Parents' Guide to

Vice

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Excellent, disturbing news show looks at worldwide violence.

TV HBO Reality TV 2013
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A Lot or a Little?

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

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Vice-the-show nails the same tone as Vice-the-magazine: Smart, aghast, intrigued. It's nice to sit on a comfy couch watching someone else risk his life transporting former prostitute/slaves from North to South Korea crouched in the back of a van, or joining a motorcade with Philippines Governor Mangadadatu, who survived a 2009 attack by a political rival that left his wife, sisters, lawyers, aides, and many journalists dead. We see the wife and sisters dead, by the way, bloody, face down; cut to the face of the man who lost his family.

Yes, this is some disturbing stuff. It's hard not to watch and wince. But you want to watch nonetheless, and after you're done, you'll want to shudder and give thanks for the safety and security you (hopefully) have. If teens watch (and carefully consider if they should), definitely watch with them to gauge how freaked out they are by the stories -- and how much they learn.

TV Details

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