{"id":37287,"date":"2024-06-20T11:03:33","date_gmt":"2024-06-20T15:03:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/?p=37287"},"modified":"2024-06-20T11:03:33","modified_gmt":"2024-06-20T15:03:33","slug":"do-trigger-warnings-spoil-tv-shows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2024\/06\/do-trigger-warnings-spoil-tv-shows.html","title":{"rendered":"Do Trigger Warnings Spoil TV Shows?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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You\u2019re watching one of your favorite shows, and one of the main characters is in a bind. He\u2019s held captive by mercenaries and, for the past two episodes, has struggled to escape a prison. It\u2019s unclear whether the hero will live or die, but the next episode opens with a warning: \u201cThe following contains a depiction of suicide. Viewer discretion is advised.\u201d You think, \u201cWelp, I know how this story ends.\u201d<\/p>\n

So what happens when trigger warnings need spoiler warnings? As content disclaimers trend in television,\u00a0some<\/a>\u00a0viewers<\/a>\u00a0are taking issue when they give away crucial plot details or ruin surprises. Take\u00a0Netflix\u2019s \u201cBaby Reindeer<\/a>,\u201d which dulled a shocking assault scene with a preemptive warning reading, \u201cThe following episode contains depictions of sexual violence which some viewers may find troubling.\u201d Or Apple TV+\u2019s \u201cSeverance,\u201d which tipped viewers off to an episode cliffhanger by revealing, \u201cThe following contains a depiction of self-harm.\u201d Or \u201cBetter Call Saul,\u201d which, on the international streamer Stan, foreshadowed a major character’s death with a suicide hotline number.<\/p>\n

The list goes on: Shows like Netflix\u2019s \u201cYou,\u201d Hulu\u2019s \u201cLife & Beth,\u201d TNT\u2019s \u201cSnowpiercer\u201d and Apple\u2019s \u201cThe Morning Show\u201d have slapped trigger warnings on the beginnings of episodes to alert viewers who may be sensitive to seeing suicide or sexual assault on-screen. Separate from typical parental guidelines \u2014 like a TV-MA rating that warns of drug use or nudity \u2014 trigger warnings are more specific (and more in-your-face). Some flag strobe sequences. Others contextualize \u201coutdated\u201d content. In May,\u00a0AMC was ridiculed<\/a>\u00a0for warning that Martin Scorsese\u2019s 1990 mob epic \u201cGoodfellas\u201d contained \u201ccultural stereotypes that are inconsistent with today\u2019s standards of inclusion and tolerance.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the most common trigger warnings in TV are content advisories relating to self-harm and sexual violence. They became popular after the release of Netflix\u2019s 2017 teen drama \u201c13 Reasons Why<\/a>,\u201d which follows Hannah, a high schooler who dies by suicide and leaves behind a box of cassettes detailing why. The Season 1 finale showed Hannah cutting her arms in the bathtub. A year later, after mental health experts criticized the show for glamorizing suicide and a\u00a0study found<\/a>\u00a0it was \u201cassociated with a significant increase in monthly suicide rates\u201d among teens, Netflix added advisory warnings. And a year after that, Netflix removed the suicide sequence entirely as it debuted the third season.<\/p>\n