The first two episodes of Good American Family are now available to stream on Hulu. Is this something to watch with the kids around?
Good American Family stars Ellen Pompeo as Kristine Barnett. Along with her husband, Michael (Mark Duplass), they adopt Natalia Grace (Imogen Faith Reid), who they believe is a seven-year-old girl with dwarfism. However, Kristine starts to fear that the young girl in their home isn’t a child at all, and there are a lot of questions about what’s really going on and why the first family put her back into the system.
The story will be told over the course of eight episodes. We get a good idea of what to expect in terms of content warning wise in the first couple of episodes, though. Is this a series for the younger members of the family?
Good American Family age rating: Explaining the TV-MA rating
Hulu has given the series a TV-MA rating, which would suggest that there is a lot of adult content. The first couple of episodes don’t really offer anything that would explain the more adult rating, which would suggest that there is more to come. At this point, I’d say that this is more of a TV-14 show.
Sex & nudity: There are a few mild scenes of adults in bed together or interacting in usual relationship ways. Nothing is graphically shown on the screen, with a lot of the relationship elements of couples left entirely for the imagination. This could change as the episodes go on, so I would go into this with an open mind.
Violence & gore: There is minimal violence shown on the screen, but the trailer for the series makes it clear that there could be some on the way. There is also a lot of emotional abuse that is sure to come, based on the real story of Natalia Grace.
Language: There is barely any swearing in the series at all. There are some phrases that use words like “hell” and “damn,” but this is a very mild series considering the TV-MA rating.
Alcohol & drugs: I’m surprised by how little there has been shown on the show so far. We are just two episodes in, though. Considering Natalia Grace has dwarfism, it’s possible that we’ll see some medication used at later points in the series.
Overall verdict: Is Good American Family appropriate for children?
At the face of it, the series doesn’t seem like it should have a TV-MA rating. It seems like more of a TV-14 show, but we are just two episodes in right now. The trailer makes it clear that there is a lot more abuse and fighting to come, and that could up the age rating considerations.
What I will say is that this is based on a traumatic true story. That in itself likely pushes up the age rating, and it makes it unsuitable for younger members of the family. It is likely the true story that has led to Hulu making the decision it has on the TV-MA rating, making this one we would not suggest watching with younger viewers in the house.
Good American Family airs on Wednesdays on Hulu.