Parents' Guide to

The Underground Railroad

By Martin Brown, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Powerful alternate-history drama has graphic violence, sex.

TV Amazon Prime Video Drama 2021
The Underground Railroad Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

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age 16+

Based on 1 parent review

Chris H.
Chris H. Parent of 18+-year-old
September 13, 2021
age 16+

Creative, important and brutal

This is an amazing show. I agree with the CSM review and only want to emphasize one point. The cruelty of the time is vividly depicted, as it should be. Just be sure the kids can handle it so the messages of story can be experienced.
1 person found this helpful.
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What's the Story?

The Underground Railroad follows Cora (Thuso Mbedu) and Caesar (Aaron Pierre) as they escape the Georgia plantation where they've been enslaved and begin a treacherous journey to freedom. In this alternate version of American history, the Underground Railroad is literally a train run by abolitionists that delivers enslaved people to free states through an elaborate series of tunnels. Cora and Caesar make their way North to begin a new, free life, without knowing they are being hunted by Ridgeway (Joel Edgerton), a slavecatcher who has taken a special interest in Cora.

Is It Any Good?

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

Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) directs this intense, compelling drama with a sense of visual storytelling that's rarely seen on television. Jenkins helms every episode of The Underground Railroad, and his touch elevates every minute of it. The series requires commitment from its viewers, because both the aesthetics and the content can be tough to grapple with. The Underground Railroad takes an unflinching look at slavery and other atrocities perpetrated against Black Americans, and it consistently dares viewers to wrestle with those things as they watch. It also moves slowly and deliberately, and there are touches of Westworld-style puzzlebox dramas and horror (not unlike Jordan Peele's Us) that may never fully pay off. But throughout the series, Jenkins creates elliptical, powerful, and challenging images that are unlike anything else on television.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about slavery. How does The Underground Railroad's depiction of slavery compare to your own understanding of the subject? What aspects of slavery does the show emphasize? Why?

  • What was the actual underground railroad in American history? What is the titular underground railroad in the show? Why does the show choose to use symbols like the tunnels and the train to depict the escape from slavery? What could the symbols mean?

  • What other parts of history does The Underground Railroad change? What parts are taken from real life? Why do you think the show takes place in an alternate version of history? What does it allow the storytellers to do that they wouldn't be able to with a straightforward historical drama?

TV Details

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