--- title: Apple's First Scripted TV Show to Feature Dr. Dre description: Straight outta Silicon Valley. canonical: https://time.com/4220007/apple-tv-show-dr-dre/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-02-12T20:13:24.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T08:07:25.887Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Apple's First Scripted TV Show to Feature Dr. Dre og:description: Straight outta Silicon Valley og:url: https://time.com/4220007/apple-tv-show-dr-dre/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta9064e9e2a77ab18/69887d7d3c1639246845c037/dr-dre-apple-tv-show.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Kids In The Spotlight's Movies By Kids, For Kids Film Awards og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Apple's First Scripted TV Show to Feature Dr. Dre twitter:description: Straight outta Silicon Valley twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta9064e9e2a77ab18/69887d7d3c1639246845c037/dr-dre-apple-tv-show.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Apple's First Scripted TV Show to Feature Dr. Dre ## Video: Apple Is Finally Pulling The Plug On Beats Music [Watch (HLS stream): Apple Is Finally Pulling The Plug On Beats Music](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/MdJ0LGhk.m3u8) (0:33)  _Published 2015-11-13. In a move that should be surprising to no one, Apple is giving Beats Music streaming the ax on Nov. 30._ by [Michael O'Connell, Lesley Goldberg / The Hollywood Reporter](https://time.com/author/the-hollywood-reporter/) ## Michael O'Connell, Lesley Goldberg / The Hollywood Reporter Feb 12, 2016 8:13 PM UTC  Rapper / Producer Dr. Dre attends the Kids In The Spotlight's Movies By Kids, For Kids Film Awards at Fox Studios on November 7, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. Rapper / Producer Dr. Dre attends the Kids In The Spotlight's Movies By Kids, For Kids Film Awards at Fox Studios on November 7, 2015 in Los Angeles, California.Paul Archuleta—FilmMagic/ Getty Images by [Michael O'Connell, Lesley Goldberg / The Hollywood Reporter](https://time.com/author/the-hollywood-reporter/) ## Michael O'Connell, Lesley Goldberg / The Hollywood Reporter Feb 12, 2016 8:13 PM UTC Apple is making its first original television show. _The Hollywood Reporter_ has learned that the technology giant is backing a top-secret scripted series starring one of its own executives, Beats co-founder and rap legend Dr. Dre. Multiple sources say the 50-year-old mogul is starring in and executive producing his own six-episode vehicle, dubbed _Vital Signs_, and the production is being bankrolled by Apple. The series likely will be distributed via Apple Music, the company’s subscription streaming site, but it’s not clear if Apple TV, the iTunes store or other Apple platforms (or even a traditional television distributor) will be involved. Apple and a rep for Dre declined to comment. **_Read more:_** [_Dr. Dre, Ice Cube Break Silence on N.W.A Movie, Suge Knight’s Murder Charge and a Reunion Tour (With Eminem)_](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/dr-dre-ice-cube-break-810256) 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 helming _Vital Signs_, which is also being produced under his Eye Candy banner alongside producers Aaron Ginsburg and William Green. _Empire_ co-exec producer-writer Robert Munic was hand-picked by Dre to write all six episodes and exec produce. The first season will roll out all at once, regardless of venue, a la Netflix. Apple is said to be very bullish on the project. **_Read more:_** [_Dr. Dre Apologizes “to the Women I’ve Hurt”_](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/dr-dre-addresses-abuse-charges-816785) Talk of Apple’s interest in original programming has been around for a few years, or at least since Netflix and Amazon started finding success in the arena. The company has experimented with video on its Apple Music service, streaming a Taylor Swift concert video and a visual version of DJ Khaled’s radio show. But _Vital Signs_would mark the first concrete investment for the company in scripted television. Apple has no TV studio or real development team, though some execs made the Hollywood studio rounds during summer 2015\. This project is said to have originated with Dre, who conceived the idea and pitched it directly to partner Jimmy Iovine. It makes sense considering Dre’s relationship with the company. In 2014, he and Iovine sold their popular Beats Electronics to Apple for a flabbergasting $3 billion. _Vital Signs_ is currently the only scripted original on deck at Apple, though the company is said to be open to working with artists who already have a relationship there before staffing up a scripted department. **_Read more:_** [_Dr. Dre, Ice Cube Demand Out of Wrongful Death Lawsuit Over Suge Knight Killing_](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/dr-dre-ice-cube-demand-816004) Dre (real name Andre Young) has been on something of a roll lately. He executive produced Universal’s 2015 blockbuster, _Straight Outta Compton_. The drama based on his time in rap group N.W.A. grossed $200 million worldwide. Last year also saw him release _Compton_, his first studio album in over 15 years. It’s sold more than 502,000 copies in the U.S. as of January. _This_ [_article_](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/dr-dre-filming-apples-first-864502) _originally appeared on_ [_The Hollywood Reporter_](http://hollywoodreporter.com/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4220007/apple-tv-show-dr-dre/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4220007/apple-tv-show-dr-dre/"},"headline":"Apple's First Scripted TV Show to Feature Dr. Dre","datePublished":"2016-02-12T20:13:24.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:07:25.887Z","description":"Straight outta Silicon Valley","url":"https://time.com/4220007/apple-tv-show-dr-dre/","keywords":["Tech","Television","Apple","Music","Technology","TV"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta9064e9e2a77ab18/69887d7d3c1639246845c037/dr-dre-apple-tv-show.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Michael O'Connell, Lesley Goldberg / The Hollywood Reporter"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta9064e9e2a77ab18/69887d7d3c1639246845c037/dr-dre-apple-tv-show.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Kids In The Spotlight's Movies By Kids, For Kids Film Awards","caption":"Rapper / Producer Dr. Dre attends the Kids In The Spotlight's Movies By Kids, For Kids Film Awards at Fox Studios on November 7, 2015 in Los Angeles, California.","creditText":"Paul Archuleta—FilmMagic/ Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4220007/apple-tv-show-dr-dre/","name":"Apple's First Scripted TV Show to Feature Dr. Dre"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Apple Is Finally Pulling The Plug On Beats Music","description":"In a move that should be surprising to no one, Apple is giving Beats Music streaming the ax on Nov. 30.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/MdJ0LGhk/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-11-13T16:45:07.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/MdJ0LGhk.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4220007/apple-tv-show-dr-dre/","duration":"PT33S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4220007/apple-tv-show-dr-dre/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```