Parents' Guide to

World's Most Wanted

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

True-life international crime docu has violent imagery.

TV Netflix Reality TV 2020
World's Most Wanted Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

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age 16+

Based on 1 parent review

Brokat
Brokat Adult
November 28, 2021
age 16+

A little much for tv-14

Was very interesting but there’s a lot of actual murders being filmed and it’s pretty graphic. Episode 4 on the Russian mafia shows lots of female nudity and prostitution. I turned it off after seeing this so not sure how the last episode ended up.

This title has:

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

What's the Story?

WORLD'S MOST WANTED profiles some of the world's most wanted criminals around the world. The series chronicles the atrocities allegedly committed by individuals like Irish-born Islamic militant Samantha Lewthwaite, aka the "White Widow"; businessperson Félicien Kabuga, who is accused of funding the genocide of the Tutsi in Rwanda; gangsters like Matteo Messina Denaro and Semion Mogilevich; and Mexican drug lord Mayo Zambada. Interviews with members of government agencies like the DEA, the FBI, France's DGSE, and the U.K.'s MI6 discuss some of the ways that fugitives have been able to elude law enforcement over the years, and the cooperative efforts being made to take them into custody. They also discuss some of the mistakes that have allowed these individuals to remain free. Archival media footage, photographs, documents, and other audiovisual material help round out each narrative.

Is It Any Good?

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

This compelling series spotlights some of the more notorious individuals whose alleged criminal activities have made finding them an international priority. Reinforcing this is the footage of brutal attacks, bloody, mutilated corpses, and interviews with witnesses and survivors of terrorist attacks. Meanwhile, the painstaking efforts to find them are evidenced by the detailed, and sometimes slow, conversations about what has been done. But most of the people profiled here aren't as well known in the United States, which makes their stories feel fresh to U.S. audiences. If you like real-life crime stories, World's Most Wanted is worth tuning into.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the kind of work that goes into locating dangerous criminals around the world. What kinds of things do the law enforcement agents on World's Most Wanted do to find them? Does their job seem as adventurous or exciting as the way it seems on fictional crime shows or movies?

  • What is the purpose of telling the stories behind some of the world's most dangerous individuals? Is it for entertainment purposes? To justify the efforts of looking for them? Or to raise awareness and seek help from audiences?

TV Details

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