Content & Trigger Warnings for The Queen's Gambit (2020)
17 content warnings identified across 1 season for this show.
Quick Summary
Yes, The Queen's Gambit (2020) contains 17 content warnings : Ableism (depicted), Racial slurs / racism (depicted), Death of a parent, Forced institutionalization, Grief / bereavement (major focus), Suicide (discussed or ideation), Terminal illness, Car accidents / crashes, Gaslighting / emotional manipulation, Needles / medical procedures, Age-gap relationships (predatory), Explicit sexual content / nudity, Alcohol abuse (depicted), Drug use (depicted), Overdose scenes, Child abuse / harm to children, Self-harm / suicide (depicted).
The most severe warnings are for Death of a parent (severity 5/5), Forced institutionalization (severity 4/5), Grief / bereavement (major focus) (severity 4/5), Car accidents / crashes (severity 4/5), Alcohol abuse (depicted) (severity 4/5), Drug use (depicted) (severity 4/5).
Check the full breakdown below before you watch.
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Does It Get Worse?
9 series-wide warnings apply across all seasons.
| Warning | Season | Severity | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identity & Discrimination | ||||
| Ableism (depicted) | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Beth faces persistent sexism in the male-dominated chess world; she is patronized, underestimated, and objectified by male players and press |
| Racial slurs / racism (depicted) | All | 2/5 | Depicted | Period-appropriate racial attitudes of the 1960s are depicted |
| Mental Health & Emotional | ||||
| Death of a parent | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | Beth's mother dies in a car crash in the opening; her adoptive mother also dies later from hepatitis, leaving Beth orphaned twice |
| Death of a parent | All | 5/5 | Depicted | Beth's mother dies in a car crash in the opening and her adoptive mother later dies from illness |
| Forced institutionalization | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Beth is placed in an orphanage/institution where children are medicated with tranquilizers to keep them docile |
| Forced institutionalization | All | 4/5 | Depicted | Beth is placed in an orphanage where children are given tranquilizers to keep them docile |
| Grief / bereavement (major focus) | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | Beth processes the loss of both her biological and adoptive mothers; grief manifests through substance abuse and isolation |
| Suicide (discussed or ideation) | S1 | 2/5 | Referenced | It is implied Beth's birth mother may have intentionally caused the car crash; Beth's own self-destructive behavior borders on suicidal |
| Suicide (discussed or ideation) | All | 3/5 | Depicted | Beth's mother's actions in the opening suggest suicidal intent |
| Terminal illness | All | 3/5 | Depicted | Beth's adoptive mother's declining health and death from illness |
| Other | ||||
| Car accidents / crashes | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | The opening scene features a car crash that kills Beth's mother; the accident is shown from young Beth's perspective |
| Car accidents / crashes | All | 4/5 | Depicted | A fatal car crash that kills Beth's mother is shown in the opening episode |
| Gaslighting / emotional manipulation | S1 | 2/5 | Depicted | The orphanage system manipulates children through medication; Beth's adoptive father abandons the family with little explanation |
| Phobias & Sensory | ||||
| Needles / medical procedures | All | 2/5 | Depicted | Pills and medication dispensing shown frequently in the orphanage setting |
| Sexual Content | ||||
| Age-gap relationships (predatory) | All | 2/5 | Depicted | Beth has romantic encounters with older men as a young woman |
| Explicit sexual content / nudity | S1 | 2/5 | Depicted | Brief sexual scenes as Beth has relationships with various men; nothing graphic but nudity is implied |
| Substance Use | ||||
| Alcohol abuse (depicted) | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | Beth develops serious alcohol dependency; she drinks heavily and it spirals into binge drinking that derails her life and career |
| Drug use (depicted) | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | Beth becomes addicted to tranquilizer pills given to her at the orphanage; her drug dependency escalates throughout the series and affects her chess performance |
| Overdose scenes | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Beth's biological mother may have attempted suicide via car crash while intoxicated; Beth herself has a dangerous binge combining pills and alcohol |
| Violence & Physical Harm | ||||
| Child abuse / harm to children | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | The orphanage administers tranquilizer pills to all children as standard practice; this institutional drugging of minors is shown as normalized |
| Self-harm / suicide (depicted) | All | 3/5 | Depicted | Beth's mother's car crash is implied to be intentional |
Identity & Discrimination
Beth faces persistent sexism in the male-dominated chess world; she is patronized, underestimated, and objectified by male players and press
Period-appropriate racial attitudes of the 1960s are depicted
Mental Health & Emotional
Beth's mother dies in a car crash in the opening; her adoptive mother also dies later from hepatitis, leaving Beth orphaned twice
Beth's mother dies in a car crash in the opening and her adoptive mother later dies from illness
Beth is placed in an orphanage/institution where children are medicated with tranquilizers to keep them docile
Beth is placed in an orphanage where children are given tranquilizers to keep them docile
Beth processes the loss of both her biological and adoptive mothers; grief manifests through substance abuse and isolation
It is implied Beth's birth mother may have intentionally caused the car crash; Beth's own self-destructive behavior borders on suicidal
Beth's mother's actions in the opening suggest suicidal intent
Beth's adoptive mother's declining health and death from illness
Other
The opening scene features a car crash that kills Beth's mother; the accident is shown from young Beth's perspective
A fatal car crash that kills Beth's mother is shown in the opening episode
The orphanage system manipulates children through medication; Beth's adoptive father abandons the family with little explanation
Phobias & Sensory
Pills and medication dispensing shown frequently in the orphanage setting
Sexual Content
Beth has romantic encounters with older men as a young woman
Brief sexual scenes as Beth has relationships with various men; nothing graphic but nudity is implied
Substance Use
Beth develops serious alcohol dependency; she drinks heavily and it spirals into binge drinking that derails her life and career
Beth becomes addicted to tranquilizer pills given to her at the orphanage; her drug dependency escalates throughout the series and affects her chess performance
Beth's biological mother may have attempted suicide via car crash while intoxicated; Beth herself has a dangerous binge combining pills and alcohol
Violence & Physical Harm
The orphanage administers tranquilizer pills to all children as standard practice; this institutional drugging of minors is shown as normalized
Beth's mother's car crash is implied to be intentional
