Slick teen mystery drama series is an edgy guilty pleasure.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
a lot
Characters are killed on-screen by shootings and by an explosion (there's blood, but it's not overly gory). Main characters are in near-constant peril, chased in cars and on foot, and attacked with weapons like guns, crowbars, harpoons, gaff hooks, knives, tasers, arrows, etc. A teen gets electrocuted by a fence (he's thrown back to the ground), bitten by an alligator (a puncture wound is briefly shown), and stung by wasps with a life-threatening allergic reaction. Other near-death scenes via drowning, strangling, gunshot wounds, falling from heights, head trauma, etc. White teens beat a Black teen with golf clubs, and later stalk and jump him again. Dead bodies seen in a morgue. A building is set on fire with people inside. Parents beat and strangle their teens. Bloody scrapes, burns, and fist-sized bruises are visible, but no lasting damage to main characters. Suturing and medical shots briefly shown. A main character kills a chicken by snapping its neck. Guns brandished by villains and heroes alike.
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Frequent use of "f--k," "s--t," "bulls--t," "bitch, "a--hole," "hell," "goddamn," "p---y," "pr--ks," "bastard," "whore." Exclamatory use of "Jesus Christ." A character jokes about having polio, as in "I have polio, I can't walk." A White main character says "thug life."
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Teens drink beer and mixed drinks at every opportunity. One drinks to the point of vomiting, another drives while drunk. Main characters smoke cigarettes and marijuana, reference weed, blunts, ganja. A teen portrayed in a negative light sells cocaine; teens snort cocaine at a party on-screen.
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Teens kiss. Several make-out scenes, including one in which one undresses another down to underwear; it's implied that sex follows. Mentions of a blow job, circle jerk, having sex. Teens often wear swimsuits (board shorts, bikinis).
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Characters drink Pepsi, Pacifico, Natural Light, and Pabst, and buy Skinny Pop popcorn, drive Isuzu, Suzuki, Volvo, Volkswagen, Audi. A main character wears a Jeep-branded shirt.
Positive Messages
a little
You can't trust anyone, and laws/social norms don't hold much weight, so there's no point in following the rules. There's constant discord between the haves and the have-nots, and each speaks disparagingly about the other and points fingers for the ills of the world. That said, bonds of friendship and loyalty between John B and his friends are very appealing, cross socioeconomic barriers, and provide a sense of safety in a world that's fraught with dangers both visible and hidden.
Positive Role Models
a little
Most adults are suspect for one reason or another, leading the teens to trust their friends exclusively. Though their actions usually involve lawlessness and living by their own rules, they do so to solve mysteries about their family histories and to keep lucrative treasures out of the hands of villains who intend them harm.
Diverse Representations
very little
The story mostly follows White men. Women have important roles, but they're often pitted against one another and discussed by male characters (John B says of Kiara, "We all have a thing for her"). Racial diversity includes Kiara (biracial Black and White) and Pope (Black) in main roles. Supporting characters include a Black cop who's killed off as a plot device and Black Bahamians who make uneasy allies. Characters of color feel tokenized early in the series but slightly improve as viewers learn more about Pope's Gullah ancestry and meet Cleo, who's Black and Bahamian and teams up with the main characters. Notably, most of the series' Black characters have dark skin tones, which is positive. A minor Latina character has a neutral role. Main characters are working class. Clichéd disabled villains: A blind woman and retiree is depicted as a zombie-like monster, a wealthy White woman who uses crutches is obsessed with curing herself of a terminal illness.
Parents need to know that Outer Banks is a teen drama about a local mystery and the young people who are trying to solve it. It's on the edgy side, with strong language, underage drinking and smoking, and generally illegal behavior by minors. Everything goes as far as language is concerned: "F--k," "a--hole," "s--t," and the like are used frequently among both teens and adults. Teen characters also drink a lot and do drugs -- at parties, while they boat, and even first thing in the morning. Most adults' loyalties are suspect at best, which helps the teens justify their rebellious actions. Expect kissing between young couples (sex is implied and talked about), and teens spend much of the series in swimwear (board shorts, bikinis). The story mostly follows White men and includes a clichéd disabled villain who's rich, ruthless, and obsessed with finding a cure. But Black main and supporting characters (including biracial, Bahamian, and Gullah characters) add diversity to the series. For mature viewers, this intense drama is a binge-worthy watch with sharp writing and intriguing themes that touch on socioeconomic prejudice.
this tv show is very appropriate for most teens. there are no sex scenes, bad language isn’t used as frequently as other shows. there is drug use but most teens are already exposed to that from a young age. there is really no reason why this show can not be pg13. the plot line is ver good and it has some great messages in it
Awful messages. Avoid if you can. I don't understand the good reviews.
I do not understand the parents who have given this good reviews and watched it with their pre-teen children. I've watched the first few episodes and have not seen any "good messages". The characters are meant to be around 16 years old. There is constant drinking. There are parties, drug use, a LOT of violence and fighting, language (language doesn't bother me), and the final straw was poor and dangerous examples of relationships. For example, one girl was telling a boy no to jumping off the roof into the pool (while he was holding her) and he didn't respect her and did it anyway. Lack of boundaries/consent passed off as normal or playful is not a good message for anyone. One girl stopped intimacy and the boy got very angry and basically said things implying that she was confusing or couldn't make up her mind...something like that. Again, terrible message. Geez girl, why didn't you just put out so the boy didn't get mad?! There's a scene where they find a gun and then they are waving it around like it's a toy and playing with it, pointing it at their friends. Nice examples for our kids to watch. I have not come across any positive messages at this point. Watching it with your kids and pointing out the concerns could be done...if you want your children to be annoyed with you. Try to avoid this if you are concerned about any of the above themes I've just written about. It's awful.
What's the Story?
In OUTER BANKS, it's been close to a year since John B (Chase Stokes) has seen or heard from his father, but he refuses to give up hope that he'll return. When John B and his friends make a discovery that draws them into a local murder mystery, clues start to reveal what might have happened to his father -- and what he left for his son in the event that he didn't return. As friends John B, JJ (Rudy Pankow), Pope (Jonathan Daviss), and Kiara (Madison Bailey) try to make sense of it all, they find themselves trailed by men who will stop at nothing to find out what the teens know, monitored by local police with uncertain motives, and unsure who to trust as they're swept up in the mystery of a local shipwreck legend.
This edgy teen drama has the suck-you-in power of a top-of-the-line Dyson vacuum, and it just doesn't let go once it has you. When first we meet John B in Outer Banks, it's tempting to dislike his chronic disregard for authority and his insistence on pulling his friends into the fray despite what repercussions might fall on them. But as his story evolves, he becomes more sympathetic, helped mostly by the ginormous target affixed to his back after he stumbles into a deadly mystery and refuses to give up on solving it once he discovers his dad's involvement. Suddenly, this rebellious teen and the clues he unwittingly holds becomes Outer Banks' most wanted, and former allies turn suspect on a dime.
The drama and action that follow make for an engrossing escape, especially for those with time to binge-watch, because it's so difficult to stop at just one episode. It's sharply written around not just intriguing characters but also relevant themes related to socioeconomic disparity and prejudice. As John B lays it out, the community has two distinct classes: the well-off Kooks and the working-class Pogues. Although the series does underplay the role of race and ethnicity in class divides, preferring to discuss prejudice in the Outer Banks as solely an issue of wealth (or lack thereof), John B and his friends symbolize greater tensions around the haves and have-nots. Parents and older teens who watch together can discuss these issues as they relate to their own communities and experiences.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Outer Banks presents its teen characters. Do you find their general experiences realistic? Are they meant to be? Does entertainment have to reflect real life to be appealing, or is the escape from reality the draw?
In what ways is John B a flawed hero? Can you look past his bad behavior to see the good in him? Does your ability to do so change as the story evolves? Are "perfect" characters more appealing as heroes? What character strengths do you see in him?
John B is skeptical of most adults and their motives. Given his experiences, is he right to feel that way? Do any adults surprise him and change his ability to trust?
Families can talk about class differences. How do they affect life in Outer Banks? Do you see any of these issues happening in your own community?
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.
By Emily Ashby
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
