Common Sense Media Review
By Ashley Moulton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Suspense and spooky thrills in fantasy book-based series.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 9+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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The Spiderwick Chronicles
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 11 parent reviews
Parents say the show has impressive production quality with strong acting and special effects, but its dark themes and problematic messages make it unsuitable for younger audiences. Many feel the writing is poor, featuring inappropriate content for children, leading to disappointment among parents hoping for a family-friendly experience.
- dark themes
- poor writing
- inappropriate content
- production quality
- disappointing for families
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
Based on 1 kid review
What's the Story?
In THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES, the Grace family relocates to their family's abandoned mansion to get a fresh start after a divorce. Fifteen-year-old Jared (Lyon Daniels) is struggling with mental health and behavior problems and feels he's always being compared to his "perfect" twin brother Simon (Noah Cottrell). When Jared starts meeting fantastical creatures in his house and new town, he's desperate to learn what is going on. The rest of his family writes his tales off as mental instability, and assumes he inherited "crazy" Aunt Lucinda's belief in the impossible. Jared's mom Helen (Joy Bryant) hopes that Dr. Brauer, a renowned psychologist, can help Jared. Unbeknownst to the Graces, Dr. Brauer (Christian Slater) has an ulterior motive for taking Jared on as a patient. Can the Grace family band together to overcome the monsters lurking in the shadows?
Is It Any Good?
This solid series will appeal to kids who like fantasy creatures like unicorns and fairies but don't mind a hefty dose of ominous suspense. The Spiderwick Chronicles' world and characters are richly detailed, and the spookiness is just enough without being over-the-top. The story is a bit uneven, and some of the dialogue is a bit obvious and heavy handed. Its protagonists were aged up from the original book and 2008 movie, and some of the teen moments don't totally land. It's a solid pick for watching together, but it may not pull families in as much as some other shows.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Jared's mental health struggles are portrayed. Do you think Jared feels understood? Do you think his family supports him in the best way possible?
Families can talk about the relationships between the Grace family children. How do you think the siblings misunderstand each other? Does that change over time?
TV Details
- Premiere date : April 19, 2024
- Cast : Christian Slater , Joy Bryant , Lyon Daniels , Jack Dylan Grazer
- Network : Roku Channel
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic )
- TV rating :
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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