Parents' Guide to

The Rook

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Supernatural violence, some language in so-so spy thriller.

TV Starz Drama 2019
The Rook Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

age 15+

Based on 1 parent review

age 15+

Best British show

If you love sci fi then you will love this show

Is It Any Good?

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

This spy show has a cool, meaty premise and is adapted from a fairly bonkers genre novel, so why is it so juiceless and staid? The Rook's first few moments promise a gripping thriller -- a nightmarish situation: abandoned, alone, memoryless, and clearly in some mortal danger. From there, The Rook starts piling on the good-on-paper complications: mysterious super powers, a human trafficking conspiracy, shifty coworkers who can't be trusted, including a bleached-blond foursome of sibs who share consciousness. With so many interesting things to focus on, why does Rook spin its wheels by forcing us to watch Myfanwy (rhymes with "Tiffany," the series helpfully informs us) wandering around her apartment or having conversations in gray-tinged offices?

It's a pity, because the series is so good at times. In the show's first episode, when Olivia Munn shows up as a headstrong American agent poking into the Millennium Bridge deaths, smooth Checquy agent Conrad (Adrian Lester) tries to ferret out her interest in one particular death. "Is it a tracker?" he asks. "A tattoo? A chip? I do hope you won't try to cut off a finger." We have no idea what he's talking about, but we don't have to -- we understand what Conrad is getting at, and it's genuinely thrilling not to have a plot point explained to death. If only the rest of The Rook were as thrilling.

TV Details

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