If you're in the market for a new comedy series about young adults making their way through a big city, then HBO's I Love LA should be on your radar. Rachel Sennott co-created, wrote, and stars in the offbeat series that takes place in Los Angeles, California, and centers on a dysfunctional group of friends that gets even more dysfunctional when their influencer friend arrives from New York.
Along with Sennott in the leading role, I Love LA also stars Odessa A'zion, Jordan Firstman, True Whitaker, and Josh Hutcherson in the main cast, with Leighton Meester guest starring as the millennial boss of Senott's 27-year-old character. There's no doubt that a lot of television fans will be tuning into the series, but you might want a heads up about what to expect.
Since the series airs on HBO and recalls past favorites like Girls and Insecure, you can naturally assume there will be mature themes throughout the episodes, the kind that are NSFW and you wouldn't want to watch around your parents. Below we're sharing a spoiler-free explanation of the I Love LA age rating with warnings about the content prominently featured.
I Love LA episode 1 earns TV-MA rating for sex scenes, explicit nudity, and more
According to the show's official listing on the HBO schedule, I Love LA has been given a TV-MA rating for strong sexual content, graphic language, and nudity. Obviously, the first episode isn't indicative of what's to come for the rest of the eight-episode season, as certain episode could be even more explicit and others could be much more tame. But let's take a look at the content contained in episode 1, "Block Her," and get into the parents guide.
Sex and nudity
I Love LA's first episode opens with a sex scene between a male character and a female character. It's an extended sequence without graphic nudity, though it's implied that the man isn't wearing clothing. This is the only sex scene in episode 1. Shortly after, there's an instance of graphic nudity early in the episode, as a female character removes her top and applies deodorant before putting on a bra.
Late in the episode, a male stripper is seen wearing briefs, which are at some point removed. There's no graphic nudity, though there's brief male rear nudity that's barely visible. Additionally, another female character wears revealing outfits throughout the episode, but there isn't nudity. It's expected that future episodes will maintain or exceed this level of sex and nudity.
Language and violence
The language used by the characters in I Love LA is heightened. There are expletives used casually in conversation that aren't appropriate for younger viewers to hear. In particular, early in the episode, there are words used to describe sexual acts and situations that set the tone for what we can anticipate to hear in other episodes. There isn't any notable aggressive violence.
Drinking and drugs
Because it's a show about adults in their late 20s, you can expect to see alcohol and drugs making appearances in the series. Within the first episode, the characters drink alcohol in a number of scenes. Cigarette smoking is common for at least one character, and another character carries an unlit cigarette behind his ear. It's expected that future episode could feature more drinking and drugs.
I Love LA releases new episodes Sundays at 10:30 ET on HBO and HBO Max.