Parents' Guide to

The Village

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Melodramatic, predictable series has mature themes.

TV NBC Drama 2019
The Village Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

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age 15+

Based on 5 parent reviews

abaileyx87
abaileyx87 Adult
May 27, 2019
age 13+
raymondcharles
raymondcharles Adult
May 22, 2019
age 16+

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 5 parent reviews

What's the Story?

THE VILLAGE is a dramatic series about the close-knit group of residents of a Brooklyn apartment building. It stars Michaela McManus as Sarah Campbell, a nurse and single mom to Katie (Grace Van Dien), a creative teen with a passion for social justice. Based on Sarah's recommendation, Iraqi war veteran Nick Porter (Warren Christie) moves in with some stories of his own. Meanwhile, law student Gabe (Daren Kagasoff) is trying to balance school, an internship, taking care of his strong-willed grandfather (played by Dominic Chianese), and keeping neighbor Ava (Moran Atias) from being deported. Luckily, neighbors like Ben (Jerod Haynes) are willing to watch over Ava's son Sami (Ethan Maher) while she's being detained. Throughout it all, building superintendent Ron and his wife Patricia (Frankie Faison and Lorraine Toussaint) actively work at keeping this special family together.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5 ):
Kids say (2 ):

This melodramatic character-driven series offers some emotionally over-the-top storylines, the purpose of which is to pull audiences into a moving viewing experience. The cast is likable, but they aren't very believable thanks to superficial and clichéd dialogue. Meanwhile, despite some very contemporary (and potentially tragic) narratives, they go in directions that seem more predictable than poignant. As a result, the positive messages that The Village offers about the importance and power of family and friendship are delivered as part of a misguided, artificial formula that feels like it's designed to exploit people's feelings rather than entertain them with a well-crafted story.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the devices used by shows and movies like The Village to elicit emotional responses from audiences. Have you ever felt manipulated by something you watched? How did you know?

  • Is your family close with your neighbors? What kinds of activities do you do together? What makes someone feel like family?

TV Details

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