Content & Trigger Warnings for Dark (2017)
23 content warnings identified across 3 seasons for this show.
Quick Summary
Yes, Dark (2017) contains 23 content warnings : Death of a child, Death of a parent, Forced institutionalization, Grief / bereavement (major focus), Suicide (discussed or ideation), Terminal illness, Gaslighting / emotional manipulation, Genocide / ethnic cleansing, Infidelity, Kidnapping / abduction, Natural disasters, Wrongful imprisonment, Blood / medical gore, Body horror, Confined spaces (claustrophobia), Jump scares, Incest, Drug use (depicted), Child abuse / harm to children, Gore / graphic violence, Gun violence, Self-harm / suicide (depicted), Torture.
The most severe warnings are for Death of a child (severity 5/5), Death of a parent (severity 4/5), Grief / bereavement (major focus) (severity 5/5), Suicide (discussed or ideation) (severity 4/5), Genocide / ethnic cleansing (severity 4/5), Kidnapping / abduction (severity 4/5), Body horror (severity 4/5), Incest (severity 5/5), Child abuse / harm to children (severity 4/5), Self-harm / suicide (depicted) (severity 5/5).
Check the full breakdown below before you watch.
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Does It Get Worse?
10 series-wide warnings apply across all seasons.
| Warning | Season | Severity | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mental Health & Emotional | ||||
| Death of a child | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Dead children are discovered as a consequence of the kidnappings; parents must confront their children's deaths |
| Death of a child | S2 | 4/5 | Depicted | Child deaths occur across multiple timelines; parents discover their children have died in other time periods |
| Death of a child | S3 | 5/5 | Depicted | Children die across timelines and the apocalypse threatens all of existence; the emotional toll on parents is devastating |
| Death of a parent | All | 4/5 | Depicted | Parental deaths occur across multiple timelines with emotional impact |
| Forced institutionalization | All | 2/5 | Depicted | A character is confined in a psychiatric facility |
| Grief / bereavement (major focus) | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | Families are devastated by the disappearances of their children; raw grief and desperation throughout |
| Grief / bereavement (major focus) | S2 | 4/5 | Depicted | Grief intensifies as characters learn the true fates of their loved ones across time periods |
| Grief / bereavement (major focus) | S3 | 5/5 | Depicted | Overwhelming grief as characters face the erasure of their entire existence and loved ones to break the cycle |
| Suicide (discussed or ideation) | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Characters express hopelessness and contemplate ending their lives as the inevitability of events weighs on them |
| Suicide (discussed or ideation) | S3 | 4/5 | Depicted | Characters accept that self-annihilation is the only way to end the cycle; philosophical contemplation of ceasing to exist |
| Terminal illness | All | 3/5 | Depicted | A character living with a terminal brain tumor is a significant storyline |
| Other | ||||
| Gaslighting / emotional manipulation | S1 | 2/5 | Depicted | Characters conceal knowledge of time travel and disappearances, manipulating family members about what they know |
| Gaslighting / emotional manipulation | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Characters with knowledge of time travel deliberately manipulate others, withholding life-altering information |
| Gaslighting / emotional manipulation | S3 | 3/5 | Depicted | Adam and Eva manipulate characters across timelines to ensure events play out as planned |
| Genocide / ethnic cleansing | S3 | 4/5 | Depicted | The apocalyptic event threatens to destroy all of humanity; scenes depict mass extinction and the end of the world |
| Infidelity | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Multiple affairs between interconnected Winden families are revealed as a core part of the tangled relationships |
| Infidelity | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Ongoing affairs are revealed to have deeper consequences as the family tree becomes clearer |
| Kidnapping / abduction | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | Multiple children go missing in Winden; the kidnappings and discoveries of victims drive the central mystery |
| Kidnapping / abduction | S2 | 4/5 | Depicted | More children and adults disappear across timelines; abductions continue as the conspiracy deepens |
| Kidnapping / abduction | S3 | 3/5 | Depicted | Abductions continue though the focus shifts more toward the apocalyptic endgame |
| Natural disasters | All | 3/5 | Depicted | Apocalyptic events and nuclear catastrophe depicted across timelines |
| Wrongful imprisonment | All | 2/5 | Depicted | A character is wrongly suspected and investigated |
| Phobias & Sensory | ||||
| Blood / medical gore | All | 3/5 | Depicted | Blood present in violent scenes and crime scene discoveries |
| Body horror | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Disfigured bodies of missing children are found with burned eyes and damaged eardrums from time travel |
| Body horror | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | The effects of failed time travel are shown with disfigured bodies; a character's face is severely scarred |
| Body horror | S3 | 4/5 | Depicted | Severe physical deterioration from time travel; characters exist in horrifically aged or disfigured states |
| Confined spaces (claustrophobia) | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Dark cave passages are central to the plot; characters navigate cramped underground tunnels repeatedly |
| Confined spaces (claustrophobia) | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Cave and bunker sequences continue; the claustrophobic underground passages remain central |
| Jump scares | S1 | 2/5 | Depicted | Occasional jump scares in the dark forest and cave sequences; the atmosphere is persistently tense |
| Sexual Content | ||||
| Incest | S2 | 4/5 | Referenced | The tangled time-travel genealogy reveals that several couples are unknowingly related by blood; the incestuous family tree is a major plot revelation |
| Incest | S3 | 5/5 | Referenced | The full family tree is revealed showing extensive unknowing incest spanning generations due to time travel; virtually every family in Winden is interrelated |
| Substance Use | ||||
| Drug use (depicted) | All | 2/5 | Depicted | Drug dealing and use by teens depicted as a subplot |
| Violence & Physical Harm | ||||
| Child abuse / harm to children | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Children are held captive in a bunker; experimented on by an adult figure as part of time travel research |
| Child abuse / harm to children | S2 | 4/5 | Depicted | Children continue to be kidnapped and used in time travel experiments; the scope of the abuse expands |
| Child abuse / harm to children | S3 | 3/5 | Depicted | The cycle of using children in time travel experiments is shown to repeat endlessly across loops |
| Gore / graphic violence | All | 3/5 | Depicted | Violent deaths and disturbing imagery including decomposed bodies |
| Gun violence | All | 2/5 | Depicted | Firearms used in several violent confrontations |
| Self-harm / suicide (depicted) | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | A character dies by hanging in the opening episode; the scene is shown explicitly and sets the tone for the series |
| Self-harm / suicide (depicted) | S2 | 4/5 | Depicted | Multiple characters die by suicide across different timelines; methods are shown on screen |
| Self-harm / suicide (depicted) | S3 | 5/5 | Depicted | Sacrifice and suicide are central themes; characters choose to end their existence to break the time loop |
| Torture | All | 2/5 | Depicted | Characters subjected to painful experiences in captivity |
Mental Health & Emotional
Dead children are discovered as a consequence of the kidnappings; parents must confront their children's deaths
Child deaths occur across multiple timelines; parents discover their children have died in other time periods
Children die across timelines and the apocalypse threatens all of existence; the emotional toll on parents is devastating
Parental deaths occur across multiple timelines with emotional impact
Families are devastated by the disappearances of their children; raw grief and desperation throughout
Grief intensifies as characters learn the true fates of their loved ones across time periods
Overwhelming grief as characters face the erasure of their entire existence and loved ones to break the cycle
Characters express hopelessness and contemplate ending their lives as the inevitability of events weighs on them
Characters accept that self-annihilation is the only way to end the cycle; philosophical contemplation of ceasing to exist
A character living with a terminal brain tumor is a significant storyline
Other
Characters conceal knowledge of time travel and disappearances, manipulating family members about what they know
Characters with knowledge of time travel deliberately manipulate others, withholding life-altering information
Adam and Eva manipulate characters across timelines to ensure events play out as planned
The apocalyptic event threatens to destroy all of humanity; scenes depict mass extinction and the end of the world
Multiple affairs between interconnected Winden families are revealed as a core part of the tangled relationships
Ongoing affairs are revealed to have deeper consequences as the family tree becomes clearer
Multiple children go missing in Winden; the kidnappings and discoveries of victims drive the central mystery
More children and adults disappear across timelines; abductions continue as the conspiracy deepens
Abductions continue though the focus shifts more toward the apocalyptic endgame
Apocalyptic events and nuclear catastrophe depicted across timelines
Phobias & Sensory
Blood present in violent scenes and crime scene discoveries
Disfigured bodies of missing children are found with burned eyes and damaged eardrums from time travel
The effects of failed time travel are shown with disfigured bodies; a character's face is severely scarred
Severe physical deterioration from time travel; characters exist in horrifically aged or disfigured states
Dark cave passages are central to the plot; characters navigate cramped underground tunnels repeatedly
Cave and bunker sequences continue; the claustrophobic underground passages remain central
Occasional jump scares in the dark forest and cave sequences; the atmosphere is persistently tense
Sexual Content
The tangled time-travel genealogy reveals that several couples are unknowingly related by blood; the incestuous family tree is a major plot revelation
The full family tree is revealed showing extensive unknowing incest spanning generations due to time travel; virtually every family in Winden is interrelated
Substance Use
Violence & Physical Harm
Children are held captive in a bunker; experimented on by an adult figure as part of time travel research
Children continue to be kidnapped and used in time travel experiments; the scope of the abuse expands
The cycle of using children in time travel experiments is shown to repeat endlessly across loops
Violent deaths and disturbing imagery including decomposed bodies
A character dies by hanging in the opening episode; the scene is shown explicitly and sets the tone for the series
Multiple characters die by suicide across different timelines; methods are shown on screen
Sacrifice and suicide are central themes; characters choose to end their existence to break the time loop
