Parents' Guide to

The Fall

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Serial-killer drama targets adults with sex and violence.

TV Netflix Drama 2013
The Fall Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

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age 17+

Based on 9 parent reviews

d.fotheringham
d.fotheringham Adult
September 18, 2020
age 18+

Very disturbing but a great show.

Not something for kids to watch at all. The whole show focuses on a serial killer in Belfast so clearly a lot of ideas are very disturbing and quite scary (especially as the killer focuses on his murders being quite sexually driven). Fantastic performances but this is something you do need to be mature about when watching it.
Awarrior
Awarrior Adult
August 24, 2020
age 18+

Disturbing show

DO NOT let your kids OR teens watch this show. The Common sense media review does not reflect the violent and abhorrent nature of the show. Sure it is well produced and the acting is great but WTF were they thinking with the story line?! I have seen plenty of crime and violent shows but this is disturbing and frankly not worth my time. It is done as if to normalise this aweful way of violence - constantly showing the very violent rape-sex-aggresive-realistic-sick scenes right after or before the scenes of the killer having a normal family life with his kids. The worst of it is not the nudity, or the sexual material or even the killings. The worst is the merging of the normal with the sick. .. Giving the necklace of one of his victims to his daughter...Really?? Dont watch it. Ps. and why is there no icon in the common sense media review for "too sick". Or something similar.
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What's the Story?

In the gripping crime drama THE FALL, Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson) has come from England to Belfast, Ireland, to review the police investigation of a politically sensitive murder. To her dismay, she not only discovers that the murder was part of a string of serial killings but also learns that simmering violence is part and parcel of Belfast living. Meanwhile, we meet Paul Spector (Fifty Shades of Grey's Jamie Dornan), a rumpled-handsome grief counselor, dad, and husband who has some extremely alarming extracurricular activities. Will Gibson catch up with Spector before he claims his next victim? Or will she get caught up in political infighting?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (9 ):
Kids say (4 ):

Paul Spector is quiet as he listens to a bereaved couple relating their agony at losing their son, murmuring only a few calm questions as they talk. If you closed your eyes, you could imagine he's really trying to help. But as the camera shifts, the viewer sees he's doodling out a picture of the grieving mother topless -- a prime example of how The Fall shows instead of tells, with chilling results.

This show is binge watching at its best; it's at once compulsively watchable and intelligent, well-written and beautifully acted with compelling performances to boot. But make no mistake: It's not for kids, thanks to the disturbing nature of Spector's crimes and the show's frank portrayal of sexual acts. Even parents with older teens might want to think twice before giving them carte blanche to watch, much less binge-watch, with reckless abandon.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how The Fall explores the power dynamic between men and women, both in terms of how the male killer relates to his exclusively female victims and how the female cop heading the case functions in a predominately male work environment.

  • What makes The Fall compelling viewing in spite of its disturbing subject matter? How does it rate as a realistic crime drama -- and does it matter? How do the show's characters compare to real-life cops and criminals?

  • How does The Fall play against other crimes dramas such as The Killing or Prime Suspect in terms of characters, tone, and intensity? Does the fact that it streams exclusively on Netflix allow it to do things other series can't?

TV Details

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