Breathless parents guide: How graphic is the nudity and medical gore?

Netflix's latest foray into creating its own original medical drama arrived on Aug. 30 with the premiere of the exciting Spanish series Breathless, otherwise known as Respira. In the series from the creators of Elite, matters of public health come under fire when a high-profile patient receives treatment from a public hospital in Valenica.

While that's the throughline of the series, the doctors in Breathless also take a page from Grey's Anatomy and find some time for romance. The series balances both the steamy personal lives of its doctors with the fast-paced environment of the hospital emergency room, the life and death needs of their patients, and the political issues that quickly come into play.

If you're considering adding Breathless to your watch list and binge-watching all eight episodes, you probably want to know a little bit more information about what you're getting yourself into. As a medical drama, some blood is expected. But how graphic does Breathless get?

Breathless rated TV-MA for gore, sex, nudity, and more

According to the show's official page on Netflix, Breathless has been given a TV-MA age rating for gore, language, nudity, sex, smoking, and suicide. Obviously, Netflix warns that the medical drama is intended for mature audiences. For more information on the content of the series, including potential trigger warnings and more details on how graphic the nudity and gore actually is, here's spoiler-free guide to Breathless.

Sex and nudity

One of the things Elite was known for was the graphic nature of its sexuality. Breathless has a similar relationship to its sexuality, though it's a bit more toned down compared to the creators' previous Netflix series. The medical drama indeed features nudity, including male rear nudity and upper female nudity. There are most commonly sex scenes involving a man and a woman, and there are also sex scenes involving two male partners. None of the sex scenes contain explicit graphic nudity.

Language and gore

The language in the series is heightened, with the usual profanities heard here and there. For those in English-speaking countries, the Spanish series has been dubbed in English, but it also features subtitles if you would rather watch the series with it's original audio. While the language in the series is heightened and covers mature subject matter, the medical gore is perhaps the most graphic.

To put it plainly, the medical gore is intense. As a medical drama rated TV-MA, Breathless can portray body trauma in a much more explicit way than on broadcast television. There are many instances of patients bloodied and wounded with various injuries, including burns, gashes, and other visible traumas. The series features close-up shots of surgeries that are very realistic.

Potential trigger warnings

In addition to the above content warnings, it's worth noting some of the potential trigger warnings featured in the series for prospective viewers. Breathless tackles various medical conditions, including those related to cancer, HIV, pregnancy loss, drug addiction, and suicide. Proceed with caution when watching as they are major elements of the show's storylines. There are also scenes in the series involving drug use and violence that could trigger viewers.

Watch Breathless only on Netflix.