Legacies
Legacies is a supernatural drama series that serves as a spin-off from The Vampire Diaries and The Originals. Set at the Salvatore School for the Young & Gifted, the narrative centers on Hope Mikaelson, the world's only tribrid (witch, vampire, and werewolf), and her fellow students as they learn to control their unique abilities and confront various monsters and threats. The series blends elements of fantasy, adventure, and teen drama, exploring themes of identity, belonging, and destiny within a magical boarding school setting. It is aimed at a young adult audience, delivering a mix of action, romance, and coming-of-age storylines. Overall, the content is consistent with a television program designed for adolescents and young adults.
Concerns
LGBTQ & Gender Identity
HighLegacies features significant LGBTQ+ representation, evolving from implied queerness in early seasons to explicit same-sex relationships and characters across the series. The show portrays a diverse range of sexual orientations, with many characters identified as bisexual, pansexual, or queer, and aims to normalize fluid sexuality within its supernatural world.
Josie Saltzman is established as bisexual or pansexual from the outset, having an on-screen romantic history and relationship with her ex-girlfriend, Penelope Park, which is a key storyline in early episodes. In later seasons, particularly Season 4, a prominent male-male romance develops between the gay demigod Ben and the bisexual werewolf Jed Tien, culminating in passionate kisses and an emotionally significant relationship.
Witchcraft & Occult
HighWitchcraft and occult themes are foundational to the entire premise of Legacies, which is set in a school for supernatural beings. The series deeply integrates magic, spells, rituals, and various mythical creatures into every aspect of its plot and character development.
The Salvatore School actively teaches students, including prominent characters like Hope Mikaelson and the Saltzman twins, how to wield their magical powers, with numerous scenes depicting complex spellcasting, often accompanied by Latin incantations and visual effects. The narrative consistently involves encounters with and battles against a diverse array of supernatural entities and monsters, such as gargoyles, jinni, and necromancers, which are often resurrected or empowered through dark magical means.
Scary & Intense Content
HighLegacies consistently features scary and intense content due to its genre, involving frequent encounters with various monsters, life-threatening situations, and elements of suspense and psychological unease. The show maintains a pervasive sense of danger for its main characters.
A recurring antagonist, The Necromancer, presents visually disturbing appearances and utilizes powers that involve raising the dead, creating frightening and unsettling scenarios for the students. Many episodes revolve around 'monster-of-the-week' plots, where various terrifying creatures actively attack the school and its inhabitants, leading to intense confrontations, chases, and suspenseful moments that put characters in grave danger.
Violence
MediumThe series regularly depicts fantasy violence inherent to its supernatural genre. This includes frequent magical and physical confrontations between students and various monsters or antagonists. While often action-oriented, the violence carries stakes of injury and death, consistent with a TV-14 rating.
Students like Hope Mikaelson, Lizzie Saltzman, and Josie Saltzman engage in numerous magical duels and physical fights against a constant stream of supernatural creatures, often involving aggressive spells, hand-to-hand combat, and the use of supernatural powers. The show also features instances of vampire feeding, which, while not always explicitly gory, portrays blood consumption and can be intense. For example, scenes may show vampires struggling with their bloodlust or feeding on humans/creatures.
Romance and Sexual Content
MediumRomance is a central element, with numerous heterosexual and LGBTQ+ relationships forming throughout the series. Content includes passionate kissing, emotional intimacy, and implied sexual activity, though explicit sexual scenes are generally avoided in line with its TV-14 rating.
Josie Saltzman's relationships, including with Penelope Park, involve significant romantic development and passionate kissing. The relationship between Ben and Jed Tien in Season 4 features emotional intimacy and a climactic on-screen kiss. Hope Mikaelson's central romance with Landon Kirby also includes frequent passionate kissing, suggestive dialogue, and implied intimate moments off-screen.
Profanity
MediumThe show includes occasional use of mild to moderate profanity. Language typically consists of common expletives suitable for a teen drama with a TV-14 rating, used to convey frustration, anger, or emphasis.
Characters such as Lizzie Saltzman frequently use mild curse words like 'hell,' 'damn,' or 'bitch' during emotional outbursts or casual dialogue. Throughout the series, exclamations like 'what the hell' or 'oh my god' are commonplace in response to supernatural events or challenging situations.
Disrespect & Rebellion
MediumThe show frequently portrays themes of disrespect and rebellion, common in teen dramas. Students at the supernatural boarding school often question, defy, or challenge the authority of their teachers and the headmaster, Alaric Saltzman.
Lizzie Saltzman, known for her strong personality, regularly exhibits sarcastic remarks and open defiance towards her father, Alaric, especially when his rules conflict with her desires. Characters like Hope Mikaelson and Landon Kirby often choose to take matters into their own hands, disregarding school rules or Alaric's directives to pursue personal agendas or protect their friends, which leads to conflict with authority figures.
Substance Use
LowSubstance use in Legacies is depicted at a low level, primarily involving casual or background alcohol consumption typical of a high school or college-aged social setting. There is no significant focus on heavy drug use, addiction, or glamorization of substance abuse as a central plot element.
Teenage characters at the Salvatore School are occasionally shown at social gatherings or parties where alcoholic beverages are present. For instance, characters might be seen holding drinks in a social context or making passing references to drinking, without depicting explicit intoxication or the negative consequences of heavy alcohol consumption.
Anti-Christian Themes
LowLegacies primarily operates within its own fictional supernatural mythology, without directly engaging with or critiquing real-world Christian beliefs. Its magical and occult elements are presented as fantasy constructs integral to its world, rather than being positioned as anti-religious.
The magic practiced by witches and the existence of creatures like vampires and werewolves are depicted as inherent aspects of the fictional universe, with no explicit mockery or condemnation of Christian symbols, doctrines, or figures. While the show features various forms of supernatural power, rituals, and mythical beings, these are consistent with its fantasy genre and do not involve sacrilegious acts targeting Christian faith.
Other Notes
Target Demographic
TV-14. This recommendation is due to consistent moderate fantasy violence, including battles with monsters and occasional character deaths, frequent romantic and suggestive content featuring diverse relationships, and mild to moderate language usage. The show's overarching themes involve complex supernatural elements and emotional adolescent dramas, which are suitable for a teenage audience.
Additional Notes
Parents should be aware that while the show is rated TV-14, the themes of identity, complex relationships (including significant LGBTQ+ representation), and dealing with trauma are central to the character arcs. The fantasy violence, while not excessively gory, is constant and can be intense due to the frequent monster-of-the-week format and existential threats to the characters and the school.
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