| ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. | |
| OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Parents need to know that this show's presence on cable television allows it to take tremendous liberties in terms of language, sexual content, and violence. Audible swearing ranges from "s--t" to "c--ksucker," and scenes of simulated sex and masturbation including partial nudity (mostly buttocks). There are also sudden and shocking incidents involving blood, and both real and supernatural violence. Teen characters smoke cigarettes and use drugs, too, in addition to swearing regularly in front of their parents.
In a move to make a fresh start, Boston psychiatrist Ben Harmon (Dylan McDermott) transports his emotionally shattered wife Vivien (Connie Britton) and surly teenage daughter Violet (Taissa Farmiga) across the country to live in a Victorian-era Los Angeles mansion, only to discover that the house has a haunted history. But the plot of this AMERICAN HORROR STORY relies on more than mere ghosts; it also feeds on the everyday horrors of a painful and frightening world.
Let's get one thing straight right off the bat: American Horror Story comes from the minds of Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Dante Di Loreto -- the same men who created the peppily positive Emmy winner Glee. But it is nothing (and we mean nothing) like the feel-good TV musical that made Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" an anthem for outcasts everywhere. In fact, the two series play like polar opposites.
That might not stop teen fans of Glee from wanting to watch Murphy & Co.'s latest offering; however, parents should be fully aware that this darkly disturbing series with psycho-sexual undertones -- which has far more in common with Murphy and Falchuk's controversial cable series Nip/Tuck -- was clearly intended for adults, and not their children. But in truth, even many adults might not be ready for the show's frank depiction of everyday horrors that we'd too often rather forget.
Families can talk about the show's central premise that "the world is a horror show" full of pain and man-made misery. Do you agree with that negative worldview, or do you believe the world to be a far more positive place?
Are there any similarities between American Horror Story and Glee (for example, the presence of teen bullies, or a character with Down syndrome)? How do the two series differ in terms of tone?
How does the show's presence on cable allow it to push the envelope when it comes to violence, language, and sexual content? What would the show look like if it were to air on network television? How would it have to change?
| TV rating: | TV-MA |
| Network: | FX |
| Cast: | Connie Britton, Dylan McDermott, Jessica Lange |
| Genre: | Drama |
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