Parents' Guide to

Wicked City

By Kari Croop, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Twisted sex, murder dud set to the sounds of the 1980s.

TV ABC Drama 2015
Wicked City Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 18+

Based on 1 parent review

ChrisD 2
ChrisD 2 Adult
October 30, 2015
age 18+

Not at all what the Preivews make u Beleive

From the looks of this show it looked like alot of fun and a good time well what I got was just about the most graphic sex u can get in a primetime slot nothing rewarding at all came from this worst prime time Drama this year

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

There's a charismatic slasher (Ed Westwick) stalking the Sunset Strip in 1980s Los Angeles, and he's preying on pretty, young victims by luring them to his car, stabbing them to death, and then having his way with them. Meanwhile, the homicide detective (Jeremy Sisto) assigned to the case is adapting to life with an ambitious new partner (Gabriel Luna) and wrestling quietly with his own personal demons. Other residents of this dangerously WICKED CITY include a reporter on the rise (Taissa Farmiga) and a lonely single mother (Erika Christensen) who's getting awfully close to the killer.

Is It Any Good?

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

From "Tainted Love" to "White Wedding," Wicked City's nostalgic soundtrack is pretty killer. But that's hardly enough to turn this tepid thriller into the guilty pleasure it's trying so hard to be. Turns out, you need more than blood and Billy Idol references to make a prime-time slasher drama cool; you also need a better script -- and compelling characters that feel human instead of hokey.

Though Wicked City's gore is hardly at Dexter levels, it gets in its share of violent visuals with severed heads and some seriously creepy S&M. Of course, it's all been toned down for network TV, resulting in a half-baked horror/procedural hybrid that doesn't quite work. But we have to wonder how much better Wicked City would be if it aired someplace where it could actually be shocking. That might be all it needs to make it wickedly good.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Wicked City's take on 1980s culture. How accurate is the series' portrayal of the times, and is accuracy important? What's the appeal of "period" dramas that serve up nostalgia for a particular time and place?

  • How does Wicked City compare to other detective dramas in terms of violence and sexual content? What might the series look like if it aired on a non-network medium such as Netflix, Showtime, or HBO?

  • Who is Wicked City's target audience, and how can you tell? Is it OK for older teens to watch, or is the content too edgy for kids?

TV Details

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