ANNE WITH AN E
An imaginative orphan finds family, faith, and a place to belong.
Should You Watch It?
ANNE WITH AN E is a visually stunning, emotionally thoughtful series about a bright orphan finding a family. Its strongest gift is the way it portrays love between family members. The Cuthberts’ adoptive family becomes a beautiful, tightly knit unit, while Christian faith, prayer, Scripture, Jesus, and Christmas are treated positively.
The series is also darker than some viewers may expect from ANNE OF GREEN GABLES. Anne carries memories of abuse, faces bigotry, and struggles to fit into polite society. The show adds Romantic and feminist elements, innuendo about growing up and how babies are made, and some light lesbian implications.
Older children and adults can find much here to enjoy and discuss. Younger children may be frightened or confused by the difficult material. For your family, the practical answer is to watch it together if your children are at least 10 and ready for thoughtful conversations about its themes.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESAt the turn of the century, siblings Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert need help caring for their family farm, Green Gables. They send to an orphanage for a boy to assist Matthew, but an imaginative, precocious, red-headed girl named Anne arrives instead.
As Anne and the Cuthberts learn to live together, her unusual personality and painful past clash with the expectations of Avonlea society. Adventures, misunderstandings, and new friendships begin transforming Anne, her family, and the community around them.
Is It Any Good?
Three stars means this is a strong, appealing series with noticeable flaws. The cinematography and landscapes are strikingly beautiful, and the actors are likable and compelling. The characters and dialogue draw you into Anne’s world, and the series gives its family story genuine emotional weight.
The show’s intro uses a modern pop-style song that does not fit the tone. An occasional anachronistic turn of phrase also disrupts the period setting. Still, the dialogue is mostly consistent, and the series’ visual beauty and compelling performances carry it through those weaknesses.
The Worldview
ANNE WITH AN E retains the Christian and moral flavor of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s original world. The Bible is referenced in nearly every episode. Prayer is extolled, Jesus is mentioned, Christmas is celebrated, and Christmas carols are sung. Christianity is usually presented as a source of comfort and meaning.
The series also adds Romantic and feminist elements. Anne follows her dreams and imagination rather than simply accepting society’s expectations, and she challenges the norms around her. The program rejects some of the priest’s thoughts about women belonging in the home. It also includes darker material involving abuse, discrimination, and bigotry, though many of these issues are redeemed through Christian culture, family bonds, and community friendship.
At its heart, the series believes that people can be transformed by love and acceptance. That hope reflects the biblical nearness of God to the wounded: “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Strong Christian, moral worldview with overt references to Scripture, God, Jesus, and Christmas (including Christmas carols), mitigated by some Romantic, feminist elements and some innuendoes about female menstruation and making babies in a couple episodes, plus one episode with light homosexual implications intimates two older female friends may be romantically involved; no foul language in first season episodes; some violence throughout first season includes Anne flashes back to being physically and emotionally abused at previous house, she is whipped with a belt, man falls down and has a heart attack, man accidentally gets between two carriages, and his head crashes against a window, intense fire sequence where Anne is put in danger, criminals beat and rob a man, man who suffered a financial setback contemplates suicide; people are upset with girl who gives a fanciful description of intimate relations between men and women by saying men have a “mouse” in their pocket, euphemistic talk about female menstruation, and light lesbian implications in one episode; no alcohol use, but girls says she knew a man who was a drunkard; no smoking or drugs; and, lying, gossip, bullying, bigotry but often rebuked, plus priest expresses some thoughts about the woman’s place being in the home that the program’s narrative seems to reject.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Anne has endured rejection and abuse but still longs for a family. How can love and belonging help someone heal, and how can your family welcome someone who feels forgotten?
Psalm 27:10 · Romans 12:15–16Anne often challenges the expectations of her society. When is it right to resist social pressure, and how can you pursue your calling with humility?
Romans 12:2 · Galatians 1:10The series shows how gossip, bullying, and bigotry harm a community. What does Jesus command about how we treat people who are different from us?
Matthew 7:12 · John 13:34–35Prayer and Scripture bring comfort and meaning in the story. Where do you turn when you feel alone, afraid, or misunderstood?
Psalm 46:1 · Philippians 4:6–7The Final Word
ANNE WITH AN E is beautiful, compelling, and rooted in family love and Christian faith. Its darker treatment of abuse, bigotry, and growing up calls for discernment, especially with younger viewers. For older children and adults ready to discuss those themes, our answer is WORTH WATCHING — AGES 10 AND UP.
