Veronica Mars

A main character is victimized by partygoers, including other main characters, who give her GHB, rape her, and cheer on her rapists, then later deny their participation. The rape is handled sensitively and the trauma from the event given proper gravity and respect. An early storyline revolves around the mysterious death of a teen. After the show's move to Hulu, the violence ratchets up a level, with shocking imagery like a brief visual of a decapitated head. Characters we've gotten to know are killed suddenly, though the show generally doesn't linger over blood and gore.

Early seasons on network television has frank sexual innuendo and images of teenagers making out in cars. Later seasons, particularly season 4 on Hulu, has stronger sexual content, including scenes in which characters have remove their clothing (nudity is confined to a brief glimpse of a man's bare backside), and have sex with rhythmic motions and moaning as the camera focuses on imagery like intertwined hands. Mature jokes focus on sex: a woman reminisces about giving her ex "head in the shower," a couple jokes about trading a "hand job" for a chore.

Early seasons on UPN contain infrequent profanity -- "ass," "hell," etc. On Hulu, the language matures: "s--t," "bulls--t," "assh--e." Two characters have a bet on who can go longest without dropping an "F-bomb" and replace the word with "cuss." Writers like to play with profane language, with characters calling each other things like "c--k waffle."

Early seasons show flashback scenes with teens drinking without consequences. Drug use is treated with negative consequences. A main character is unknowingly given GHB, which sets a major plotline about sexual violence into motion; other drugs, such as tranquilizer and "date rape" drug Rohypnol, figure into that plotline and character's actions. Alcoholism complicates characters relationships with parents. In the show's fourth season on Hulu, characters of legal are shown imbibing alcohol irresponsibly, gulping liquor at a club.