Platonic
NZ release: 15 May 2023
Offensive language, sexual themes, drug use Rated on: 15 May 2023
Season 1: Episodes 1-4
What’s it about?
Former childhood best friends reconnect as adults and try to get past the rift that led to their falling out.
The facts
- Directed by Nicholas Stoller
- English language
- Runtime: ~30 minutes per episode
- Starring Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne
Why did it get this rating?
This series was self-rated by Apple TV+. You can find out more about self-rating by streaming providers here. Apple has rated this series at an episode level, with most episodes rated 13 with warnings for offensive language and sexual themes. We outline the most impactful content below as episode 4 is rated 16 and includes drug use.
Sexual themes
Friends frequently banter about sex. A husband and wife joke about the partners’ orgy at a work function.
We see a couple kissing and moving to the bedroom. He takes his top off and asks for her consent to have sex, but the scene ends abruptly.
Offensive language
There is plenty of swearing used in the show, for exclamation as well as insults. Examples include ‘f*ck’, ‘f*cking’, 'sh*t’, and ‘arse’.
Drug use and references
A character verbally offers marijuana gummies to a friend.
A character waves a small bag of white powder at his friend and references having ‘dessert’. There are references to cocaine and various alternative names for the drug are used. We see a friend peer pressure another into doing the cocaine. We see a group of friends in a toilet stall snorting a white substance. A character is upset after learning that they’ve consumed “CK” (cocaine and ketamine) but their anger is mellowed as the drugs take effect. The following sequence of events are humorous and played for laughs as the character becomes nearly comatose in a convenience store. There are no real consequences for the drug use except waking up feeling hungover and remorseful for taking the drugs.
Content that may disturb
We see characters get drunk in a bar, with a montage of people performing their ‘secret skills’ to a large crowd in the bar. People dance on the bar top, and glasses are accidentally smashed. A character walks through the smashed glass and slips. We see a large shard of glass sticking out of their arm. There’s a brief close up shot of the glass being pulled out and blood oozing.
A character shows his drunken friends how to smash up e-scooters for fun, including throwing them over fences, and at lampposts. There appear to be no consequences for the dangerous and destructive behaviour.
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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