Overview
Everyone loves a good whodunnit mystery — especially when it’s solved by an unassuming teen detective. In A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, the main character Pip lives in a small town that was rocked by a scandalous murder five years prior. Teen Andie Bell was supposedly murdered by her boyfriend at the time, Sal, who confessed to murdering Andie and then subsequently died by suicide. Despite the seemingly open and shut case, Pip is not convinced and decides to commit her senior project to solving the Andie Bell case.
Already, you can probably tell that this show is not meant for young kids. And given some of the darker themes throughout this six-episode series, we’d say it’s also not safe for young teens. Keep reading our review to find out if you should let your teen watch A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.
Harmful Content ❗️
Here’s a short list of the content that’s involved in the plot: murder, mentions of suicide, kidnapping, sexual assault, females getting roofied at parties, inappropriate relations between a minor and an adult, underage drinking, substance use (such as marijuana, ketamine, Rohypnol), and more.
Obviously, this list does not make for a very wholesome show. But it’s important to mention that while all of this is in the show and crucial to the plot, much of it is not explicitly shown. For instance, the audience never actually sees anyone get murdered or assaulted. There is one brief scene in which the audience sees a character snorting a substance. Other than that, many of these things are discussed, but not depicted on screen.
Language
The dialogue has very frequent profanity. There are multiple F-bombs and other swear words.
Sex
While there is no sexual content or nudity in the show, sexual-related things are brought up often. Characters discuss who is hooking up with who and one character has their nudes leaked. And there are darker plot points such as characters being roofied and assaulted at a party, an adult having inappropriate sexual relations with a minor, and an instance where a female character receives unwanted touching.
Violence
When it comes to intense or violent scenes, there aren’t that many. There are a couple of scenes in which a character is seen with a bloody head wound. Pip’s dog is taken and killed, the audience sees the dog after but there’s little to no blood. Pip also receives multiple threats to stop investigating the case, via text and printed notes.
If anything, some of the more intense scenes are the ones where these things are being described. There’s one scene in which a character describes how he killed someone by suffocating them. One character describes the experience of being roofied and assaulted. While it’s not a particularly detailed description, this could be triggering to some viewers.
Positive Value 💫
One major lesson to glean from A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is the importance of finding the truth and not being swayed by others’ assumptions. Pip exhibits great character in the face of opposition, always sticking to what she believes in. She shows determination, resourcefulness, and deep empathy for her loved ones. While she sometimes breaks the rules for the sake of the case, she generally shows strong morals even when it would be easier not to.
So, should my kid watch it?
This show is likely appropriate for mature teens, around ages 15 and up. With so many mentions of adult situations, be prepared to discuss these with your teen to ensure they have a proper view of things like appropriate relationships, consent, substance use, and more.
