A Good Girl's Guide to Murder parents guide: Is the new series okay for teens?
By Bryce Olin
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is the first big Netflix show to be released in August 2024. The new British series was released on Netflix on Aug. 1, 2024, and it already looks like a hit.
The TV series is based on the book series of the same name by Holly Jackson. A Good Girl's Guide to Murder follows Pippa Fitz-Amobi, played by Emma Myers, who stars as Enid Sinclair in Netflix's Wednesday opposite Jenna Ortega.
Five years ago, Sal Singh, a teenager, allegedly killed his girlfriend, Andie Bell, in a small English village before he confessed to the crime via a note and died by suicide. It's never felt right for Pippa. She doesn't believe that Sal killed Andie, and she's going to prove it.
That's where the series begins. Follow along as Pippa, with the help of Sal's brother, Ravi (Zain Iqbal), tries to find out really what happened on that night five years ago and what actually happened.
You'll never believe where this story goes, and you'll never see the twists coming! But, is it okay for your kids and teens?
Well, we have some bad news. A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is rated TV-MA.
Why is A Good Girl's Guide to Murder rated TV-MA?
Despite being a show about teens, largely, A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is not rated TV-14. It's a much more mature series than I was expecting, even though I did read the book series that TV series is based on. But, it's presented in a way that's more interesting and toned down, at times, than some other murder mysteries. It's still a show about a teen who was murdered, though.
According to Netflix, A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is rated TV-MA for "language, sexual violence, smoking, and substances." We've explored each of those a bit further to give viewers the full scope of what to expect in each of those, we'll call them categories.
Language
In terms of language, there are some curse words. It's your standard, run-of-the-mill situation, though. I'm not going to list them all, but it's not like every character is cursing in every scene or anything like that. It's all situational. There's some British slang that might not translate to American audiences. There are also some difficult conversations about death, as well.
Sexual violence
I won't get into spoilers, but there are multiple instances of sexual violence in the series. There isn't, to my knowledge, any nudity in the series. There is also a lot of talk, including descriptions of sexual violence involving drugs, parties, and more. Obviously, any depictions and descriptions of sexual violence can be very triggering for several reasons, so I just want to make sure that's very clear to those wondering about how mature this series really is.
Drinking and drugs
There are many instances of teens and adults drinking, smoking, and using drugs in A Good Girl's Guide to Murder. Obviously, the drinking age is lower in the UK than in America, so it's not like it's underage drinking or anything like that. There are a few party scenes, as well. There's a whole storyline revolving around parties, specifically, in the series.
I don't remember many people using drugs or smoking in an in-your-face-type way, you know? But, there are storylines with drugs, people under the influence of drugs, and drug distribution, as well.
In addition, there is some violence against people and animals, as well as descriptions of violence that can be disturbing for younger viewers, as well.
If you and your teens have seen Pretty Little Liars, Riverdale, and other teen shows with murder elements, A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is very similar. There are a few differences in the language, sexual violence, and graphic elements. In general, though, the shows share a similar vibe.