It appears that 2006 is the year for 1983.
First was this summer’s X-Men Apocalypse, and more recently, Disney’s reboot of Pete’s Dragon, both same in that marvelous year in history. And of course, Netflix’s Stranger Things.
I personally have had an obsession with 1983 since I was in Junior High, about a decade later. The culture, the style, the music, the movies, and the TV shows were so enjoyable.
Even John Mayer backs up my theory in his song, “83”, where he admits, “Had it make in ’83.”
So it makes sense to me that people today, in 2016, continue to enjoy seeing the year 1983 brought back to life.
I am thoroughly impressed by the seemingly flawless way the Duffer Brothers have captured 1983 in their new sci-fi thriller, Stranger Things.
There is no question that Stranger Things is an exceptional TV show, like Breaking Bad and Lost.
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But the question you might be asking, as a parent, is at what age Stranger Things would be appropriate for your child to watch.
While I can’t answer that question for you, I can give you a brief overview of elements of the show which ultimately give Stranger Things what I deem as the equivalent of an intense PG-13 rated movie.
Profanity:
While there are no major curse words, like “g—d—“ or “f—“, every episode contains multiple uses of “sh—“ and many of the episodes contain the phrase “son of a b—-“ and/or “d-ck”. I should point out that much of the the profanity is by the 12 year-old boys, in addition to the adult characters.
Sex/Nudity:
Most episodes are free of sensuality, but there is an early episode in which 2 teenagers (who are protagonists) engage in sexual activity. While no nudity is shown, the bedroom scene is not a quick one. The event is referenced briefly again in a later episode, in which the girl is referred to as a “sl-t” by the boy she had sex with.
Violence:
There is violence throughout the series, including a girl’s telepathic ability to break bones and even kill people. Additionally, there are many uses of guns and weapons.
Drugs/Alcohol:
There is occasional use of cigarettes and beer by some of the adult characters.
Dark Themes:
The overall theme of Stranger Things has to do with connecting to a darker, sinister parallel universe; as people are being taken there from the 1983 version of Indiana. Again, one of the main characters is able to excess her telepathic abilities.
Stranger Things is by no means a family friendly show, yet it is definitely fascinating, intriguing, and addicting.
As for a child watching it, I say the best comparison for inappropriate content for children would be Lost; regarding profanity, sex, violence, drugs/alcohol, and dark themes.
However, it’s up to the individual parent to decide at what age.
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