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Small Axe
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Small Axe
tv·TV-MA·Nov 15, 2020·
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Shop this title
Small Axe
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Search US stores by format. Check the title and edition before buying.
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Catalog availability and subscription terms vary.
Small Axe
tv
TV-MA
November 15, 2020
Wokeometer Rating
9Woke
Scale: 0 = not woke, 10 = maximally woke
TL;DR Verdict
Small Axe earns its 9/10 woke score by centering every episode on institutional critique, systemic racism, and calls for social reform. Skip it if you want stories over political messaging.
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Detailed Analysis
Small Axe is an anthology series of five films that dramatizes Black British experiences of systemic racism across British institutions, including the police, education system, and broader society.
Episodes like Mangrove, Red, White and Blue, Education, Alex Wheatle, and Lover's Rock portray resistance, resilience, and community formation in response to institutional neglect, racial violence, and unofficial segregation policies targeting Black individuals. Director Steve McQueen frames the work as confronting racist systems and advancing narratives of Black liberation. The show's foundational emphasis on these progressive ideological themes of institutional critique and social reform underpins its official overall woke score of 9/10.
Methodology: Each score synthesizes audience discourse, critic and aggregator reception, and press coverage — weighed against the work itself, not any single source.
Detailed BreakdownPro
Identity Politics & Racial Essentialism
Gender Ideology & LGBTQ+ Themes
DEI Casting & Representation Mandates
Preachiness & Message-First Agenda
Corporate & Creator Activism
See how this title scores across all 5 woke subcategories with detailed explanations.
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Is Small Axe Woke?
We've run a full content analysis on Small Axe and scored it 9/10 on the woke scale. Read our detailed breakdown above to see exactly what we found.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of woke content is in Small Axe?
Our analysis checks for themes like identity politics, race-swapping, gender ideology, environmental activism, anti-religious messaging, and other progressive agenda elements. The score breakdown above shows which specific categories were flagged and how heavily they factor into Small Axe's overall score.
Is Small Axe family-friendly?
Wokeometer focuses on ideological content rather than traditional ratings (violence, language, etc.). Small Axe is rated TV-MA. For a full picture, combine our woke analysis with the age rating to decide if it's right for your family.
How does Wokeometer score tv shows?
We evaluate media across multiple ideological categories on a 0–10 scale. Scores of 0–3 mean story-first, 4–6 have moderate elements, and 7–10 flag heavily agenda-driven content. Learn more about our methodology →
