Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

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Screenwise Verdict

Look, the title tells you exactly what you're getting. This is Mindy Kaling doing what she does best—sharp, contemporary comedy with diverse characters and actual emotional depth—but wrapped in very explicit packaging.

The WISE score is low because this simply isn't content for younger viewers, and that's okay. For its intended audience (college-age and up), it's actually pretty good: funny, well-written, and more thoughtful than you'd expect. The characters grow, face real consequences, and the show tackles identity, class, and belonging with surprising nuance.

But let's be clear: this is not 'watch with your high schooler' content. The sexual situations are graphic, the substance use is constant, and the language is unfiltered. Common Sense says 16+, but I'd push that to 17-18+ for most families.

If you've got a college-age kid or older teen who's mature and you have open communication about this stuff, it could spark good conversations. But this is firmly in the 'adult comedy' category. Think of it as a well-made show that happens to be inappropriate for kids, not a kids' show that's slightly edgy.

Age Fit

This is for older teens (17-18+) and adults, period. Despite the college setting, the explicit content makes it inappropriate for high schoolers in most cases. It's well-made entertainment for young adults navigating similar life stages, but parents should not be fooled by the comedy label—this is TV-MA for a reason.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

35

The title alone signals the content: explicit sexual situations, casual hookup culture, heavy drinking, and drug use are central to the show. While it handles coming-of-age themes with some emotional honesty and shows genuine friendship bonds, the overall tone is raunchy comedy focused on sexual exploration. Not emotionally harmful for the right age, but definitely not wholesome by any traditional measure.

Imaginative

62

Created by Mindy Kaling, the show brings fresh perspective to the college comedy genre with diverse characters navigating identity, ambition, and relationships. The writing is sharp and contemporary, though the premise itself isn't groundbreaking—it's essentially a modern, female-focused college comedy. Strong ratings (7.7 IMDb, 78% RT audience) suggest engaging storytelling, but it's more clever than truly imaginative.

Safe

25

This is explicitly adult content with frequent sexual situations, nudity, graphic sexual dialogue, substance abuse, and mature themes throughout. Common Sense Media rates it 16+, but realistically it skews older. The content is exactly what you'd expect from the title—there are no surprises in terms of mature content, but there's a LOT of it. For the target adult audience, it's 'safe' in that it's consensual and not gratuitously violent, but for younger viewers this is a hard no.

Enriching

58

Despite the raunchy premise, the show tackles real issues: imposter syndrome at elite institutions, sexual identity exploration, class differences, academic pressure, consent, and female friendship dynamics. The characters face genuine consequences and growth. Strong critical reception (73% RT critics, 75 Metacritic) suggests substance beneath the sex jokes. It's entertaining and occasionally insightful about the college experience, though not exactly educational.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Smart, contemporary writing that captures the messy reality of college life without being preachy
Diverse characters dealing with real issues: identity, class, ambition, belonging at an elite school
Strong female friendships at the core, showing genuine support alongside the chaos
Actually funny—sharp dialogue and situational comedy that works
Tackles consent, sexuality, and relationships with more nuance than the title suggests

⚠

What to Watch For

Extremely explicit sexual content, nudity, and graphic sexual dialogue throughout—this is not subtle
Heavy drinking, drug use, and party culture portrayed as normal college experience
Language is as explicit as the content—constant profanity
Common Sense says 16+ but honestly this is more 17-18+ territory for most families

Conversation Starters

"How do you think the show handles the pressure of being at a competitive school? Does that ring true?"
"The characters make a lot of mistakes—which ones do you think they learn from versus just repeat?"
"Let's talk about how the show portrays consent and communication in relationships—what gets it right or wrong?"
"How do the different characters' backgrounds affect their college experience? Is that realistic?"

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