Live-Action TV / Content Warnings

Examples of Content Warnings in Live-Action TV.

24:
- The series had a content warning for graphic violence, but hilariously in the first two seasons this was only used four times.
- One episode from the final season of the original run was strong enough to bear two content warnings, the latter appearing right before one of Jack's more brutal torture sessions (and also one of the few where he failed to break the victim into talking).
The 700 Club always airs on Freeform with a disclaimer stating that the opinions expressed in the show do not reflect the views of the network. It was a carryover from before Disney acquired the channel, and the contract with Disney/ABC requires that the network airs the show as a Grandfather Clause. Disney wasn't putting up to this. As a Take That!, Freeform will frequently lead into the The 700 Club with programming that specifically clash with the religious, conservative views of the show, such as crass comedy like Family Guy or shows and movies that are outwardly pro-LGBT+. From 2017-2022, Freeform would put forth outright snarky disclaimers as a condemnation of The 700 Club's viewpoints (e.g. "The people at Freeform would like you to know we did not make the next program. We haven't even seen it", "Freeform is not responsible for what you're about to see on your screen. Watch or don't watch. We're okay either way." and "Freeform is not responsible for what is about to appear on your screen. But we're very sorry anyway"), but in October 2022 they seemingly switched back to the less snarky "The following CBN telecast does not reflect the views of this network" disclaimer.
Parodied by The '90s Are All That^note which has this notice at the start of the block:
The following block may not be suitable for people who did not grow up on '90s Nick.
1000 Ways to Die has this warning on point, because if you try ANY of what you see in this show, the outcome is very self-explanatory and you will deserve it!
"Warning! The stories portrayed in this show are based on real deaths and are extremely graphic. Names have been changed to protect the identities of the deceased. Do not attempt to try ANY of the actions depicted! YOU WILL DIE!"
Absolute Proof, a propaganda film by Mike "MyPillow Guy" Lindell alleging that the 2020 Presidential election was rigged in Joe Biden's favor, was released in February 2021 on One America News Network (OAN) with a 90-second disclaimer explicitly stating that the views expressed during the program were Lindell's and not OAN.^note
All in the Family had this before the first episode:
"The program you are about to see is All in the Family. It seeks to throw a humorous spotlight on our frailties, prejudices, and concerns. By making them a source of laughter we hope to show, in a mature fashion, just how absurd they are." [sound of toilet flushing]
Angel normally didn't have warnings, but the season five episode "Hell Bound" involving Serial Killer Pavayne notably had one due to the unsettling torture scenes.
Animal Cops usually has two viewer discretion warnings for graphic content, specifically animal abuse — one at the start and another somewhere in the middle of the episode.
Are You Afraid of the Dark?:
- The show was the first Nickelodeon series to receive this treatment when the TV rating system was introduced. The series was rated TV-Y7 due to its frightening content, explained by the disclaimer. Every other series at the time was rated TV-Y^note, with sitcom reruns on Nick at Nite getting a TV-G rating.
- Keeping in spirit to the original, the 2019 revival has two: a content advisory warning stating "The following program contains material that some children may find scary. Parental discretion is advised." and for one episode "The following program contains flashing images and strobe effects". The revival is also rated TV-PG-V, which is not a common rating for a Nickelodeon original program.
Arrow had this before the 14th episode of season 5, which depicted a mass shooting.
Betty White's Off Their Rockers:
- This warning in the first season:
  "The following contains senior citizens pranking real unsuspecting young people. If you find this offensive...too bad."
- And in the second season:
  "The following contains graphic images of seniors pranking innocent youngsters. None of the names or identifying characteristics have been changed to protect the innocent, because their reactions are just too dang funny..."
Between the Lions on PBS had a promo for the show that warned "The following may not be appropriate for grown-ups. This program contains extreme silliness."
Both parts of The Blacklist episode "Anslo Garrick" aired with warnings about the violent content.
The Boys (2019): The episode "Herogasm" contains a snarky disclaimer at the very beginning before the recap. Given the sheer amount of debauchery present in the titular event (even by the show's standards), this was likely done out of necessity.
Some scenes may not be suitable for some, really most, let's be honest, all viewers. But rest assured that any consensual relationships depicted, be they human, animal, superhero, or other, aren't real, harmed no one, and in fact cost a hilariously large amount of visual effects.
Brain Games: "Parents should not watch this except at their children's discretion."
On Brainiac, particularly dangerous experiments (or anything involving microwaves) are preceded by Richard Hammond popping up and saying "Do not try this at home." Then, a few seconds later, popping up again: "No, really. Don't." When Vic Reeves took over, he changed it to the more thoughtful "Do not try this at home... or indeed anywhere else."
Buffy the Vampire Slayer was the first series on The WB to have such a content warning, due to its violence.
The "Camp Kiki-slasher" and "Fog'd In" episode of Bunk'd had a warning that the episode would be scarier than usual and should be watched with an adult. The first episode involves, well, a slasher, and the second episode involves a brain-altering neurotoxin though it ends up having been a prank.
A Chef's Life had the opening scene of one episode preceded by a parental advisory. The scene in question depicts a seminar on trying to make the art of butchering as humane as possible, which manages to still include enough gore to bump the rating a bit higher up than usual.
Comedy Central has two of these, in harmony with warnings from their other shows:
- "This program is rated TV-MA and is intended for mature audiences." - Reserved for programs that are predominantly mature in nature. South Park doesn't run with this intro, as they likely assume you know that (and they've always had a parody warning of their own anyway), but acquired off-network programs such as Archer and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia do.
- "This program is uncut, and contains strong language and adult situations. Viewer discretion is advised." - Reserved for uncensored showings of CC programs, uncut movies and comedy specials, and certain late-night programs such as The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail that are always shown uncensored. Most TV-MA programs that are aired after midnight, especially on Fridays and Saturdays, will carry this warning. Oddly, It's Always Sunny will often air in uncut form at later hours of the night despite having the first warning.
Ever since Steve Irwin's wife and children returned to Animal Planet in 2018 hosting a documentary series without him, the network has begun rebroadcasting classic episodes of Crocodile Hunter. At the beginning of each segment of a rebroadcast, the original airdate is given, presumably so viewers won't get the wrong impression and think, for example, that Steve is still alive or people can still have the kind of encounters at Sea World he describes.
The Crown
- The series has the following before the Season 4 episodes that depict Diana’s eating disorder.
  "The following episode includes scenes of an eating disorder which some viewers may find troubling. Viewer discretion is advised."
- The website of an organization which offers help to those struggling with ED is also shown onscreen.
The Cosby Show has a subversion. One early episode is about a Slumber Party, and mostly has to do with Cliff spending time with Rudy and some other kids of her age, so it opens with a voiceover from Rudy's actress telling us that the episode is especially for kids.
CSI: NY's only episode to include one of these was "Yahrzeit". Discretion was advised due to the subject matter being the horrors of The Holocaust, along with the racism that spawned from it, and thus quite possibly disturbing to some viewers.
CTV aired The Osbournes and The Sopranos with a disclaimer that "Some adults may be offended by the content", for the former's language and the latter's language, violence, and sexual content.
Despite the Shudder docuseries Cursed Films overall focus on horror movies, the Twilight Zone: The Movie episode is so far the only one to carry a content advisory due to inclusion of uncensored footage of the helicopter accident that killed Vic Morrow and two child extras.
The Daily Show is often aired outside the United States on networks that may have real news reporting or other serious content, or in countries with legal requirements for the impartiality and moderation of all news broadcasts. As such, these airings get the following warning:
The show you are about to see is a News Parody. Its stories are not fact checked. Its reporters are not journalists. And its opinions are not fully thought through.
A Different World had the following warning for two episodes: "Tonight's episode deals with a subject that is sensitive in nature. Viewer discretion is advised." One was for Freddie's Date Rape Averted episode, and the other was for the one where Tisha Campbell's character disclosed that she had AIDS.
Doctor Who:
- The DVD of Series 5, Volume 1 warns that it contains "smoking scenes". Most of them involve Winston Churchill.
- "The Web of Fear" was originally broadcast with a warning from the Doctor, in character, talking to children at home to warn them that the Yeti is returning and that they're scarier than last time, so "if Mummy and Daddy are scared, you just get them to hold your hand." While the episode is unusually scary, this was also the child-friendly equivalent of Rated M for Money, since the Yeti were very popular monsters at the time. Only the audio has survived, but you can watch a fanmade reconstruction here.
Dr. Pimple Popper: Each episode, which always features multiple up close and personal surgical procedures, begins with the following message: "This program examines dermatological conditions and the procedures involved with treating them. Due to their graphic nature, viewer discretion is advised".
When Forensic Files airs on Court TV, several different episodes have content warnings on them, which include references to or images of sexual assault, graphic violence or even the occasional decedent's body/autopsy photo. Unfortunately, these warnings do not appear on their airings on HLN.
On Ellen, from "The Puppy Episode" (when Ellen Degeneres came out as a lesbian) onwards, ABC placed warnings for "adult content" before each segment.
Euphoria:
- Seemingly odd considering it's an HBO show, but because the show's gritty subject matter involves characters in their late teens, each episode opens with this message that follows the normal rating/content advisory bumpers:
  The following episode contains violence, nudity and sexual content that may be disturbing to viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.
- Zendaya issued messages on her social media before the premieres of the first and second seasons reiterating this.
  Season 1: Just a reminder before tonight’s premiere, that Euphoria is for mature audiences. It's a raw and honest portrait of addiction, anxiety and the difficulties of navigating life today. There are scenes that are graphic, hard to watch and can be triggering. Please only watch if you feel you can handle it. Do what’s best for you. I will still love you and feel your support. Love, Daya.
  Season 2: I know I've said this before, but I do want to reiterate to everyone that Euphoria is for mature audiences. This season, maybe even more so than the last, is deeply emotional and deals with subject matter that can be triggering and difficult to watch. Please only watch it if you feel comfortable. Take care of yourself and know that either way you are still loved, and I can still feel your support. All my love, Daya.
Family Matters: The "Stevil" episode had Jaleel White in character as Urkel delivering a warning about its potentially scary content.
Frontline:
- The PBS series did a special episode on the porn industry entitled "American Porn", which began with a warning very uncommon to see on a PBS show. Not only that, but a red box with the words "Adult Material" appeared on-screen in the top left corner for the entire length of the program.
  Tonight's program contains explicit sexual images, explicit descriptions of sexual acts, strong language, and violence. Viewer discretion is advised.
- The episode "The Merchants of Cool", which discusses how marketers appeal to teenagers, included some clips from MTV (notably The Tom Green Show, Jackass and Undressed), Dawson's Creek, Howard Stern's film Private Parts, Cruel Intentions, and even an unbleeped Cluster F-Bomb courtesy of the Insane Clown Posse. Thus, it has a similarly unusual warning for a PBS show preceding it:
  Tonight's program contains graphic language and graphic and sexually suggestive imagery. Viewer discretion is advised.
- Even early on in Frontline’s run, the episode "Death Of A Porn Queen" (about the tragic career of Shauna Grant) opens with this warning:
  The following program contains partial nudity, and graphic scenes and language. It is not suitable for viewing by young children. Parental discretion is advised.
‘’Gen V’’ opens episodes featuring Marie’s use of her weaponized blood with a warning that the episode depicts self-harm. There are additional warnings before “God U” that the episode contains depiction of suicide due to the death of Golden Boy and “Guardians of Godolkin” for depictions of violence on a school campus.
When Goosebumps (1995) first aired on Fox Kids, it was originally preceded with the following disclaimer: "Goosebumps is rated GB-7, because it may be too spooky for kids under seven." Later, after the introduction of the TV Parental Guidelines system, GB-7 was replaced with the actual TV-Y7 rating.
HBO Max now displays the following before movies or shows that depict suicide:
“This film/episode contains elements related to mental health and self-harm that may be upsetting for some viewers. If you or a loved one is in crisis, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK, or the crisis text line (text TALK to 741741) to talk to someone who can help.”
The Hogan Family: The second-season episode "Bad Timing", where a frank discussion between David and his girlfriend involves the use of the word "condom", was one of the first Dom Com episodes to address safe sex; as such, it had one of these read before the episode, as well as commercials for birth-control products and safe-sex PSAs that aired during the airing. The pre-episode disclaimer was kept in syndicated airings of the episode^note. (And yes, David and his girlfriend decided to "wait".)
Impractical Jokers:
WARNING: The following program contains scenes of graphic stupidity among four lifelong friends who compete to embarrass each other.
In Search of... was one of the first series to discuss not so much mature as controversial content (the paranormal, supernatural, and extraterrestrials among other things), and it began the tradition of pointing out that the program is primarily based on hypothesis and conjecture and should not be taken for absolute fact: that the show presents a view... "but not necessarily the only view" concerning the topics. Later series and documentaries kept this disclaimer and may add that "viewers are encouraged" to "form their own opinion".
Interview with the Vampire (2022):
- "In Throes of Increasing Wonder..." ends with a list of suicide prevention resources because of the scene where Louis de Pointe du Lac's brother Paul purposefully falls to his death.
- "Like Angels Put in Hell by God" opens with a content advisory for domestic violence; in an odd case, it wasn't so much for the content of that episode but the one prior to it, which caused a great deal of controversy for not including a warning due to Lestat de Lioncourt brutally beating his boyfriend Louis in the climax.
Jackass:
- The series originally had this:
  Jackass features stunts performed by professionals and/or total idiots. In either case, MTV insists that neither you nor any of your dumb little buddies attempt the dangerous crap in this show.
- On the second season, after a couple of kids failed to get the hint, and thanks to complaints from people like Joe Lieberman, they switched to a straighter, narrated message:
  Johnny Knoxville: (narrating the message) Warning: The following show features stunts performed either by professionals or under the supervision of professionals. Accordingly, MTV and the producers must insist that no one attempt to recreate or re-enact any stunt or activity performed on this show.
- In a similar vein, "home video" shows tend to stipulate, essentially, "Don't do anything stupid" or the submission will be rejected.
The Jerry Springer Show featured a content warning before many episodes.
Jurassic Fight Club on The History Channel has this:
The following is a graphic depiction of a violent prehistoric battle. Viewer discretion is advised.
One complete series DVD box set of The Kids in the Hall bears a parental advisory sticker for strong language not unlike CDs, which is rare for DVDs that aren't of live concerts.
Little House on the Prairie: Several episodes dealing with racism were not shy about using the word "nigger", and each of them had a discretionary message alerting viewers beforehand that characters were going to use the word. Michael Landon's scripts reflected the harsh realities of the 1800s, where men who hated African-Americans regularly used the word in reference to them.
The DVD of the British factual television parody Look Around You is rated 12 for, among other things, "dangerous experiments". While its experiments are of course completely nonsensical, some (such as fishing an egg out of boiling water with your bare hands, or connecting a big chunk of metal to the mains) would be legitimately dangerous if attempted in real life, and "dangerous if attempted in real life" has always been a massive red flag for the BBFC.
Majisuka Gakuen:
Season 1: This show is an extension of a school drama, therefore the acting may be poor at times. We ask for the viewer's understanding.
Season 2: Like season 1, but adds "However, some of the acting have improved."
Season 3: Like season 1, but adds "As we enter the third season, some of the acting may be even worse."
Married... with Children:
- The show had one warning in one of the Christmas specials, mainly because of an accident mentioned but not seen by the family that involved a drunken parachutist dressed like Santa Claus falling to his death in front of a stadium full of children.
- Early-2020s airings of the show on Logo had a "This program is airing in its original form" disclaimer at the bottom of the screen at the start of the episode, following the intro.
Parodied by Hugh Dennis on Mock the Week:
And now the Antiques Roadshow. This programme contains scenes of tedious dullness right from the start.
Monty Python's Flying Circus made fun of this:
Eric Idle: There are scenes of violence, people's heads being ripped off, and their toenails being pulled out in slow motion. Then there's a scene where you can see everything, but my friend says it's just all in the way he's holding the spear.
Disney+ prefaced the season 1 finale of Ms. Marvel (2022) with a warning that “There are certain scenes in this fictional series that some viewers may find upsetting.” This is likely referring to the DODC storming the high school in the climax and shooting at/physically assaulting the teenage protagonists.
The Muppet Show:
- The series had a segment that opened with Kermit warning the audience, "some scenes may not be suitable for adults".
- When Disney+ added all five seasons to their service, they placed a content warning in front of 18 episodes that depict racial stereotypes or other problematic material (such as Johnny Cash appearing in front of a Confederate flag).
My 600 Lb Life opens with an advisory that the program contains actual surgical procedures, and that viewer discretion is advised.
Mythbusters both parodies and plays this trope straight. At several intervals before and during the show, members of the Mythbusters team will appear and warn viewers not to try any of their experiments at home. However, they will also playfully put up a screen saying WARNING: SCIENCE CONTENT! before some of the more detailed explanations. Adam Savage has stated he hates the disclaimers, because there are a lot of things he does want people to try at home (as such, they do on occasion make it clear when an experiment is indeed safe to replicate, such as the Mentos-and-Diet-Coke trick... they just strongly urge that you do that one outside to avoid having a big sticky mess in your living room).
Parodied with one of the promotional posters for the 2021 revival of Name That Tune, which states "Viewer Advisory: No Lyrics!"^note
Parodied in one episode of Night and Day with messages overlaid on-screen during scenes in which Natalie Harper behaves entirely out-of-character. They progress from "Warning: smoking kills", to "Warning: Drinking may cause a downward spiral into the abyss", to "Shagging your daughter's ex-boyfriend can seriously damage your health" (particularly fitting since the ex-boyfriend in question has apparently become possessed by a demon).
Normal People has a content warning in front of the episode dealing with Rob’s death by suicide and Connell’s resulting depression, which is portrayed very realistically.
The fifth-season NUMB3RS episode "Thirty-Six Hours" deals with a train derailment. It was written and filmed before the Chatsworth Metrolink crash, but was shown after. At the start of the episode, David Krumholtz gives a content warning that establishes the episode was written and filmed before the tragedy and gives a warning so those who might find the story disturbing can make an informed decision.
Similar to the Stranger Things example below, Obi-Wan Kenobi premiered only two days after the Uvalde elementary school shooting. As the first episode opens with Anakin’s massacre of younglings in the Jedi Temple during Order 66, Disney+ added the following:
“Although this fictional series is a continuation of the story from Star Wars movies filmed many years ago, some scenes may be upsetting to viewers in light of the recent tragic events.”
Global Television Network gave The Office (US) a content warning that said, "Due to some graphic and mature adult content, parental discretion is advised."
In 1977, an independent station that was rerunning The Outer Limits (1963) gave it this warning that the content might not be suitable for young children.
Pulp Sport: At the beginning of the penultimate season, this content warning appeared.
Warning: The new series of Pulp Sport contains offensive language and full frontal nudity. And cross-dressing, male-assisted hand jobs, fat-o-grams, masturbating with scissors, mascot suicide, excessive homo-eroticism, bondage, bestiality, vandalism, theft, repeated vomiting, copyright infringement, drug use, rectal enemas, facial urination, exploitation of women, guy-on-guy porn, excessive violence, prostitution, Jordan Luck, swimming in other people's pools, Arabian goggles, more theft, animal masturbation, homophobic reference, binge drinking, and... Rodney Hide. You have been warned.
Quatermass II: "Before we begin the fourth episode of Quatermass II, we'd like to say that in our opinion it is not suitable for children, or those of you who may have a nervous disposition." — Retraux content warnings, 1955 style.
The Investigation Discovery docuseries ‘’Quiet on Set’’ opens each episode with the following:
“This series investigates the abuses experienced by children from the adults they were expected to trust. Viewer discretion advised.”
Some airings of The ABC's Rage on their youth channel ABC Me open with a disclaimer stating that some of the music videos shown may not be suitable for younger audiences.
The Red Dwarf episode "Polymorph" has a "built-in" content warning at the beginning of the episode, although it was meant as a joke rather than a sincere attempt to warn the viewer.
The Revolution episode "The Stand" (which had lots of blood, gore, and graphic war scenes) used a menacing red splash-screen to display a content warning. Curiously, no episode since then has used the warning, not even "Children of Men", which also featured heavy war violence.
RFDS (2021): Every episode starts with a splash panel warning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers that the series sometimes contains images of people who have died, considered a taboo in many indigenous Australian cultures but unavoidable for a Medical Drama series.
At the end of each episode of Robot Wars (at least the Nick GAS airings), the announcer warns viewers at home that building a robot is extremely dangerous and should not be attempted without great care.
An episode of Roundhouse had David Nicoll getting a painful wedgie. The scene is interrupted by Lisa informing viewers not to try it at home, and that Roundhouse does not condone wedgies, before resuming the show.
As of summer 2020, NBC is airing classic episodes of Saturday Night Live with their Saturday evening lineup, preceded by a warning that the program contains material that originally aired at a later hour, and that viewer discretion is advised. This also happens for prime-time holiday and election specials. Hilariously, when the Christmas special was aired in 2020, some NBC affiliates issued a breaking-news report during "Dick In a Box", which made the special significantly less awkward to watch if there were children or grandparents in the room.
Before early broadcasts of The WB's Savannah, the channel had their mascot Michigan J. Frog singing the advisory warning.
There's more comedy for the family Wednesday night ^note
Stick around, you drama fans, Savannah's on tonight^note
Scare Tactics (2003): "You know how some shows say 'Don't Try This at Home'? Well, this is one of those." You have to hear it in Tracy Morgan's voice to get the full effect, though.
The late-1980s CBC series Seeing Things had a disclaimer when it was rebroadcast only a few years later, warning viewers that the depiction of women on television "was not always the same as it is now". However, after being ridiculed by Canadian media for Political Overcorrectness, the network abandoned the disclaimer.
Sesame Street used to post its resource kit videos on subjects such as incarceration, long-term medical treatment, and the effects of military service on families on the Internet in wholesale form. Each such video opens with a recommendation that adults screen said video before entire families watch it together.
Soap began each episode with a "parental discretion advised" warning, primarily because it was one of the first ongoing TV series to feature an openly gay character.
Square One TV partly spoofed this at the beginning of its "Angle Dance" music video, which actually does have mildly suggestive lyrics:
The following song includes graphic descriptions of obtuse and acute angles. Viewers who might be offended by this subject matter should not view this program.
Star Trek: Voyager has a couple of In-Universe examples.
- In "Living Witness" a future civilization watches a (very much inaccurate) holo-recording of an incident that the good ship Voyager was involved in. The presenter warns his audience that the events are "graphic and unsettling"; between the Cold-Blooded Torture of a prisoner and the execution of two others, he's not kidding.
- In "Author, Author", the Doctor creates an anvilicious holonovel about a holographic doctor coping with the prejudice of his organic crewmembers. In his introduction he warns that "persons with vascular disorders should consult a physician before running this programme."
Steve Coogan did a parody of this on one of his DVDs which warned that the show contained bad language, almost all of it in the warning itself.
Stranger Things Season 4 premiered only a few days after the Uvalde, Texas elementary school mass shooting. As the first episode opens with an intensely violent scene involving children, Netflix hastily added the following disclaimer before the Season 3 recap:
“We filmed this season of Stranger Things a year ago. But given the recent tragic shooting at a school in Texas, viewers may find the opening scene of episode 1 distressing. We are deeply saddened by this unspeakable violence, and our hearts go out to every family mourning a loved one.”
Overlapping with Our Lawyers Advised This Trope because of the ongoing nature of the sexual assault allegations against R. Kelly, the Lifetime docuseries Surviving R. Kelly, contains a lengthy series of disclaimers and content warnings presented separately in succession, and repeated after every commercial break:
- R. Kelly has denied all claims related to sexual assault, domestic violence/abuse, and sexual misconduct with minors.
- Kelly’s lawyer claims that Kelly has witness statements and evidence showing his innocence, but cannot release them due to the active court cases against him.
- His lawyer also alleged that Kelly "is the subject of a smear campaign" and that "the accusers have not acted like victims at all" because "they have used their accusations to promote contemporaneous books, albums, and speaking tours."
- Due to explicit discussion of sex involving minors, parental discretion is advised.
Tales from the Crypt ran a special warning before each episode, where the Crypt Keeper would pop up at the end.
Canadian political satire show This Hour Has 22 Minutes begins with a (semi-)serious disclaimer, followed up with a more topical, satirical one that changes each week. Example:
"This Hour Has 22 Minutes is a satirical examination of daily events. Some viewers may not share this sense of humour."
"Warning! To politician! The experiment is over! Return to the mother ship! Return to the mother ship!"
Too Cute has this:
The following program contains material that is just too cute. Viewer discretion is advised.
Top Gear parodied this with a sign warning live audiences that they don't have potentially seizure-inducing strobe lights, because they ran out of budget.
PBS broadcasts of The Tunnel begin with this warning:
The following program contains content^* which may not be suitable for all audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.
When the UFC is broadcast on FOX, a rather boastful disclaimer airs reading
The following might be the most exciting live sporting event in the history of television, and it's our duty to say: VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED.
VU, a selective daily recap of French television, always starts with a disclaimer (as did its predecessor, Zapping).
VU reflects television, and can contain image that are unsuitable for younger audiences.^note
Parodied on Weird Warfare, which has a warning before each segment that describes the bizarre military concepts it will explore: "The following program features a Hitler sex change and exploding pancakes. Viewer discretion is advised."
When Spooks aired in the United States on PBS as MI-5, it came with a warning for "content some viewers may find objectionable".
"Tosh.0 features videos from the internet and is intended for a mature audience. Comedy Central does not condone the activities performed and discourages anyone from attempting them. Enjoy."
The original Unsolved Mysteries usually opened with "This program is about unsolved mysteries. Whenever possible, the actual family members and police officials have participated in recreating the events. What you are about to see is not a news broadcast."
The Animal Planet series The Vet Life begins thus: "Due to the occasional graphic nature of veterinary surgical procedures featured in this series, viewer discretion is advised."
A celebrity episode of Wheel of Fortune featured Chris Harrison, who had then-recently stepped down from The Bachelor due to backlash about racist statements. As such, the Wheel episode had a disclaimer onscreen that the episode was recorded in December 2020 before Harrison's controversy began. Earlier episodes from that year included disclaimers that they were recorded prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic to explain the lack of social distancing and the promotion of prize vacations overseas that would not be viable during an international pandemic.
When ABC Family first picked up Whose Line Is It Anyway?, they placed it in a 10p.m. weeknight timeslot. When the time came, they used bumpers with stick figure animation and voiceover to humorously tell everyone that Whose Line? is for grownups, and the kids should go to bed.
The Without a Trace episode "Sons And Daughters" featured this, due to several explicit scenes of teenagers participating in orgies.
Wonder Showzen:
- Though the theme song claimed it to be a "kid's show, kid's show. Oh, Good Lord, it's a kid's show," viewers were warned in no uncertain terms by a disclaimer shown in the beginning and after commercials:
  WARNING:
  WONDER SHOWZEN CONTAINS OFFENSIVE, DESPICABLE CONTENT THAT IS TOO CONTROVERSIAL AND TOO AWESOME FOR ACTUAL CHILDREN. THE STARK, UGLY, PROFOUND TRUTHS WONDER SHOWZEN EXPOSES MAY BE SOUL CRUSHING TO THE WEAK OF SPIRIT. IF YOU ALLOW A CHILD TO WATCH THIS SHOW, YOU ARE A BAD PARENT OR GUARDIAN.
- Showings on MTV2 had a yellow box defining the TV-MA rating in the lower lefthand corner of the screen while the theme song was playing.
- The DVD sets have a "Not for children" disclaimer on their covers.
World's Dumbest... parodied this at times, but most often played it straight, especially with regard to their Daredevils or Thrillseekers episodes - for those, every time the show came back from a commercial break, there would be a warning discouraging the audience from attempting to re-enact stunts featured on the show or performing new ones in the same vein. Other times, the warnings were more comedic, and only came up whenever a dangerous stunt was featured in an episode whose topic generally did not include dangerous stunts. Specifically, one stunt was labeled, "DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! UNLESS YOU'RE DANNY BONADUCE."
The X-Files: The episodes "Home" and "Via Negativa" were the only two episodes to be preceded by viewer discretion warnings.
You Can't Do That on Television: The episode "Inequality" replaces its Couch Gag pre-emption bumper with one of these, that reads "The following program contains certain scenes which may not be suitable for mature audiences. Juvenile discretion is advised."
The two Zoom specials dealing with the September 11th attacks and their aftermath began with a warning about the intensity of the subject matter and a suggestion that their young viewers find a grownup to watch it with them.

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