Upload – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Upload

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

show2020

52%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

Black Mirror meets The Good Place in this satirical rom-com about a guy who dies and uploads to a corporate-run digital afterlife.

88%

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Upload

show

TV-MA, 2020

52%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

Black Mirror meets The Good Place in this satirical rom-com about a guy who dies and uploads to a corporate-run digital afterlife.

88%

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Screenwise Verdict

Upload is smart, funny, and surprisingly engaging for what could have been a one-note premise. The world-building is excellent, the satire is sharp, and it actually has something to say about technology, mortality, and capitalism.

But let's be crystal clear: this is not family viewing. The sex scenes, nudity, language, and mature themes put it firmly in the 17+ category. It's a show for older teens who can handle adult content and adults who enjoy sci-fi comedy with bite.

If you're in that demographic, Upload is genuinely worth watching—it's clever without being pretentious, entertaining without being empty. Just don't let the bright colors and rom-com elements fool you into thinking this is appropriate for middle schoolers.

Age Fit

This is for older teens (17+) and adults only. The sexual content, language, and mature themes make it inappropriate for anyone younger, despite the colorful digital-heaven aesthetic that might look kid-friendly at first glance.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

Upload explores death, corporate greed, and class inequality in a digital afterlife setting. While it has moments of genuine emotion and relationships, the show includes casual sex, infidelity plotlines, and a cynical worldview that undermines wholesome messaging. The tone is often sarcastic and materialistic rather than modeling kindness or cooperation.

Imaginative

The premise of uploading consciousness to a digital afterlife is genuinely creative and well-executed. The show builds an intricate world with clever details about how a commercialized heaven would function—from in-app purchases for basic needs to data caps on memories. It invites viewers to think critically about tech, mortality, and what makes life meaningful.

Safe

Common Sense Media rates this 16+ for good reason. The show contains sexual content including nudity and sex scenes, strong language throughout, violence (including deaths and murders), and mature themes about mortality. There's also drug/alcohol use and a suicide element in the pilot. This is firmly adult content that would be inappropriate for younger viewers to stumble upon.

Enriching

Upload offers sharp social commentary on late-stage capitalism, tech monopolies, wealth inequality, and how corporations commodify every aspect of life—even death. It raises interesting philosophical questions about consciousness, identity, and what makes us human. However, it's more satire than deeply enriching, prioritizing comedy and plot twists over profound insight. Still entertaining and thought-provoking for mature viewers.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Genuinely clever world-building that satirizes tech culture, subscription services, and wealth inequality in ways that feel both funny and uncomfortably accurate
Strong performances and an engaging mystery plot that keeps you watching—it's not just concept, the story actually moves
Sparks real conversations about consciousness, mortality, what we value, and how technology is reshaping human experience
For older teens (17+) and adults, it's entertaining sci-fi that doesn't talk down to its audience

⚠

What to Watch For

This is TV-MA territory: sex scenes, nudity, strong language throughout—not something to have on with younger kids around
The pilot involves a death (obviously) and implied suicide that sets the whole plot in motion, plus ongoing murder mystery elements
The show's cynical take on corporate greed and commodification might be depressing if you're already feeling pessimistic about tech
Some of the relationship dynamics involve cheating and deception—not exactly modeling healthy communication

Conversation Starters

"If you could upload your consciousness, would you? What would you miss about having a physical body?"
"The show makes fun of how everything costs money, even in the afterlife. Do you think that's where we're headed with technology?"
"Nathan has to choose between his uploaded girlfriend and his living customer service rep. What would you do in that situation?"
"What does the show say about wealth inequality? Is the '2 Gig' afterlife a fair critique of how we treat people based on money?"

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