Arnold: What To Know Before You Watch The Netflix Docuseries

Arnold Schwarzenegger in Arnold
(Image credit: Netflix)

For the past half-century and change, Arnold Schwarzenegger has been one of the most well-known figures on the planet, be it as a bodybuilder and Mr. Universe, one of the greatest action stars of all time, or the former governor of California. The larger-than-life icon’s life, career, and all the ups and downs that came with both, is the subject of the informative and introspective docuseries, Arnold, which debuted on Netflix in June 2023.

Released just weeks after the “Governator” and his FUBAR series hit a major milestone on Netflix, this three-part documentary is something that longtime fans of the bodybuilder-turned-actor-turned-politician and general audiences will enjoy. But before diving into the decades-spanning series, there are a few things you should know about Arnold

Arnold Chronicles The Various Stages Of Schwarzenegger's Life And Career

Though the docuseies has a short title, Arnold, this is not a brief affair. Over the course of the documentary, nearly every aspect of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s life is explored in great detail. From his days as a young Austrian boy looking to realize the American dream one way or another, all the way to current times, the action star’s life and career is chronicled. Even those who have studied his book, The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding: The Bible of Bodybuilding, watched other documentaries, or followed his career, stand to learn something new from this doc.

The Docuseries Is Mostly Told Through Schwarzengger's Words, But Other Interviews Are Sprinkled In

For the most part, the story of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s life and career is told by the man himself as he walks the viewer through everything that has happened in his life. However, this doesn’t mean that other people don’t appear from time to time to provide more insight, as co-stars like Sylvester Stallone, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Danny DeVito, politicians, journalists, and his family all appear throughout.

Arnold Is Informative And Introspective

Not only is Arnold an entertaining documentary about a boy becoming a man, a god, and the star of some of the greatest action movies of all time, it’s an informative and introspective exploration of that man’s life, successes, and failures. Whether he’s talking about the massive shock of moving to America and not immediately finding success or opening up about the “major failure” of his affair, the documentary presents a side of the action star rarely seen.

The Docuseries Consists Of Three One-Hour Episodes

Arnold is structured in a way that sees three, one-hour episodes, each tackling a different period of his remarkable story. The first chapter, titled “Athlete,” focuses on his early days and rise in the world of bodybuilding, the second, called “Actor,” touches on his unprecedented movie career, and the final, titled “American,” dives into his political career and scandals.

Arnold Is Rated TV-MA, Mostly For Its Language

Arnold has a TV-MA rating, and that’s mostly because of the language spoken by its subject. Throughout the documentary, Schwarzenegger doesn’t hold back with his language, using a barrage of four-letter words more times than you can count. And while there’s also smoking (mostly by Arnold with his customary cigars) and references to sexual themes throughout the 2023 Netflix series, the language is what does it. 

If all of this sounds great, you can check out Arnold streaming with a Netflix subscription. And if you want to take a trip down memory lane after watching the new Netflix addition, take a look at our list of the best Arnold Schwarzengger movies.

Stream Arnold on Netflix.

Philip Sledge
Content Writer

Philip grew up in Louisiana (not New Orleans) before moving to St. Louis after graduating from Louisiana State University-Shreveport. When he's not writing about movies or television, Philip can be found being chased by his three kids, telling his dogs to stop barking at the mailman, or chatting about professional wrestling to his wife. Writing gigs with school newspapers, multiple daily newspapers, and other varied job experiences led him to this point where he actually gets to write about movies, shows, wrestling, and documentaries (which is a huge win in his eyes). If the stars properly align, he will talk about For Love Of The Game being the best baseball movie of all time.