Image via Jason Persse/Flickr
Image via Jason Persse/Flickr

Netflix and Amazon have proven that original programming from streaming-only sources can be a success. The streaming media giants have backed everything from political thrillers to musical comedies, even winning a few coveted awards.

But they may have a new player to contend with: Apple.

In a report today from The Hollywood Reporter, Apple is said to be bankrolling a new original TV series starring and executive produced by Dr. Dre. While Apple doesn’t have a subscription video service, the company would likely roll it into the Apple Music subscription it already sells.

The 30-minute TV show, said to be named Vital Signs, would be a semi-autobiographical story of Dre dealing with various emotions, according to the Reporter‘s sources. But unlike most 30-minute shows, it would be a dark and gritty drama full of violence and sex.

The show supposedly started filming this week, but it isn’t the first time Apple and Dre have teamed up. In 2014, the Mac and iPhone maker spent $3 billion to purchase audio brand Beats from co-owners Dre and music mogul Jimmy Iovine. In fact, Dre and Iovine may have brought the idea to Apple together.

This would be the first scripted production from Apple. While there currently aren’t any other known projects in the works, the Reporter‘s sources say Apple is looking for other creatives to build out a lineup of original programming. With the company’s ambitions to shake up the cable industry apparently stalled, a slate of original entertainment may be how Apple competes with growing media platforms in the future.

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