Parents' Guide to

Vinyl

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Drugs, mature themes in gritty '70s record-biz drama.

TV HBO Drama 2016
Vinyl Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

age 18+

Based on 1 parent review

age 18+

Way more sex than this site and app suggest

This site and the associated app Kids Media suggest that there is some crude sexual gestures in this show. That couldn't be more inaccurate. It is very sexual. Equal to Game of Thrones. Please fix this on your site and app.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Created and produced by some big names -- Martin Scorsese, Terence Winter, Mick Jagger -- this drama does for the record business what Casino did for the gambling game. In a defining moment in the show's pilot, Finestra explains how the record business works to an outsider, taking him through the finer points of how an artist gets conned by the record company, which ends up making money if records succeed or even if they're flops. It's an electric moment in a show full of them; rock fans and celeb watchers will get a similar thrill seeing personalities from Robert Plant to Andy Warhol portrayed on-screen.

But in between those bright spots, the show's action can get a little wearying. We're sure Finestra is working and pulling and striving for something; he sweats and snorts monster lines of cocaine and yells at associates and bangs on tables in search of it. But somehow it's hard to see exactly where all this passion is coming from and what it signifies. Nonetheless, fans of the era will be riveted as touchstones are brushed across: the Factory, the Mercer Arts Center, the Brill Building.

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 suggesting a diversity update.

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