The Show
A disturbing television drama exposes the human cost of turning assisted suicide into a hit reality-game spectacle.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- unsettling
- bleak
- provocative
- late night viewing
- social commentary double feature
What critics said
Critics broadly viewed the film as a grim but underdeveloped media satire whose provocative premise was weakened by execution.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The central television program builds its appeal around contestants ending their lives for an audience and network profits.
The game show frames assisted suicide as a public broadcast event, exposing the audience's appetite for graphic ethical transgression.
The host, network, staff, and surrounding workers participate in or enable the show's deadly premise.
The invented hit show uses contestants' real deaths as supposedly authentic television content, turning reality TV conventions into a disturbing extreme.
Films like The Show, and why
Network
shared media-industry satire, moral corruption, and unsettling drama about public appetite for spectacle
The Truman Show
shared critique of entertainment culture, coercive public spectacle, and escalating psychological discomfort
Requiem for a Dream
shared bleak social drama, institutional exploitation, and ethical crisis surrounding self-destruction
Movie Details
- Director
- Giancarlo Esposito
- Release Date
- 2017-09-21
- Runtime
- 104 min
- Rating
- 5.7 / 10 (218)
Cast
- Josh Duhamel
- Famke Janssen
- Giancarlo Esposito
- Sarah Wayne Callies
- Caitlin FitzGerald
- Chris Ellis
- Chelah Horsdal
- Johannah Newmarch
- Matthew Kevin Anderson
- Lucia Walters
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Philo, Starz Amazon Channel, Starz, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Starz Apple TV channel, MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel, Starz Roku Premium Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Show about?
- A disturbing television drama exposes the human cost of turning assisted suicide into a hit reality-game spectacle.
- What is The Show like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Show as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Show violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Show as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Show?
- Critics broadly viewed the film as a grim but underdeveloped media satire whose provocative premise was weakened by execution.
- Which films are like The Show?
- Films with a similar feel include Network, The Truman Show, and Requiem for a Dream.
- How long is The Show?
- The Show runs 104 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Show?
- In United States, The Show streams on Amazon Prime Video, Philo, Starz Amazon Channel, Starz, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Starz Apple TV channel, MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel, Starz Roku Premium Channel.
