Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2 parents guide: This series is too traumatic for kids' minds

If you were hoping to put on the first two episodes of Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2 with the kids around, you’ll want to hold back. This series is not for the young 'uns.

The series itself was never made for kids, though. Despite it airing on broadcast, it was usually on later in the evening. There were some graphic scenes, and the series did have to have scenes cut when it would air during the daytime. The move to Paramount+ has changed things substantially.

This is a series that shows the darker side to serial killers. The Behavior Analysis Unit (BAU) delves into the minds of killers, and many of them are sadistic. Originally a TV-14 for broadcast, it’s now a TV-MA series, and that’s for good reason.

Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2 parents guide: TV-MA age rating explained

The first season of the Criminal Minds revival dropped a few swear words for the first time. There were more F-bombs, but not so many that it would turn people away. The second season has ramped that up, and the gore is also heavier.

Sex & nudity: This is a series that focuses on some sadistic killers. There are moments where victims turn up naked, and there are some graphic sexual assault scenes now and then. There isn’t too much in the first couple of episodes, but there are chances that this will get heavier as the season goes on.

Language: With the move to Paramount+, the series has become a little more realistic in terms of the language used. These are grown adults in one of the darkest careers going. They are going to drop the F-bomb, and there is an average of three F-bombs dropped an episode in Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2. JJ is the only character not to swear yet, but we’ve been promised that later in the season she drops a few great swear words.

Violence & gore: The series has gone heavy with the violence and the gore, picking up from the first season of the revival. It used to be the case that the scene would cut just as a victim was killed. Now we see the killing, and we see some of the horrors that come with that. Nothing has stood out in the second season that’s any more horrific than watching an UnSub cut the spinal cord out of a victim, but that does sit in a way that plays with my own mind.

Alcohol & drugs: There is some casual drinking in the series now and then. The alcohol and drug use, though, are on the milder side considering everything else that is going on. That’s not going to be the part that worries you as a parent.

Overall verdict: Who is Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2 appropriate for?

This is not a series to watch with the kids around. Even older teens could find some of the scenes disturbing. In fact, there are a few adults who have stopped watched despite their love for the original series. The move to Paramount+ has led to an increase in the gore and language, and it’s too heavy for a lot of people. Watch it when the kids have gone to bed.