Scavengers Reign parents guide: A haunting mix of Miyazaki and Cronenberg

Scavengers Reign is one of the best shows of the past few years. I’m not just saying “adult animated shows” or “sci-fi shows,” but “shows,” period. And now that the so-far one season series is on Netflix, here’s hoping it gets a second life after being unceremoniously canceled by Max (formerly HBO Max).

Created by Joseph Bennett and Charles Huettner, the show follows the survivors of a crashed spaceship called the Demeter 227. They’ve been scattered around an alien planet filled with plants and animals that alternately want to bond with them, eat them, or ignore them entirely. And as our main characters slowly converge on the wreckage of the Demeter, they learn more about the planet – and battle a vicious creature called Hollow who looks to consume everything.

The show stars the voices of Sunita Mani, Wunmi Mosaku, Alia Shawkat, Bob Stephenson, and more. And it will haunt you. Like, live in your brain, worm it’s way in, and never get out, as it explores both this weird alien landscape, and the thin lines between life and death, nature and nurture, letting go of our pasts and embracing the future. You know, little stuff like that.

It’s also packed with wild visuals that will appeal to any fan of Miyazaki movies, and body horror straight out of a Cronenberg movie.

So yeah: this isn’t a kids animated series, and it’s not even on par with Adventure Time, or older leaning fare. That said, who is it for? Read on to find out.

Scavengers Reign Parents Guide: Explaining The TV-MA Age Rating

Scavengers Reign is rated TV-MA for “language, nudity, violence” according to Netflix. So you can already tell this is not for the kiddos.

Sex & Nudity: There’s both in the show. While it isn’t overly explicit, there are scenes with topless female (animated) nudity, and there is some sexual tension between characters. It’s nothing extreme, but it is more than you might expect.

Violence: Pretty much non-stop every episode. Like I mentioned above, this is body horror plain and simple, and throughout the episodes creatures explode, attack, burrow themselves into people’s bodies, and change them from within. There’s bloody action scenes, and people die – or almost die – in horrific ways.

Language: Pretty much every curse you’d expect from people fighting for their lives on an alien planet, including multiple F bombs, s**t and more.

Drinking & Drugs: There’s one brief scene of drinking, but otherwise none; though occasionally the alien planet causes drug-like hallucinations.

Overall Verdict: What Age Is Scavengers Reign Appropriate For?

While the TV-MA rating is appropriate here, older teens (think 14 or up) who are used to anime like Attack on Titan should be fine with this, despite the haunting nature of the material. This is a phenomenal show, and while themes about aging and crumbling marriages might not quite resonate with the cool teen in your household, the alien vistas and creatures are so stunning it’s worth checking out. Also, I would very much like as many people to watch this as possible so Netflix picks it up for Season 2. Thanks!