Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story parents guide: What is the show’s age rating?

For over a decade, serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was murdering people, almost in plain sight. The bespectacled murderer got away with at least 17 deaths before he was finally arrested and tried in court. Netflix’s new limited series from Ryan Murphy stars Evan Peters as the killer, and Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is an ominous tale not for the faint of heart.

In an attempt to shed light on Dahmer’s victims, Dahmer will focus on the crimes he committed and the impact on the communities rather than on Dahmer himself. The majority of documentaries and films made about this particular serial killer are usually about who Dahmer is and how he became so prolific a murderer, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story hopes to go in a different direction.

Before watching the series with your family, make sure you’re aware of what you’re getting into. Below we’ll explore the show’s parents’ guide and age rating.

Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story parents guide and age rating

Given the subject matter, you can probably already guess what this show is rated and whether or not it’s appropriate for young viewers or family viewing. In short: no, probably not.

Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is rated TV-MA for substances, language, nudity, gore, sexual violence, smoking, and violence. It’s a Ryan Murphy show on Netflix, so that should give you an idea! If you wouldn’t let your young teenagers watch American Horror Story, Ratched, or Hollywood, then you will probably want to pass on this one, too.

To the show’s credit, it will (supposedly) take a more victim-centric approach, meaning we’ll see things more from the victim’s perspective than from Dahmer’s, but still, I imagine there will be graphic discussions of what Dahmer did, and some of it is likely going to be depicted on-screen. This is the kind of dark content that shouldn’t be viewed by those under 17 unless you’re sure they can handle it.

Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story premieres this Wednesday, September 21, on Netflix.