A revamped, reimagined Mr. & Mrs. Smith is taking on the television format over on Prime Video, and revitalizing an oft-failing format.
It takes real skill to create a show based on a movie, but it seems series creators Francesca Sloane and Donald Glover landed on the right formula to make it work. The resulting series has seen a gradual rise in interest as trailers arrive and hook viewers on the unmatched chemistry between leads Donald Glover and Maya Erskine.
The original film is a childhood favorite of mine, but it’s got little in common with Prime Video’s reimagined take on the story. Sure, both releases follow married spies as they work to traverse the hurdles of their unique profession, but in 2024’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith our spies are entirely aware of one another’s backgrounds. In an intriguing flip on the original premise, the titular Jane and John are fully aware of one another’s backgrounds, and their marriage instead comes about as cover for a range of missions.
The series deviates, to some degree, from the action-packed stylings of its predecessor, but that’s not to say that plenty of explosions, gunfire, and violence aren’t in store for viewers. The original sported a middle-of-the-road PG-13 rating, but shows often have more freedom to lean into gore and violence. Will that be the case for Prime’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith, or is the fresh series appropriate for kids?
Prime Video’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith parents guide
Any release sporting the reasonable amount of bloodshed and violence depicted in Mr. & Mrs. Smith‘s trailers is likely unsuitable for young children, but once they start to reach their early teens things loosen up.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith doesn’t have an official rating just yet, but it will likely land around that same middle-of-the-road PG-13 rating. It sports some bloodshed, general violence, light drinking, and occasional swearing, all of which disqualify it from being considered a family-friendly show, but none of which should prevent even younger teens from enjoying it.
Parentguiding.com advises parental discretion for younger viewers, and lists its more “mature” themes as including “moderate to intense” action scenes, “mild” romantic scenes, but no explicit nudity or sexual content, occasional language, occasional alcohol consumption, and occasionally intense or suspenseful moments.
It’s up to parents to decide what their individual kids can handle, and what level of action and suspense is appropriate. For anyone under 13 or so, Mr. & Mrs. Smith is likely a bit mature, but anyone else will find heaps to enjoy in the delightful series.