Is Avatar: Seven Havens OK for Kids? Rating, Scary Scenes and What Parents Should Know

Avatar: Seven Havens, the new animated series set after The Legend of Korra, is streaming on Paramount+, and it goes to some darker places than families might expect. Here's what parents should know, with no plot spoilers. For the basic setup, start with our spoiler-light guide to the series.

The rating

Paramount+ rates the show TV-PG and lists it under Kids & Family. Common Sense Media, which shows the same TV rating, recommends it for ages 8 and up and has named it a Common Sense Selection. The two parent reviews on its page so far put it at 9+.

What might scare younger kids

Common Sense reviewer Polly Conway says the series has lots of peril and adventure. Specifically:

• Extreme wind and weather, including sandstorms, threaten the heroes' city, and so do scary entities.
• One character is nearly crushed by rocks before being rescued.
• Characters train for a coming war, and war preparations play a big part in the story.
• Fights happen through bending the elements.

The premise is heavy too. In the official description, being the new Avatar marks the young heroine, Pavi, as humanity's destroyer rather than its savior, and she and her long-lost twin, Nisha, are hunted by human and spirit enemies.

What isn't in it

Common Sense found no bad language, no drinking, drugs or smoking, and no consumerism. Romance stays at the level of small crushes.

The good stuff

The review finds a lot to like in the show's messages: being scared is fine, use your gifts, and family comes in many forms. Pavi is often scared but brave, Nisha is impulsive but kind, and Captain Karthik is stern but fair. Pavi has one leg and uses a wooden prosthetic, which Common Sense says the show handles with respect. Co-executive producer Sehaj Sethi told CBR that the show embraced disability, LGBTQ+ and South Asian representation from the start.

Common Sense suggests talking with kids about bravery, how Pavi copes with fear, and how her sister helps her feel more confident.

What the creators say

Sethi told CBR the twins are nine, and that the show doesn't avoid darker stories because of their age. She called it a show "intended for a seven-year-old but also a 70-year-old."

Co-creator Michael Dante DiMartino said on the Avatar: Braving the Elements podcast, as reported by CBR, that one goal was to make a mystery show. So "if you're a little confused, it's okay," he said, adding that answers to some of those questions are coming. In other words, some confusion in the early chapters is by design.

Before you press play

• Schedule: Book One has 13 chapters. On Paramount+, Chapters 1 to 6 are streaming now, 7 to 9 arrive October 23 and the last four land October 30. Our release schedule has the details, including regional differences.
• Watching order: Paramount+'s own guide suggests Avatar: The Last Airbender, then The Legend of Korra, then the film Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender, then Seven Havens. It says seeing Korra first helps, but that the new Avatar and premise mean newcomers won't be completely lost. Our watch order guide lays out the full timeline.