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Gossip Girl

Based on the best-selling book series, Gossip Girl premiered in 2007 and was instantly a must-watch for tweens, teens, and young adults. Who wouldn’t want a glimpse into the world of uber-wealthy teens living very adult lives—sans parental supervision—in the heart of New York City? 

But this is a tough show to introduce to your Gen Alpha kids (though today, they very likely will know the show’s star Blake Lively as one of Taylor Swift’s besties). Watching as a parent today, it’s a tough pill to swallow watching a show that glamorizes bullying, blackmail, and backstabbing.  

South Park

Many of the boys in my daughter’s elementary school are obsessed with South Park—which is crazy to me because I was in college when the show premiered way back in 1997. Even in the less PC days of the ‘90s, and despite being an animated show about fourth graders, South Park was NOT (and still not) for kids.

This show mocks every religion, race, and profession. In the early seasons, Kenny, one of the main characters, is killed in a violent and grotesque way in almost every episode. The truth is, South Park is actually a really smart show. The problem?  If you’re not “in” on the joke—especially if you’re not mature enough to “get” the joke(s)—the takeaways can backfire and send a negative message about acceptance and tolerance. 

Beverly Hills, 90210

I was obsessed with Beverly Hills, 90210 from the pilot. And, I’ve recently been rewatching in tribute to the recent death of the show’s star Shannen Doherty.  Yes, watching a show that premiered in 1990 seems innocent enough. Twins Brandon and Brenda Walsh get a massive dose of culture shock when they move from Minnesota to Beverly Hills—yet, re-watching as a parent, there’s many things that are a little tougher to accept.

For example, Melrose Place was technically a spin-off of 90210. We were introduced to Melrose Place’s mysterious handyman (emphasis on man) Jake Hansen when 90210’s Kelly Taylor, a junior in high school, all but throws herself at him while he fixes up her mom’s house. He didn’t deny her advances right away and though eventually it fizzled out, the whole scenario was so inappropriate as Kelly was 17 and Jake was definitely well into his twenties! 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

I mean, the show is about a vampire slayer—it says it right there in the title. While this was one of the most popular series of the late ‘90s/early aughts, each week’s storyline unfolded in a bloodbath of intense violence.

This show is a toss-up because, on the one hand, you have an amazing, strong, female role model in Buffy (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar) to introduce to your kids—but on the other hand, there’s a lot of death and darkness to get her there!

Pretty Little Liars

Pretty Little Liars, like Gossip Girl, is based on a best-selling book series, so some of the crazy plot points and disturbing reveals shouldn’t have been that shocking. But, seeing it all play out on the TV series was a little nuts. First of all, the show is about a girl who just vanishes! And, while her friends grapple with the loss, they’re also bullied by someone named “A”, who threatens to expose all their secrets if they don’t do whatever “A” says.

We certainly don’t want our kids worrying about missing classmates or anonymous, omnipresent bullies, but there’s also a plot line where a student dates her teacher for most of the series. That opens up a convo that I don’t think any parent wants to have with their tween/teenage kids!

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Getty Images/Dima Berlin

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