Tween-targeted, superpower-focused comedy has violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Fantastic Four</em></a>, <a href=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/"/movie-reviews/fantastic-four-rise-of-the-silver-surfer">Silver Surfer</a>, Soyogo Shima are mentioned. Some celebrities' names come up.</p>
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Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
some
Some brief, scary scenes with dark, encroaching clouds, spooky voices, a girl feeling chased by something invisible. Quick-paced action includes a kid learning she has superpowers that enhance her strength so that when she kicks a trash can, for instance, it flies up into a tree. A young teen throws a smoke bomb down a pipe and captures another teen by throwing nunchucks at him. A teen punches and kicks bags, throws fan-shaped throwing stars as practice for "hunting" teen monsters. Peril includes nearly being hit by a car. There's bullying among students and cliques.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.
All the students, who are in middle school, have smartphones and use them frequently. TikTok, YouTube, Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer, Soyogo Shima are mentioned. Some celebrities' names come up.
Positive Messages
some
An optimistic outlook can help you to go places. The world is bigger than your phone. Be loyal to your friends. Don't be intimidated by bullies. Being an outsider makes you cooler. Be unpredictable. Stay curious. Communicate your feelings. Work toward your goals. Don't give up.
Diverse Representations
some
The cast is quite diverse, though race/ethnicity isn't part of storylines. The main character is of Latin and Taiwanese descent, her adoptive parents are Black and mixed-race. Other characters are Latino, Middle Eastern, and White. A friend appears to identify as gender nonconforming.
Some emotional cues can be helpful to kids who feel awkward or as though they are outsiders.
Positive Role Models
a little
The core friends are unfailingly supportive. Kids are shown as quite independent. Adults in the show are usually nice, but they aren't fully fleshed out as characters. The parents keep track of what's going on, setting boundaries as needed, but they don't have very influential roles. Teachers and school staff are caricatures.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that I Woke Up a Vampire is an action-packed comedy about a suburban tween girl who discovers she has superpowers that must have come from a biological parent (she was adopted as a baby). There are people hunting her type of "blended" creature -- part monster, part human -- and they're more likely to treat her violently because she has superpowers. Violent and perilous content includes a tween boy who throws an explosive device down a pipe to flush out the creature he's hunting. He then throws nunchucks at the creature to shrink it to a tiny size. Expect to see punching and kicking bags, shoving, chasing people, and verbal bullying at the middle school. Spooky voices and images might scare youngest viewers, but the main character's optimism acts as a sunny shield. The cast is very diverse, and character strengths include curiosity and teamwork.
romance is clearly present as teenage boys and girls are flirting
What's the Story?
In I WOKE UP A VAMPIRE, Carmie (Kaileen Chang) awakens from a nightmare where she's being chased by a voice whispering "vampling," only to find herself floating above her bed. It's her 13th birthday, and something is very different. For one, there's the floating thing, and now her bulldog is talking to her in English. On her walk to school with her friend Kev (Nico Ceci), Carmie kicks a trashcan in frustration and it goes flying across the street and gets stuck in a tree. Always the optimist, Carmie isn't fazed by these changes; in fact, she thinks it's her time to shine in the school musical. Will her powers go away? Or will they intensify? How will they affect her life?
A lukewarm script and middling special effects hinder a cute premise in this tween vampire series. There are middle school mean girls, a weird comic book shop, budding superpowers, adoption themes, and TikTok-type dance numbers in I Woke Up a Vampire -- all of which will draw middle-school viewers to the action-packed series.
The violence and threat are on the light side for a vampire show, though spooky voices coming from dark clouds might frighten the most sensitive viewers. Parents will probably get a little bored, wishing for some juicy Easter eggs to keep the content fresh for them, too.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how when Carmie finds out she's got superpowers, her best friend works hard to help her stay safe. How does teamwork help you feel good?
Carmie's curiosity is piqued when she begins to learn about her superpowers thinking they came from her birth parents. What mysteries do you want to solve?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Joly Herman
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
