All Creatures Great and Small (2020): parents' guide
Best for ages 10 and up. Rated TV-PG.
A gentle, handsome period drama about a young country vet in 1930s and 1940s Yorkshire that works for families whose kids aren't squeamish. James Herriot learns the trade under an eccentric senior vet, falls in love, marries and starts a family as World War II reaches the village. Up-close animal care, like calving and draining a hoof abscess, can be graphic, and animals are sometimes in pain or put down. Pub drinking and pipe smoking are common, and swearing is rare and British. Age 10 reflects the animal suffering and wartime worries rather than anything harsh.
What's in it
Violence
MildNo real violence. A boy throws an egg at James's car and later punches him, giving him a bloody nose. The war stays off screen, though James learns most of his air crew were killed.
Language
MildRare and mild: "damn," "bloody," and "oh, God," with one reviewed episode adding a British "shite" and a "piss."
Sex and nudity
MildCourtship, kissing and a marriage, with nothing sexual shown. A man takes off his shirt before getting into bed, and a later special includes a woman going into labor.
Drinking, drugs and smoking
ModeratePub drinking is part of village life, and characters occasionally have a pint too many. Several men smoke pipes, and one struggles to give it up for Lent. A cat accidentally swallows morphine in one episode.
Scary or intense scenes
MildSick and injured animals are often in pain, and some are put down to end their suffering. Wartime worry includes a son's ship being reported sunk, a long wait for news, and the hero's own war trauma.
Sensitive topics
- Animal death
Worth talking about
The vets often have to give farmers hard news about animals their livelihoods depend on. How can you deliver bad news honestly and kindly?
On our lists
Similar picks around 10+
Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, Plugged In, Wikipedia. The age is our judgment, not an official rating, and every family draws its lines differently: read the notes, not just the number. Spotted something we missed? Tell us. How we rate.