Why School Spirits Is Rated MA

One of the biggest new shows on Paramount+ this year is the teen supernatural series School Spirits, blending coming-of-age drama with the paranormal. In contrast to its contemporaries like Riverdale or The Vampire Diaries, School Spirits is rated MA for mature audiences. Here’s why.

Why School Spirits Got an MA Rating

The show follows a teenager named Maddie Nears, who suddenly finds herself in the afterlife after she was apparently murdered on the grounds of her high school. Acclimating to her ghostly existence, Maddie struggles to recall the exact circumstances of her death. With the help of both her living and the spirits of her already deceased friends, Maddie sets out to investigate her own murder, including identifying her killer.

The apparent reason for the more mature content rating is the use of more harsh profanity, with plenty of f-bombs and s-bombs being thrown around, something many of School Spirits’ counterparts on broadcast television understandably avoided. There is some mild nudity, with no genitalia shown, and suggestive content, and occasional discussions about sex, but certainly nothing on par with series like Euphoria. Characters also indulge in all manner of substance abuse, from alcohol to illegal narcotics.

Given its premise, there are plenty of intense moments and instances of on-screen violence, with blood visibly spilled, but nothing all that graphic. People get physically violent with each other, gruesome bodily wounds are inflicted, and someone is burned alive, but the violence itself is relatively tamer than most horror movies, particularly slasher films.

Ultimately, School Spirits uses its MA rating to better capture an authentic portrait of the contemporary high school experience rather than shock or titillate its audience. As long as viewers are fine with profanity and teenage characters in intense, life-threatening situations, they shouldn’t be put off by the content in the show’s inaugural season.