Parents' Guide to Under the Bridge

TV Hulu Drama 2024
Under the Bridge: TV Image, foggy background with two women and a ghostly profile carved out of the grey fog

Common Sense Media Review

Joly Herman By Joly Herman , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 15+

Riveting mystery has teen drug use, violence, language.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 15+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 16+

Based on 4 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In UNDER THE BRIDGE, a 14-year-old girl in Victoria, British Columbia, named Reena (Vritika Gupta) gets picked up from high school by her uncle, who's bought her an album she's dying to own. When he reprimands her for skipping classes and tells her she's got to focus on her family, Reena jumps out of the car and heads towards the foster girls' home to hang out with the kids she considers to be her friends. When she crosses a line and gets ousted from the group, she finds herself in worse trouble than she could imagine. Will her family bring her back into the fold? Or are the problems just beginning?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 4 ):
Kids say : Not yet rated

Set in the moody late-'90's Pacific Northwest, this gripping true crime drama pokes at a nerve and won't let up. Under the Bridge captures the echo-chamber world of teen angst and turns up the tension. A writer coming home to Victoria island (played by the laser-focused Riley Keough, The Guilty) mines the drama that's unfolding as teens twist in the web of their own making.

It's not suited for younger teens or kids -- the role modeling in this show is fractured and defiant. But for older teens and adults who appreciate a good crime series, here's a tense drama that's full of the stuff that rainy day binges are made of.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what happens when teens act out in violent ways against other in Under the Bridge. What happens when people lose self-control and do things to hurt others? What tools can people develop to help stay calm?

  • The people trying to help the teens in this show need courage of their convictions and their faith in order to move forward. How does courage help you get through hard times?

  • The people trying to help the missing girl must persevere in their efforts to find the truth about her disappearance. How does perseverance help you when facing difficult tasks?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by

Under the Bridge: TV Image, foggy background with two women and a ghostly profile carved out of the grey fog

What to Watch Next

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate