Doom Patrol – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Doom Patrol

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

show2019

42%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

Profoundly weird superhero show about traumatized misfits—think X-Men meets therapy meets acid trip. Definitely not for kids.

7.7/10

98%

7.5

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Doom Patrol

show

TV-MA, 2019

42%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

Profoundly weird superhero show about traumatized misfits—think X-Men meets therapy meets acid trip. Definitely not for kids.

7.7

98%

7.5

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7.7/10

98%

7.5

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Screenwise Verdict

Doom Patrol is brilliant, bizarre, and absolutely not for kids. It's one of the most creative superhero shows ever made—genuinely weird in ways that feel fresh rather than gimmicky. The emotional depth around trauma, disability, and identity is real, and the found-family dynamics are touching.

But let's be crystal clear: this show is loaded with graphic content that would shock and disturb younger viewers. We're talking explicit sex, gore, constant profanity, body horror, and heavy psychological themes including suicide and addiction. It's not hiding this stuff in subtext—it's right there on screen.

For a 17-year-old who's emotionally mature and already consuming adult content? This could be genuinely enriching—a superhero show that takes mental health seriously and celebrates weirdos. For anyone younger? Hard pass. The WISE score reflects that this is quality television for a very specific (adult) audience, but fails on safety and wholesomeness for family viewing.

Age Fit

This is strictly for older teens (17+) and adults who can handle TV-MA content and dark psychological themes. Younger viewers will be exposed to content way beyond their developmental readiness, and frankly, they'd probably find it more disturbing than entertaining.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

Doom Patrol is intentionally dark, cynical, and emotionally heavy. The show centers on deeply traumatized superheroes dealing with mental illness, addiction, body horror, and existential crises. While it models found-family dynamics and acceptance of differences, the tone is far from emotionally healthy for younger viewers—it's profane, sexually explicit at times, and revels in dysfunction. Not wholesome by traditional measures, though it does offer empathy for outcasts.

Imaginative

Exceptionally imaginative and wildly creative. The show features bizarre concepts like sentient streets, fourth-wall-breaking narrators, a villain who's literally a painting, and time-traveling donkeys. It's surreal, meta, and pushes the boundaries of superhero storytelling with genuine originality. The weirdness invites curiosity and rewards viewers who embrace the unconventional.

Safe

This is definitively NOT safe for younger audiences. Doom Patrol contains graphic violence, gore, explicit sexual content, full nudity, strong profanity throughout, body horror, disturbing imagery, substance abuse, and mature psychological themes including suicide and trauma. It's TV-MA territory (though we lack the official rating here). There are frequent surprise moments of shocking content that would be completely inappropriate for children.

Enriching

For mature teens and adults, Doom Patrol offers sophisticated explorations of trauma, disability, identity, and acceptance. It tackles mental health, LGBTQ+ themes, and what it means to be an outsider with genuine depth beneath the absurdist humor. The show encourages empathy for the marginalized and challenges superhero genre conventions. However, its nihilistic streaks and shock value sometimes overshadow its meaningful themes.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Genuinely original and wildly creative—this isn't your standard superhero fare, it's surreal and meta in the best ways
Tackles mental health, trauma, disability, and LGBTQ+ identity with surprising depth and empathy for outcasts
Found-family dynamics show acceptance and growth among deeply flawed characters
For older teens ready for mature content, it's thought-provoking about what makes us human
The absurdist humor and bizarre storylines reward viewers who embrace the unconventional

⚠

What to Watch For

This is TV-MA territory: graphic violence, gore, explicit sex scenes, full nudity, constant strong profanity
Heavy psychological content including suicide attempts, self-harm, addiction, and trauma—not background stuff, it's front and center
Body horror and disturbing imagery (people exploding, grotesque transformations, etc.)
The nihilistic tone and dark humor can be overwhelming even for mature viewers
Not appropriate for anyone under 17, period

Conversation Starters

"What did you think about how the show handles the characters' past traumas? Did it feel realistic?"
"The team is basically a support group of misfits—what makes them work together despite being so dysfunctional?"
"How is this different from other superhero shows you've seen? What's gained or lost by making it so weird?"
"Do you think the show glamorizes or honestly portrays mental illness and addiction?"
"Which character's journey resonated with you most, and why?"

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