Ballard

NZ release: 09 July 2025

Violence, self-harm, drug references, adult themes, offensive language Rated on: 08 August 2025

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What’s it about?

LAPD Detective Renee Ballard must outwit both criminals and colleagues as she moves to oversee a new cold case division, plunging her into a web of murder and corruption.

The facts

  • Created by Michael Alaimo and Kendall Sherwood
  • Starring Maggie Q (Nikita), Michael Mosley (Ozark), Rebecca Field (A Star Is Born)
  • English language
  • 10 episodes, which are approximately 46 minutes each

Why did it get this rating?

This series was self-rated by PrimeVideo. You can find out more about self-rating by streaming providers here.

Violence

This show focuses on themes of crime and investigation, featuring shootings, crime scenes, fistfights, and depictions of dead bodies, however, the violence is not very graphic. Murder is frequent and characters are shot, beaten, and killed. There are shootouts and displays of blood and injury, but nothing out of the ordinary for a police show. The strongest scene includes:

  • In a fight scene a woman wakes up to find a man strangling her. They fight, including stabbing, elbowing and punching each other She struggles to get away from him and stabs him in the leg with a wooden door stopper. The man seizures after she busts his windpipe. She cuts a small opening in his throat before putting a straw in to open his windpipe and save him.

Sexual assault references

A woman tells her friend that a man tried to assault her at a party.

Drug references

The use of drugs is referenced in relation to the alleged criminals that the unit is searching for.

Offensive language

This show contains offensive language, with words like “f**k,” “b*tch” and “sh*t.”

When content stays with you:

We all have our boundaries, and it’s completely okay if something you’ve watched is weighing on your mind. If certain content lingers with you, consider having a chat with friends or whānau to debrief about what you’ve just seen. But if you’re still feeling affected, please reach out to any of the following helplines for support.  

Further information

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