• Is it age appropriate?

  About our ratings

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  Not age appropriate for kids under 8, age appropriate for kids over 10; suggested age 10.

• Is it any good?

  3.0

• Common Sense says

  Fresh take on legendary wizard is fun, if not truly magical.

Why We Rated This for Ages 10 and Up

The good stuff

• Messages:

  This is a side of Camelot that hasn't been seen before; the show isn't focused on conveying specific positive messages, but by presenting different takes on "heroes" we all know well, it makes you think about them differently and humanizes them.

What to watch out for

• Role models:

  King Uther Pendragon is portrayed as a despot who's made the practice of magic a crime punishable by death. His son, Prince Arthur, is a spoiled bully, accustomed to getting his way and not afraid to abuse his position or his people. Merlin is a young, untrained wizard who doesn't always try to hide his abilities and sometimes ends up offending people in power.
• Violence:

  Expect lots of action in this swords-'n'-sorcery series, including sword fights and other forms of hand-to-hand combat. Some of the scenes seem more intense than others. A flail battle between a young Prince Arthur and a young Merlin is played somewhat comically, for example, while an execution scene is more harrowing, with a prisoner being decapitated (viewers see the axe fall, and the crowd winces, but nothing more). There's also dark magic, evil spells, assassination attempts, and more.
• Sex:

  Some of the women wear low-cut dresses, and there are plenty of flirtatious interactions -- but little actual romance.
• Language:

  Not an issue.
• Consumerism:

  Not an issue.
• Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

  Some characters appear to be drinking wine at feasts.

What Parents Need to Know

About Merlin

Families Can Talk About