Parents' Guide to

The Young Pope

By Dana Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Pope has attitude in dramatic but not-that-fun series.

TV HBO Drama 2017
The Young Pope Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

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age 17+

Based on 4 parent reviews

Bennettte3
Bennettte3 Adult
June 12, 2019
age 18+

Just why?

The show is thought provoking, yes, but after the third episode it’s just weird. It’s shot beautifully but that does not make up for how long this storyline has dragged on with nothing new and no end in sight. The pope is at times a complex character but most of the time he is just unlikeable. Not to mention how much explicit sex is in this show. I mean, I guess I should have figured since it’s hbo but damn. It was a little intense but not too bad until a full on threesome randomly gets thrown in with no warning. It was like a full on porno? For what? Just don’t bother. I’ll save you some time, Jude law is a rude pope that hates everyone and there’s lots of body parts that you don’t really want to see without warning.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
Declan A.
Declan A. Adult
April 9, 2018
age 18+

A great series about a "different" Pope but which contains a lot of explicit sex

BE WARNED: this film contains LOTS of explicit sexual content: *the Pope talking about masturbation *scenes of prolonged frontal female nudity *passionate kissing and fondling *one non-explicit passionate sex scene *the Pope touches the breast of a woman who was meant to seduce him (but she ends up being healed of her sterility) *VERY EXPLICIT THREESOME sex orgy including a young cardinal *suggested paedophilia incident between a bishop and a young man *flashbacks of skinny dipping with hippy parents *a beautiful woman strips naked and tries to seduce a priest *scene of seven naked women painted with the letters B A S T A R D on their chests Overall VERY SEXUAL themes; however the series is gripping and thought-provoking, especially in the depiction of the Pope who does not get tangled up in any of the filth happening around him, but rather denounces it and works to uphold moral virtue. Many very beautiful moments. Some people may eventually be bothered by the incessant smoking by several of the main characters, especially the Pope himself. Swearing is rare but there is the odd F-word shouted here and there. All in all a very well-filmed and exciting series, but definitely not for kids or teens.

This title has:

Great messages
Too much sex
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 4 parent reviews

What's the Story?

THE YOUNG POPE begins with newly elected Lenny, aka Pope Pius XIII, shocking the faithful by telling them to do many of the things the church has always told them not to do. It's all a dream, and Lenny wakes up to an actual day with no controversial speech-giving, but nonetheless he creates controversy every time he opens his mouth within the Vatican walls. That is, until Sister Mary (Diane Keaton), his special assistant, arrives. We see shots of her as a young nun with Lenny at the orphanage where she helped raise him. His other guide is the Vatican confessor; Lenny convinces him to break the confidentiality of the confessional and spill everyone's secret sins so he can hold them again his rivals. After closing down the Vatican art collection for a private viewing, Lenny seems more introspective, but later we hear him in a rooftop confession telling the confessor that he doesn't believe in God. Will this extremely fallible pontiff find a way to redeem himself, or will someone try to "redeem" him out of the job?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4 ):
Kids say (1 ):

If there was only one thing -- anything -- to like about Jude Law's character, Lenny Boello, this series would be a lot more fun to watch. But Lenny turned Pope Pius XIII is such an ego-drenched, dreadful person that even the scenes of him as a child don't give him enough of a human side to make him a care-worthy character. The pace of the nearly hour-long-per-episode series feels quite slow. There's only so many discussions about church politics and policies that can sound interesting, especially when the pope just wants to talk about who's going to serve him and how he can insult them.

The plus sides of The Young Pope are definitely the beautiful shots of Rome, St. Peter's Square, and the rest of Vatican and the supporting cast, including Diane Keaton as Sister Mary, a nun from Lenny's childhood. Sister Mary seems like she may be the only one who not only can handle but find something to love in Lenny.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about power struggles in huge institutions, such as churches, governments, and corporations and those on The Young Pope. Why do people in high places often fight for even more power?

  • Does the fact that Lenny was an orphan make a difference in how you perceive him? How about that he's an American? That he's younger than the typical pope?

  • Talk about Sister Mary, Diane Keaton's character in the series. Is she a "good guy" or a "bad guy?" Why does Lenny trust her?

TV Details

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