The Pilot for Dr. Dre's New Show, Which is Funded by Apple, Has an Orgy Scene

Next up on Dr. Dre’s infinite brand extension campaign: television. Dr. Dre has created an original TV show called Vital Signs, a half-hour scripted show that combines a number of elements you don’t usually see working in concert. The Hollywood Reporter reports:

“Those who have seen descriptions of the Dr. Dre show say it is billed as semi-autobiographical, with each episode focusing on a different emotion and how Dre’s character deals with it. Sources say that Sam Rockwell and Mo McCrae (Murder in the First) are among the additional cast.

“While technically a half-hour, the show is not a comedy. Instead, it is described as a dark drama with no shortage of violence and sex. In fact, an episode filming Monday and Tuesday this week featured an extended orgy scene. Sources tell THR that naked extras simulated sex in a mansion in the Bird Streets neighborhood of Los Angeles’ Hollywood Hills. (Dre’s wife Nicole Young was on set to witness the shenanigans, one insider says.)”

Veteran music video director Paul Hunter is taking creative control of Vital Signs, which is apparently a limited six-episode season that will roll out all at once. Here’s one of the better known Hunter videos:

Perhaps the most important part of the story is who is distributing the TV show: This is the first scripted series for Apple. They’ve been looking into the world original programming for a few years now, and if this is their first toe-dip into that water, then it’s hard to imagine a more sure-fire IP than Dre. While there have been no announcements about how the show will be released, or its level of exclusivity, it’s pretty easy to predict that this will drop in the iTunes store. Maybe even without fanfare.

The Louie format is getting applied to a lot of things these day, but the idea of Dr. Dre using it to go thematically super-dark has a lot of appeal. And distribution via iTunes means there are probably no restrictions on what he can do or show. This could be punishing and cool and my expectations are very high.