Swashbuckling series has lots of adventure, violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 11+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
a lot
Bands of robbers are violent. Lots of knives, guns, and fistfighting. Nell has superhuman strength when assisted by Billy and uses it to her advantage. A character is shot point-blank in the head. Another is nearly drowned in a puddle.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.
Family is important and worth fighting for. Bravery and valor are key to heroics.
Positive Role Models
some
Nell is honest and brave, with a valiant spirit. She loves her family and is willing to fight for them.
Diverse Representations
some
Main character Rasselas is played by a Black actor; Billy, played by Nick Mohammed, is of Indo-Trinidadian descent. Background characters and those with smaller roles are diverse, including Black, Latino, and Asian actors as a wide variety of character types, from royalty to peasantry.
Parents need to know that Renegade Nell is a fantasy adventure series about a young woman who finds herself an unlikely hero in the early 1700s. Derry Girls' Louisa Harland stars as Nell, with Nick Mohammed (Ted Lasso) as her fairy companion. Expect lots of violence, including extensive swordplay, gun use, and fistfights. For example, a character is shot point-blank in the head (his wound is shown), and another is nearly drowned in a puddle. The main character is counter-stereotypical for the era the show is set in, wearing men's clothing and physically fighting various foes. Some of the period costuming displays women's breasts.
Contained too much violence. More than just fantasy, I didn't like the occult practices. Just something to know for those that are concerned about those types of things.
Young woman Nelly Jackson (Louisa Harland), or RENEGADE NELL, disappeared in the early 1700s. Long thought to be dead, Nell returns unharmed to her village and family in 1705. She's been off adventuring, and on her travels, gained a mystical power. This power comes in the form of a benevolent fairy, Billy Blind (played by Nick Mohammed, Ted Lasso), whose sole purpose is to protect her from harm. When her father is murdered by the local magistrate's son, the evil Thomas Blancheford, Nell finds herself and her little sisters on the run—and more adventures lie in store.
Beloved for her role in Derry Girls, Louisa Harland is a natural Nell, feisty but subtle in her performance as our daring hero. The Renegade Nell supporting cast is also stacked with formidable British actors, like Poldark's Pip Torrens and Joely Richardson. With Gentleman Jack's Sally Wainwright at the helm, it has a lot of promise for a series' worth of girl-power escapades.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the fantasy and magical elements of Renegade Nell. Would Nell be as powerful without Billy? Why, or why not?
How does Nell feel about her family? How does family inform her choices?
Would this series feel the same if it was set in modern times? Why, or why not?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Polly Conway
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
