TV-PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)

How to read it

The TV Parental Guidelines say many parents may want to watch a TV-PG program with their younger children. The theme itself may call for parental guidance, or the program may have some suggestive dialogue (D), infrequent coarse language (L), some sexual situations (S) or moderate violence (V). The letters printed after the rating, as in TV-PG-V, say which. The network or the program’s producer assigns the rating, episode by episode.

Also searched as: tv pg, tv-pg rating.

The letters are milder at TV-PG

A content letter means less at TV-PG than at a higher rating. The FCC’s 1998 order accepting the Guidelines gives the example: the “V” in TV-PG-V means moderate violence, while the “V” in TV-14-V means intense violence. The content letters page sets out each letter at each level.

TV-PG and PG

The film rating of the same name, the MPA’s PG, also suggests parental guidance and also admits all ages. A PG film gets a descriptor in words, written for that film; a TV-PG program gets letters.

Ratings by episode

TV ratings are given episode by episode, so one series can carry different ratings, and a program edited for a different channel or time of day can be rated differently.