Heads Up, Parents: Spinning Out Is Definitely Not a Warm and Fuzzy Sports Drama For Kids

The entire premise of Spinning Out relies on the fact that its leading lady, Kat, is a former singles skater who is forced to quit because of a physically and mentally traumatic injury. In the opening minutes of the first episode, we see a flashback to the day of her accident, and it’s intense and a little bit graphic, with blood from her injury seen on screen without cutting away. Even though it’s framed as a flashback, so we know Kat is OK, it’s still a scary moment right off the bat.

Kat’s isn’t the only nasty accident seen almost immediately: a pairs skater sustains a terrifying injury to her foot when her partner’s blade comes too close. If your child (or you) is sensitive to depictions of injury, be forewarned.

There are countless love triangles (and other shapes) throughout the first season of Spinning Out, and with many of the involved characters being adults, the show doesn’t avoid it when the relationships turn sexual. Several of the characters have more than one sexual relationship over the course of the season, and while it’s not necessarily HBO-level graphic sex or full nudity, the romance subplots do include a fair amount of obvious and matter-of-fact sexual content. It’s definitely not suitable for younger children.

Any real-life sports fans will know that there have been a series of abuse scandals rocking several sports, most famously in USA women’s gymnastics. Spinning Out tackles those real-life events head-on, with a storyline in which Kat suspects her teenage sister, Serena, is being taken advantage of by an adult man. Be prepared for discussions about these issues.

Spoilers: There is a psychologically horrifying, emotionally intense fallout from these suspicions that includes a brief depiction of nonsexual violence.

Figure skating is physically grueling, and Spinning Out shows that side of the sport without flinching. Throughout the series, there are several scenes that depict the often-gruesome injuries the athletes sustain. Jenn deals with a recurrent hip injury, while the badly damaged feet of several skaters are occasionally shown in close-up.

It’s very likely that younger viewers might be drawn to Spinning Out because figure skating is a glamorous sport that’s fun to watch. This show, however, deals much more with the interpersonal drama and the day-to-day grind of training rather than the sparkly finished product in competition. The trailers may look like Ice Princess or The Cutting Edge, but it’s a decidedly more adult show than those familiar titles. It should be suitable for teens who are ready to consume content that’s more intense, but for younger audiences, this probably isn’t the show for them.