Content & Trigger Warnings for Dickinson (2019)
15 content warnings identified across 3 seasons for this show.
Quick Summary
Yes, Dickinson (2019) contains 15 content warnings : Homophobia / transphobia (depicted), Racial slurs / racism (depicted), Death of a parent, Grief / bereavement (major focus), Miscarriage / pregnancy loss / stillbirth, Suicide (discussed or ideation), Terminal illness, Gaslighting / emotional manipulation, Infidelity, War / combat, Body horror, Explicit sexual content / nudity, Alcohol abuse (depicted), Drug use (depicted), Slavery / forced labor.
The most severe warnings are for Racial slurs / racism (depicted) (severity 4/5), Grief / bereavement (major focus) (severity 5/5), Terminal illness (severity 4/5), Slavery / forced labor (severity 4/5).
Check the full breakdown below before you watch.
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Does It Get Worse?
6 series-wide warnings apply across all seasons.
| Warning | Season | Severity | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identity & Discrimination | ||||
| Homophobia / transphobia (depicted) | S1 | 2/5 | Depicted | Emily and Sue must hide their romantic relationship in 1850s society |
| Homophobia / transphobia (depicted) | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | The danger and social consequences of Emily and Sue's relationship become more prominent |
| Homophobia / transphobia (depicted) | S3 | 3/5 | Depicted | Emily and Sue's relationship faces its ultimate test amid wartime upheaval |
| Homophobia / transphobia (depicted) | All | 3/5 | Depicted | Emily's romantic relationship with Sue is hidden due to period-appropriate social stigma |
| Racial slurs / racism (depicted) | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Antebellum racism and the experience of Black characters in pre-Civil War America |
| Racial slurs / racism (depicted) | S2 | 4/5 | Depicted | Intensified focus on abolitionism and the experiences of Black Americans as Civil War approaches |
| Racial slurs / racism (depicted) | S3 | 4/5 | Depicted | Wartime racism and the fight for abolition are central to the final season's themes |
| Mental Health & Emotional | ||||
| Death of a parent | S3 | 3/5 | Depicted | Parental health crises and the specter of losing parents weigh on the Dickinson children |
| Grief / bereavement (major focus) | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Emily Dickinson is obsessed with death as a concept, personifying it as a romantic figure throughout |
| Grief / bereavement (major focus) | S2 | 4/5 | Depicted | Deeper exploration of death and loss as Emily grapples with mortality and fame |
| Grief / bereavement (major focus) | S3 | 5/5 | Depicted | The Civil War brings mass death; personal losses devastate the Dickinson family |
| Miscarriage / pregnancy loss / stillbirth | All | 2/5 | Depicted | Pregnancy complications and loss are depicted in later seasons |
| Suicide (discussed or ideation) | S1 | 2/5 | Referenced | Emily's poetry and fascination with death touch on themes adjacent to suicidal ideation |
| Suicide (discussed or ideation) | S2 | 2/5 | Referenced | Emily's dark poetry continues to explore death wishes and the desire for oblivion |
| Suicide (discussed or ideation) | All | 3/5 | Depicted | Emily Dickinson's fascination with death and contemplation of mortality is a persistent theme |
| Terminal illness | S3 | 4/5 | Depicted | A main character faces a terminal diagnosis that drives the emotional arc of the final season |
| Other | ||||
| Gaslighting / emotional manipulation | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Emily's family dismisses her ambitions and intellect; patriarchal control over women's autonomy |
| Gaslighting / emotional manipulation | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Continued patriarchal manipulation and dismissal of women's voices and ambitions |
| Gaslighting / emotional manipulation | S3 | 3/5 | Depicted | Emily faces continued attempts to control and diminish her as she fights for her voice |
| Infidelity | S1 | 2/5 | Depicted | Complex romantic entanglements including Sue's engagement to Austin while involved with Emily |
| Infidelity | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Austin and Sue's marriage strained by Emily's relationship with Sue and other affairs |
| Infidelity | S3 | 3/5 | Depicted | Romantic betrayals and complicated love triangles reach their conclusions |
| Infidelity | All | 3/5 | Depicted | Emily's relationship with Sue constitutes infidelity given Sue's marriage to Emily's brother |
| War / combat | S3 | 3/5 | Depicted | The Civil War's impact shown through wounded soldiers and news from the front |
| Phobias & Sensory | ||||
| Body horror | All | 1/5 | Depicted | Surreal dream sequences occasionally feature unsettling body imagery |
| Sexual Content | ||||
| Explicit sexual content / nudity | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Sexual content including Emily's relationship with Sue and other characters' sexual encounters |
| Explicit sexual content / nudity | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Continued sexual content in Emily and Sue's relationship and other romantic storylines |
| Explicit sexual content / nudity | S3 | 3/5 | Depicted | Continued sexual content in the final season's romantic storylines |
| Substance Use | ||||
| Alcohol abuse (depicted) | All | 2/5 | Depicted | Period-appropriate drinking and some characters shown drinking to excess |
| Drug use (depicted) | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Opium use depicted recreationally in stylized period party scenes |
| Drug use (depicted) | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Continued opium use and period-appropriate substance use in social settings |
| Drug use (depicted) | S3 | 3/5 | Depicted | Opium and other substances used by characters coping with wartime grief |
| Violence & Physical Harm | ||||
| Slavery / forced labor | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | The reality of slavery in antebellum America is addressed through supporting characters' experiences |
| Slavery / forced labor | S2 | 4/5 | Depicted | The horrors of slavery become more central as the show approaches the Civil War era |
| Slavery / forced labor | S3 | 4/5 | Depicted | The Civil War context brings slavery's horrors to the forefront of the narrative |
Identity & Discrimination
Emily and Sue must hide their romantic relationship in 1850s society
The danger and social consequences of Emily and Sue's relationship become more prominent
Emily and Sue's relationship faces its ultimate test amid wartime upheaval
Emily's romantic relationship with Sue is hidden due to period-appropriate social stigma
Antebellum racism and the experience of Black characters in pre-Civil War America
Intensified focus on abolitionism and the experiences of Black Americans as Civil War approaches
Wartime racism and the fight for abolition are central to the final season's themes
Mental Health & Emotional
Parental health crises and the specter of losing parents weigh on the Dickinson children
Emily Dickinson is obsessed with death as a concept, personifying it as a romantic figure throughout
Deeper exploration of death and loss as Emily grapples with mortality and fame
The Civil War brings mass death; personal losses devastate the Dickinson family
Pregnancy complications and loss are depicted in later seasons
Emily's poetry and fascination with death touch on themes adjacent to suicidal ideation
Emily's dark poetry continues to explore death wishes and the desire for oblivion
Emily Dickinson's fascination with death and contemplation of mortality is a persistent theme
A main character faces a terminal diagnosis that drives the emotional arc of the final season
Other
Emily's family dismisses her ambitions and intellect; patriarchal control over women's autonomy
Continued patriarchal manipulation and dismissal of women's voices and ambitions
Emily faces continued attempts to control and diminish her as she fights for her voice
Complex romantic entanglements including Sue's engagement to Austin while involved with Emily
Austin and Sue's marriage strained by Emily's relationship with Sue and other affairs
Romantic betrayals and complicated love triangles reach their conclusions
Emily's relationship with Sue constitutes infidelity given Sue's marriage to Emily's brother
The Civil War's impact shown through wounded soldiers and news from the front
Phobias & Sensory
Surreal dream sequences occasionally feature unsettling body imagery
Sexual Content
Sexual content including Emily's relationship with Sue and other characters' sexual encounters
Continued sexual content in Emily and Sue's relationship and other romantic storylines
Continued sexual content in the final season's romantic storylines
Substance Use
Period-appropriate drinking and some characters shown drinking to excess
Opium use depicted recreationally in stylized period party scenes
Continued opium use and period-appropriate substance use in social settings
Opium and other substances used by characters coping with wartime grief
Violence & Physical Harm
The reality of slavery in antebellum America is addressed through supporting characters' experiences
The horrors of slavery become more central as the show approaches the Civil War era
The Civil War context brings slavery's horrors to the forefront of the narrative
