10 Action Shows That Are Way Too Intense for Kids

Action television has gotten more graphic, ever bolder, and unflinching each day, as boundaries are pushed in the name of TV cinema. While many action series deliver excitement, epic thrills, and go far beyond spectacle, most aren't suitable for younger audiences. With bloody battles, mature themes, and emotionally devastating narratives, action TV can be much too intense for young viewers.

Mega hits like the long-standing TV horror, The Walking Dead, and the hard-hitting crime epic of 2015, Narcos, are just two in the long list of action series that may be massively popular but just aren't right for family viewership. Compiled on this list are ten action shows so rife with violence, mature themes, pure savagery, and explicit scenes that kids shouldn’t even take a peek at them.

10 'Primal' (2019–present)

Primal may be an animated series featuring dinosaurs, but this dialogue-free action series wastes no time in throwing its viewers straight into the deep end of survival horror. The Adult Swim animated series centers around a Neanderthal caveman, often called “Spear”, and a Tyrannosaurus Rex known as Fang, who happen to form an emotional bond after they both experience heart-wrenching grief due to tragedy.

Primal is a brutal masterpiece that is equally as punishing and incredibly savage as any live-action series. In fact, the animated show is one of the most graphic ever brought to screens. Primal has a relentless edge to its action, as its characters often literally fight to stay alive or consistently whole. The masterful animated series may look like something for kids on the outside, but within the seriesthere lies tons of constant bloodbaths, gore, and countless unflinchingly realistic scenes that are just too much for children.

9 'Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba' (2019–2023)

Despite being a rather bright and colorful anime, with an incredibly sweet main character, this action series is anything but a gentle watch. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is a Japanese anime set in Taishō-era Japan and follows teen Tanjiro Kamado (Natsuki Hanae), who returns home to find his family slaughtered by demons, and his little sister Nezuko (Akari Kito) turned into a demon herself.

From frequent tear-jerking moments to extremely graphic combat, Demon Slayer is definitely too intense for children. The series features tons of intense moments, most filled with blood and gore, and extremely dark themes. Viewers are given front row seats to dismemberment, bloody bulging eyes, and half-eaten human entrails. The action series is as grim and vengeful as it is intoxicatingly entertaining. With a family massacre featured in its very first episode, and captivatingly intense fight scenes after that, Demon Slayer is defiantly a adult-oriented good time.

8 'Attack on Titan' (2013–2023)

Attack on Titan is a brutally violent anime that stands as a global phenomenon that truly redefined what “dark action” could look like on television. The epic Japanese anime sees humanity forced to live behind giant concentric walls to protect itself from man-eating monsters known as Titans. The series follows the young Eren Yeager (Yuki Kaji) and his friends, who join the Survey Corps after tragedy takes all they’ve ever known.

Ranking high on the list for intensity—even for an anime—Attack on Titan can get rather harrowing, with its emotional devastation, graphic violence, and often bleak tone. Scenes of mass death, moral internal conflicts that turn characters into frantic terrors, and actual nihilism ensure that the anime series can’t be played anywhere near kids. The anime may be incredibly well-crafted, but with its mature themes, significant amounts of blood and gore, and overall man-eating horror, Attack on Titan stands as an addictive watch for mature anime fans only.

7 'Narcos' (2015–2017)

This crime action drama brings to screens real world violence with a dash of incredibly mature and brutal themes. The Netflix series Narcos, chronicling the rise and fall of the Medellín and Cali drug cartels in Colombia, centers around cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar (Wagner Moura) as he builds a narco-empire in the 1980s, and the DEA agents trying to capture him

The pure violence within Narcos alone makes it an intense watch for adults, let alone children. The series pulls absolutely no punches in depicting cartel warfare, authentically portraying violent events surrounding drug empires. Given the nature of the show itself, it’s no surprise that Narcos shouldn’t be played around kids, but when paired with its intense action, implied sexual content, and consistent profanity, it becomes extremely clear that the intoxicating drama is much too intense for younger viewers.

6 'Daredevil' (2015–2018)

Daredevil may be a part of the Marvel-verse, but like many of the movies and shows in the universe, this action series just might be a bit too intense for kids. The Netflix Marvel series follows a blind attorney in Hell’s Kitchen named Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), who spends his evenings fighting crime as the masked vigilante Daredevil.

Daredevil features not only bone-crunching fight scenes, but also depictions of heavy psychological trauma that make it unsuitable for children’s eyes and ears. The superhero action is quite fun and is no doubt a great time—especially for Marvel fans—but the series is simply too brutally adult for kids to be anywhere near it. With epic action and an often grim intensity that delves into tons of psychological themes, Daredevil is definitely in adults-only territory.

5 'Vikings' (2013–2020)

This 2013 historical drama from History Channel leads its viewers right into the thick of it: conquest, bloodshed, and torturous betrayal. Vikings focuses on the legendary Norse hero Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) and his family.

Vikings is a savage spectacle that delivers a grim worldview. Its action is incredibly epic, with an amazing story to back it, but its intensity can get pretty brutal, making it a truly violent display for both kids and adults. Between skulls being split open with axes and people being roasted alive, Vikings is the perfect watch for audiences in search of pure, epic savagery. While the series is ideal for viewers who love brutal action, Vikings' combination of raw violence, frequent nudity, and harsh Norse mysticism with a bleak tone is far out of the realm for a family viewing.

4 'Spartacus' (2010–2013)

Spartacus, a Starz historical action-drama, is quite infamous for its unapologetic violence featured from start to finish. The blood-soaked swords-and-sandals epic is a dramatization of the story of the gladiator slave, Spartacus (Andy Whitfield), who once led an uprising against Rome.

Spartacus is rife with sexual content and over-the-top violence. Every scene in the show is one of overwhelming blood as bodies splatter and heads roll. The intensity within Spartacus is off the charts, not only in its vicious battle scenes but also in its quite explicit sex scenes, often paired with full-frontal nudity. Spartacus may stand as a bingeworthy icon for adults, but with its gory carnage and often raw sexual brutality, the series is in no way good for kids.

3 'The Walking Dead' (2010–2022)

This post-apocalyptic action show is one drenched in loss and despair. The Walking Dead centers on Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), an Atlanta sheriff’s deputy, who awakens from a coma to find the world overrun by zombies. Rick eventually moves on to lead a band of survivors through a ruined world, dodging zombies and humans alike.

Few shows in the zombie genre are actually suited for children’s eyes, and The Walking Dead is especially not suited for young viewers. From relentless deaths via plain old murder and undead maulings, to heartbreaking emotional cruelty, The Walking Dead is far too heavy for kids. The series is quite notorious for its violence and graphic gore, featuring moments even traumatic for much older viewers. The Walking Dead may be a long-running icon, but the show’s intensity is definitely too much for young audiences.

2 'The Boys' (2019–present)

The Boys is an incredibly gore-filled and mostly hilariously profane superhero satire that takes the cake in intensity. The iconic Prime Video series is set in a world where “heroes” are corporate-owned media celebrities with monstrous private lives, and focuses on a vigilante team of mismatched individuals intent on exposing and stopping them.

The Boys is a series well known for pushing boundaries. The show is one that thrives on shocking its viewers with some of the most graphic and disturbing images ever brought to screens. The series is in no way ideal for kids; in fact, it’s very likely to scar them. As a series that can often be far too much for adult viewers due to its brutal fight scenes—and even violent and entirely too sexual everyday moments—the beloved, outrageous superhero gem is an absolute no-go for kids.

1 'Game of Thrones' (2011–2019)

This incredibly epic fantasy drama is a true game-changer for its genre, standing as the ultimate blueprint for killing off favored main characters. Game of Thrones is an HBO fantasy series that centers around the often warring families of the Seven Kingdoms, who would do anything in their bid for power and the Iron Throne.

Game of Thrones is a no-holes-barred kind of series, with frequent nudity, graphic war scenes, and recurring sexual violence. Its intensity can be pretty brutal on the senses and should absolutely never be witnessed by children. Game of Thrones is no doubt a fantastic watch, with eight seasons of frequent action and enchanting intensity, but the show's blood-soaked imagery, explicit sex scenes—including incestuous ones—and pervasive vulgar language definitely cement its place on this list.