get many hours out of a concept that also works for a movie that's less than two hours long?

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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