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The Apprentice

The Apprentice

2004–2017Ended16 seasons194 episodes~60 min/epTV-PGMidcredits score: 2nd percentile of all shows

The ultimate sixteen-week job interview where eighteen Americans compete in a series of rigorous business tasks, many of which include prominent Fortune 500 companies and require street smarts and intelligence to conquer, in order to show the boss that they are the best candidate for his companies. In each episode, the losing team is sent to the boardroom where they are judged on their performance in the task. One person is fired and sent home.

Your rating, lists and review

Where to watch

Where can I watch The Apprentice?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists The Apprentice streaming on Prime Video.

Subscription

Free

Highlights

What stands out about The Apprentice?

The Apprentice earns 3 badges, led by Overhyped and Divisive.

  • Reception
  • Craft and mood

Reception

Is The Apprentice worth watching?

The Apprentice's Midcredits score is the 2nd percentile of all shows, from 12K ratings across 2 sources. 35% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

2nd percentile

Better received than 2% of shows

8th percentile among Game-Show2nd percentile among 2000s
Acclaim (how much people like it)2nd
Approval (how many liked it)5th

Acclaim

Divisive: Rating-distribution shape vs the catalog

How much people like it

45 /100

2nd percentile of all shows

4th percentile among Game-Show2nd percentile among 2000s

Rating distribution

Ratings scatter across the whole scale — one of the most divisive reactions in the catalog.

Approval

How many liked it

35% liked it

5th percentile of all shows

14th percentile among Game-Show4th percentile among 2000s
35% rated it 7–1065% rated it 1–6

Reach

How many have seen it

90th percentile

12K ratings across platforms

98th percentile among Game-Show85th percentile among 2000s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26

What reviewers say

Common ground

A business-focused reality competition executive-produced by Mark Burnett and built around Donald Trump's decisive firing of contestants in a boardroom setting.

Fans praised

  • entertaining look at business-world teamwork and real job stakes
  • addictive casting of hateable contestants and Trump's decisive persona
  • strong NYC production values and a fresh take on the reality genre

Detractors panned

  • scripted, contrived exits and staged drama under the reality label
  • rewarded backstabbing, lying, and lack of integrity over merit
  • Trump's oversized ego and disrespectful treatment of contestants

Preferred by

No notable difference between any of the groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Women vs men 2 points apart
  • Critics vs users even
  • US vs non-US 2 points apart

Episodes

15 seasons

Season 15 · 2017 · 8 episodes

  • S15E1
    S15E1

    In Here You Call Me Governor

    Jan 2, 2017
  • S15E2

    Fire Up That Chopper

    Jan 9, 2017
  • S15E3

    Candy for a Billionaire

    Jan 16, 2017
  • S15E4

    Scissors And Some Creativity

    Jan 23, 2017
  • S15E5

    I'm Going Full Ballmer

    Jan 30, 2017
  • S15E6
    S15E6

    Bon Voyage

    Feb 7, 2017
  • S15E7
    S15E7

    I Don't Have Time For Anyone's Ego Except My Own

    Feb 13, 2017
  • S15E8

    Your Smile's Gonna Knock Them Out

    Feb 28, 2017Finale

Watch experience

What is The Apprentice like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Earnest, light and charged — an even-paced watch that leaves you entertained.

ToneFeelDemandexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

What it feels like

Moods
TenseAbsurd
Heaviest: middle
Register
PlayfulWry · 7% of shows: Amused and slightly dry about it.
Told as
Unscripted · 15% of showsStatus quo each season
ToneThe show presents the competition with a straight face, but the drama is heightened for entertainment.
The rideThe competition creates tension, especially in boardroom firings, with absurd tasks adding comic relief.
StructureStandard episodic format; no narrative devices employed.
Episode formatEach episode follows a task-based competition with a boardroom elimination, maintaining a consistent format of challenge, judging, and a firing.
Season formatSeasons are largely interchangeable competition cycles, with a new batch of contestants and the same structure, serving as standalone entry points.

How it leaves you

what you carry away
FunInfuriating · 4% of shows: Leaves you angry at an injustice the film shows, never at the film.
Why it leaves you this wayViewers either enjoy the competitive drama or are outraged by the treatment of contestants.
How it ends · evidence
Happy ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all shows
Monster — 18% of shows. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of shows. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 6% of shows. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 2% of shows. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 12% of shows. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 4% of shows. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 7% of shows. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 8% of shows. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 40% of showsPredator — 7% of shows. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 3% of shows. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of shows. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 3% of shows. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of shows. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of shows. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of shows. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of shows. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of shows. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of shows. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — 1% of shows. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of shows. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of shows. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of shows. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of shows. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 2% of shows. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 4% of shows. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of shows. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — under 1% of shows. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of shows. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 1% of shows. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — under 1% of shows. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of shows. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — under 1% of shows. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 2% of shows. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of shows. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of shows. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of shows. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 2% of shows. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of shows. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — under 1% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 1% of shows. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 1% of shows. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 1% of shows. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 1% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 3% of shows. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of shows. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 1% of shows. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of shows. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 6% of shows. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 1% of shows. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 18%: Predator 7% · Tyrant 3% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 3% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 6%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 2% · Mission 4% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage under 1%
  • Voyage 2%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 1% · Survival ordeal under 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent under 1%
  • Comedy 12%: Romantic comedy 2% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 2%
  • Tragedy 4%: Hubris 1% · Obsession under 1% · Corruption arc 1% · Doomed love 1% · Crushed by fate 1%
  • Rebirth 7%: Redemption 1% · Healing 3% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 1%
  • Mystery 8%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 6% · Enigma 1%
  • No archetype 40% (this title)

No archetype fits — true of 40% of shows: ensemble pieces, satire, slice-of-life.

Why this archetypeNon-narrative unscripted format; no plot archetype applies.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 31% of showsSelf — 27% of showsPower — 7% of showsMorality — 11% of showsSurvival — 9% of showsSociety — 10% of showsIdeas — 5% of showsRomantic love — 10% of showsMarriage — 2% of showsFamily bonds — 22% of showsParenthood — 1% of showsFriendship — 18% of showsLoyalty — 7% of showsIdentity — 20% of showsComing of age — 9% of showsAging — under 1% of showsSelf-worth — 7% of showsAmbition — 14% of showsPurpose — 16% of showsMemory — 3% of showsObsession — 2% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 5% of showsCorruption — 3% of showsGreed — 2% of showsClass — 4% of showsOppression — 2% of showsFreedom — 4% of showsJustice — 14% of showsDuty — 2% of showsRevenge — 1% of showsGuilt — 1% of showsRedemption — 3% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — under 1% of showsSacrifice — 2% of showsBetrayal — 3% of showsDeception — 6% of showsSurvival — 12% of showsWar — 1% of showsViolence — 2% of showsMortality — 2% of showsGrief — 4% of showsTrauma — 5% of showsMental illness — under 1% of showsAddiction — under 1% of showsIllness and disability — under 1% of showsCommunity — 25% of shows. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 3% of showsPrejudice — 2% of showsDisplacement — 1% of showsFaith — 1% of showsTradition vs change — 3% of showsFame — 5% of showsLegacy — 3% of showsFate — 1% of showsFree will — under 1% of showsTruth — 6% of showsHope — 4% of showsNature — 3% of showsArt — 2% of showsTechnology — 1% of showsSelfGreedPower
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 31%: Romantic love 10% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 22% · Parenthood 1% · Friendship 18% · Loyalty 7%
  • Self 27%: Identity 20% · Coming of age 9% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 14% (this title) · Purpose 16% · Memory 3% · Obsession 2%
  • Power 7% (this title): Power 5% · Corruption 3% · Greed 2% (this title) · Class 4% · Oppression 2% · Freedom 4%
  • Morality 11%: Justice 14% · Duty 2% · Revenge 1% · Guilt 1% · Redemption 3% · Forgiveness under 1% · Sacrifice 2% · Betrayal 3% · Deception 6%
  • Survival 9%: Survival 12% · War 1% · Violence 2% · Mortality 2% · Grief 4% · Trauma 5% · Mental illness under 1% · Addiction under 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 10%: Community 25% · Isolation 3% · Prejudice 2% · Displacement 1% · Faith 1% · Tradition vs change 3% · Fame 5% · Legacy 3%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 6% · Hope 4% · Nature 3% · Art 2% · Technology 1%

Power

Greed · 2% of showsAmbition · 14% of shows
Observes its theme: Presents its theme neutrally, declining to judge.Intimate stakes: Consequences reach a person or a household.Ensemble lead
How it treats its themeThe series centers on competition for wealth, status, and the favor of a powerful business figure, exploring the lengths contestants will go to in the pursuit of success.
StanceThe series presents the cutthroat corporate world and the ambition it breeds without overt moralizing, letting the competition and its outcomes speak for themselves.

The world

ContemporaryUrbanInstitutionalRealistic
ElectronicOrchestral modernBackground music · hybrid
SettingThe boardrooms and skyscrapers of Trump's New York corporate empire
MusicPulsing synth score and dramatic stings heighten tension in the boardroom and task sequences.

Content guide

Is The Apprentice okay for kids?

TV-PG

The Apprentice is rated TV-PG. As of October 3, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at mild (29/100), sexual content at moderate (40/100), language at moderate (57/100), drug and alcohol content at moderate (38/100) and frightening material at moderate (44/100). Its violence, language, drug and alcohol content and frightening material have too few votes to rank.

Overall
Moderate · all five categories
not ranked
Violence & Gore
Mild
too few votes to rank (7 votes)
Sex & Nudity
Moderate · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
heavy for a TV-PG show
heavier than 76%
Profanity
Moderate · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
too few votes to rank (7 votes)
Alcohol & Drugs
Moderate · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
too few votes to rank (7 votes)
Frightening / Intense
Moderate · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
too few votes to rank (6 votes)

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

Too few votes to rank this title overall (37 votes across 5 categories; ranking needs 10 in at least three).

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other shows that have them.

What content warnings does The Apprentice have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in The Apprentice?

Cast

Marilu Henner
as Author
Piers Morgan
as Tabloid Editor
Austin Keyes
as VO Artist

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