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Bad Thoughts

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General Review

Parent's Guide to Bad Thoughts

Bad Thoughts (2025) is a dark comedy television series created by comedian Tom Segura for Netflix, which premiered its first season on May 13, 2025, and a second season on May 24, 2026. The show is structured as a series of short, independent vignettes, often compared to "Black Mirror" or "I Think You Should Leave," exploring darkly comedic, absurd, and provocative themes. Each episode, typically 17-22 minutes long, delves into twisted scenarios and fantasies, aiming for shock humor and pushing social boundaries. The series is intended for mature adult audiences, as indicated by its TV-MA rating, due to its explicit content and irreverent tone. Reviews highlight its unapologetic and unhinged nature, featuring a mix of graphic, crude, and disturbing humor.

Things to Consider

High6

LGBTQ & Gender Identity

The series includes implied same-sex sexual activity and discussions that touch on LGBTQ themes, though sometimes in a way that uses potentially problematic language for comedic effect. While aiming to push boundaries, certain jokes and scenarios could be seen as insensitive or normalizing of non-biblical sexual practices.

One sketch portrays a character using virtual reality for sex, where his behavior and comments explicitly reveal the sexual actions are with another man. Another sketch features Tom Segura's character repeatedly saying he "slept like a homo," a phrase he uses to intentionally challenge social norms and remove stigma, but which may be considered offensive due to its use of a derogatory term. Additionally, a passing comment is made about pronouns and a "female-presenting" individual, indicating an awareness and inclusion of gender identity topics.

Violence

The show contains highly graphic and disturbing depictions of violence, often presented in a darkly comedic or absurd context. This includes lethal force, severe injuries, and kidnapping, which contributes significantly to its TV-MA rating.

Romance and Sexual Content

Sexual content is explicit, pervasive, and often presented in a graphic, disturbing, or crude manner for comedic purposes. This includes implied sexual acts, nudity, and highly suggestive dialogue.

Profanity

The series is noted for its frequent and strong use of profanity, including explicit expletives and misuses of God's name, which is a consistent element across its sketches and dialogue.

Scary & Intense Content

The show is inherently dark and unsettling, featuring disturbing imagery, psychologically intense scenarios, and themes that can be frightening or traumatic. Its dark comedic approach does not diminish the intensity of the content.

Disrespect & Rebellion

Disrespect and rebellious behavior are central to the show's comedic style, often featuring characters defying authority, engaging in crude behavior, and pushing social boundaries with irreverence.

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Medium1
Anti-Christian Themes
Low2
Witchcraft & OccultSubstance Use
Medium1

Anti-Christian Themes

While not explicitly focused on anti-Christian narratives, the show's heavy use of profanity includes misuses of God's name, which can be considered disrespectful from a Christian perspective. The overall worldview emphasizes shock and transgression, rather than traditional moral values.

Low2

Witchcraft & Occult

No specific instances of witchcraft, sorcery, occult practices, magic rituals, or demon summoning are mentioned in relation to the 'Bad Thoughts' TV series. Information related to these themes appeared only in searches for unrelated books with similar titles.

Substance Use

Mentions of substance use are minimal, limited to incidental background elements rather than central plot points or detailed depictions of addiction or heavy consumption.

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Bad Thoughts presents a worldview characterized by extreme moral relativism and materialism, where shock value and transgression are prioritized for comedic effect. The series consistently challenges traditional notions of decency, often finding humor in situations that are violent, sexually explicit, or morally repugnant. Characters frequently engage in vice without clear consequences or moral accountability, blurring the lines between right and wrong. The show's comedic intent appears to be rooted in a cynical view of humanity, highlighting "bad thoughts" and impulses without offering a redemptive framework. Biblical values such as sanctity of life, sexual purity, respect for authority, and reverence for God are largely disregarded, if not actively inverted, for humor. There is no discernible emphasis on themes of sacrifice, forgiveness, or grace; instead, the narratives often lean into human depravity and the absurd. Family relationships and authority figures are depicted within the same irreverent and often dysfunctional lens. Faith, if referenced at all, is not presented respectfully, but rather in passing or through mild sacrilege (e.g., misusing God's name). The series offers a starkly secular and transgressive perspective, making it challenging for Christian parents to find alignment with biblical teachings or positive moral messaging within its content.

Additional Context

Best For Ages

TV-MA. The series features consistently high levels of graphic violence, explicit sexual content, strong profanity, and disturbing themes, making it strictly unsuitable for children, teens, and young adults. Parental guidance explicitly warns against its content for younger viewers.

Good to Know

The series is an anthology, meaning each episode or vignette presents a standalone story. While this allows for varied content, the overall tone of dark, provocative, and often gross-out humor remains consistent across all segments. Season 2 promises to be even "bolder, darker, and more inappropriate" according to the creator. The show's humor is intentionally designed to be unsettling and challenge conventional sensibilities, making it a polarizing experience for viewers.

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