The Outsider: parents' guide
Best for ages 17 and up. Rated TV-MA.
A bleak, slow-burn crime horror series for adults and mature older teens, based on Stephen King's novel. When a young boy is found raped, mutilated and murdered, the evidence points to a beloved coach and family man, who somehow seems to have been in two places at once. Expect the boy's bloody body on screen, a public shooting, several suicides, a grieving family falling apart, a detective mourning his son's death from cancer, strip-club nudity, f-words and an alcoholic character. The child's murder and the grief around it make this very heavy viewing, so we suggest 17.
What's in it
Violence
StrongA young boy's mutilated, bloody body is shown, and his rape is described in dialogue, not shown. A man is shot dead in front of a crowd and his teen attacker is killed by police. A grieving mother smashes her home with a bat, and more killings and fires follow.
Language
StrongPlugged In counted seven f-words, one paired with mother, and six s-words in the premiere, plus misuse of God's and Jesus' names. Common Sense notes strong language through the series.
Sex and nudity
StrongStrip-club security footage shows topless dancers, and Common Sense reports full-frontal nudity in those scenes plus a man's bare backside. There are no sex scenes, but the child's sexual assault is central to the case.
Drinking, drugs and smoking
ModerateCharacters drink in bars, some to excess, and one investigator is a struggling alcoholic. An ex-con jokes about recovery meetings. Little drug use is shown.
Scary or intense scenes
StrongSteady dread: a shapeshifting entity, a hooded figure, gory crime scenes, cave sequences and a family coming apart after their child's murder. Suicides and attempts recur, and the entity haunts a young girl's nightmares.
Sensitive topics
- Sexual assault
- Death of a child
- Child abuse
- Suicide
- Death of a parent
- Addiction
Worth talking about
The detective's decision to arrest a respected neighbor in public has devastating consequences. Talk about how grief and anger can push people, including police and crowds, to judge before the facts are in.
On our lists
Similar picks around 17+
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.