Swarm

What’s it about?

Dre’s obsession with a famous popstar leads her on a murderous path across the United States. The series is a dark cultural parody about fandoms.

The facts

• Directed and produced by Donald Glover (Atlanta)
• English language
• 7 episodes, around 35 mins each

Why did it get this rating?

This show was self-rated by Amazon Prime Video. You can find out more about self-rating by streaming providers here.

Sex

The episodes show sexual activity, including oral sex and masturbation.

Dre works in a strip club. The strippers are invited to a party to have sex with a group of men, resulting in an orgy.

There are several sexual references, including discussions about sexual pleasure and virginity.

Full-frontal male and female nudity, and buttock nudity, is shown in the episodes. A man’s penis is pixelated during a masturbation scene.

There are references to sexual violence.

Violence

Dre brutally kills people by using a mace to sedate them and then bludgeons them with household objects. The killings occur off-screen, but Dre and the environment is sprayed with blood.

Characters are also bitten, shot, or strangled.

A character is involved in a verbally and physically abusive relationship. The physical abuse is not shown on-screen, but some scenes show her with a bruised and scratched face.

A person is run over by a car.

Some scenes are quite shocking and could disturb younger viewers.

Suicide/self-harm

A character kills herself after finding out her boyfriend cheated on her. Her death occurs off-screen, but Dre discovers the body. It is suggested that the character overdosed on pills. The suicide has a strong effect on Dre, who goes into a deep depression and deals with the pain by going on a killing spree.

Dre crushes a glass with her hand. Blood spills through her fingers.

Cruelty

Dre is an outcast, often teased for being a virgin and a member of a fandom.

Dre reads online posts about her friend’s suicide, with some comments saying she “got what she deserved”.

Drug use

Characters smoke cannabis from a joint.

There is a reference to taking crack cocaine.

Offensive Language

“Ni**a”, “f**k”, “c*nt”, “mother**ker”, “bit*h”, “sh*t”, “h*e", “a**hole” and “d*ck” are frequently mentioned.

Further information

Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau?