Netflix puts out such a staggering amount of content -- over 60 original titles in May alone -- that it can be hard to discern which new shows are actually worth your time, or if you'll binge an entire series only to find out you have no one to discuss it with because it got buried under "Watch It Again" suggestions for The Office and Friends. But a show like Netflix's new young adult drama The Society is one that begs to be discussed. From Party of Five creator Christopher Keyser, The Society follows a group of high school students who, instead of being taken to the Smokey Mountains like they are expecting, find themselves in an exact replica of their upper-class Connecticut town. Only when they go to their homes, the teenagers realize all of their parents, siblings, and even their pets are nowhere to be found. Technologically and literally cut off from the rest of the world (the roads out of town simply turn to forest just outside the city border), the terrified kids must figure out how to survive on their own -- or if they'll destroy each other before they can figure out how. The appropriately named Cassandra (Legion's Rachel Keller) steps up to lead the 200 or so frightened teens, attempting to create an egalitarian, socialist society despite pushback from entitled rich kid Harry (Alex Fitzalan) and his bro-y cohorts who have no desire to sacrifice anything of their own for the good of the many. While everyone is forced to grapple with the increased pressure on personal accountability, no one is more changed by the new status quo than Cassandra's younger sister Allie (Detective Pikachu's Kathryn Newton), who had happily hidden in her sister's shadow until she's forced to stand on her own in this new world. Netflix's The Society Trailer Looks Like The 100on Steroids A bit likeThe 100meets The Leftovers, with a bit of Under the Dome thrown in for good measure, The Society is one part dystopian, political drama and one part existential examination of whether life's hardships are retribution from a higher power or just an inescapable consequence of living -- although it's hard to tell which way the series is leaning even after watching the entire first season. While not being able to interpret a show's core point of view would be a detriment for most shows, with The Society it feels more like the entire point. These first 10 episodes feel almost entirely disinterested in the potential puzzle box aspects of how they kids got to this world, preferring instead to examine the existential questions that seemingly are the show's true mystery: If you had the chance to rebuild the world and redefine your place in it, could you do it better and what role would you play? Is being transported to this new world a punishment for previous sins, or are these kids the ones who have been saved? Netflix By focusing in on these questions, The Society establishes itself as a fitting show for these times, tapping into the current concerns of the younger generation regarding the corrupt, unstable world their parents left them to pick up the pieces of. But while the show tackles these pressing questions -- including ones surrounding class dynamics, toxic masculinity, and the limits of morality when the rules of behavior we once counted on no longer seem to exist -- it noticeably side-steps the topic of race almost entirely. The Handmaid's Taletook a similar tact, and once again this avoidance undermines not only the believability of this story but the social commentary The Society is clearly aiming to impart. Discover your new favorite show: Watch This Now! But while The Handmaid's Tale is a prestige series that's tightly bound to its political morals, The Society is more like a frothy YA thriller that uses its social commentary to add depth to its (occasionally outlandish) teen drama, such as the pressures of prom, finding your social circle, learning to be independent, and other familiar touchstones of high school experience, even if going to class is now obsolete. Despite these weak spots, The Society still has enough worthwhile things to say that it's worth setting aside time for. This is in large part because it's a show that clearly knows exactly where it's going from the jump, establishing its character dynamics through action rather than exposition and seeding hints at storylines that could potentially play out over multiple seasons to come. It may take a few episodes before the stakes are raised as high as the premise deserves, but The Society's first season is a highly entertaining binge that also gives the largely unknown ensemble cast chance ample opportunities to shine. Seacia Pavao/Netflix While Allie resides at the center of the story, quickly becoming the Atlas of this new world, it's really the supporting players that give The Society its heart. It's hard to imagine becoming invested in this world without the intellectual jock Grizz (Jack Mulhern), whose hidden vulnerabilities provide some of the most touching scenes of the season; or the tender friendship between Becca (Pamela Adlon's daughter Gideon Adlon), who prefers to observe the action from afar but finds herself in the center of it after realizing she's pregnant, and Sam (Switched at Birth's Sean Berdy), her deaf and gay best friend who offers to raise the child with her. Unlike other popular teen-focused shows on the streaming service, such asSex Education or Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, The Society lacks a defining visual aesthetic and there are limits to certain storylines' believability (the recurring butchering of how the game "F---, Marry, Kill" is played is inexplicable and oddly frustrating). But it's the show's willingness to treat its young ensemble like well-read, well-spoken characters (with the exception of a few beer-soaked jocks) who are capable of directly grappling with some of life's toughest questions that helps set it apart from other young adult dramas, many of which are more concerned with delivering GIF-worthy moments instead of coherent storytelling.<doc-sep>Netflix may have successfully hit another home run with its new series, “The Society.” I’d seen some positive reviews floating around the web about the new series from Netflix, and I gave it a shot last night. It was awesome by every single metric. The plot is incredibly simple. A group of high school students in Connecticut get shipped out of town while their parents figure out how to deal with a potentially dangerous smell, they’re sent back, all the adults are gone, and they’re responsible for themselves. It’s a more modern day take on “Lord of the Flies” with a bit of a supernatural twist. I’m only two-and-a-half episodes in, and I think I’m already hooked. Naturally, most of the students don’t do anything other than party right away because they don’t really realize the severity of the situation. They think the parents have been evacuated instead of just disappearing. (RELATED: Watch The Latest Trailer For The New Netflix Series ‘The Society’) Once it becomes clear the parents are coming back and the students can’t leave, trouble starts brewing pretty much instantly. The town is split into two sides. There are the educated, smart people, and then there are the jocks — a group which is almost all entirely male. Would you like to guess which one is trying to build a society and which one is pushing for anarchy? The smart people are trying to catalog food and set up a system and the athletes are mostly running wild. While the smart kids have more popular support, the jocks have at least one gun (currently held by a cop’s kid Campbell) and are more physically dominating. Through two-and-a-half episodes, we’ve only seen a little violence, which occurred when there was a shortage of batteries at a hardware store. However, I can promise you it’s not the last. There are a couple frustrating moments I’ve seen so far, but not nearly enough to detract from the overall greatness of the show. First off, there’s some idiotic talk about socialism and dumb stuff like that. However, I think they’ll ultimately realize the fallacies of that system before long, which would be a nice plot development. Secondly — and much more importantly — in the event you actually realized you were cut off with nowhere to go and limited circumstances, anybody who knew what they were doing would immediately begin stockpiling weapons and food. There’s been some food stockpiling, but again, we’ve only seen one firearm so far in “The Society.” That’s not nearly enough, and I’m guessing we’ll soon see many more when things really start falling apart. Through what I’ve seen so far, I’ve loved it, and I’d encourage all of you to give it a shot. If you liked “Lord of the Flies,” then you’ll love this. Chaos is inbound, and there’s no other way to really describe it.<doc-sep>The Netflix teen drama has almost become a genre in and of itself. Between offerings such as “On My Block,” “Sex Education,” “13 Reasons Why,” and syndicated CW staples like “Riverdale,” the streaming network has found a solid niche in exploring the everyday lives of teenagers, in all their flailing, moody glory. “The Society,” Netflix’s compelling new drama from “Party of Five” co-creator Christopher Keyser, takes a grab bag of teen tropes and mixes it with “Lord of the Flies” and a vague dose of supernatural intrigue for good measure. Its premise even manages to sidestep the question of what to do with the parents, a typical teen show consideration that some shows (like “Riverdale”) answer by folding the older generation into the action just as much as their scheming kids. “The Society,” by contrast, banishes the adults altogether — and indeed, anyone but the central teens, period. At first, the show seems like a typical high school drama about the popular kids versus the burnouts versus the overachievers. But when a field trip drops the senior class back in an abandoned facsimile of the town they just left, with no way out or in, the teens of West Ham have to figure out how to live together without imploding under pressure. And after the requisite initial panic of apocalypse partying, both the characters and the series, to their credit, take that question incredibly seriously. (If you don’t trust me, trust the show’s reliance on dramatic handheld cameras.) Think “The 100,” but instead of juvenile delinquents learning how to function as a community, it’s wary rich kids flailing without their Ivy League plans. For a while, the existing social order remains intact. Class president Cassandra (Rachel Keller, “Legion”) tries to take the lead amongst the panic, setting off a chain of insecurities from her little sister Allie (Kathryn Newton, “Big Little Lies”) and popular pretty boy Harry (Alex Fitzalan). The jocks, united in their letterman jackets, band together as they’re so used to doing. Friendly nerds like Gordie (José Julián), Becca (Gideon Adlon, “Blockers”), and Sam (Sean Berdy) try to unpack the bizarre logistics of their situation. Social outcasts Campbell (Toby Wallace) and Elle (Olivia DeJonge) gravitate towards each other, for wont of better options. Despite — or maybe thanks to — their best efforts, their attempts to make a revolutionary new order end up looking an awful lot like the more rigid, heteronormative one in which they all grew up. Even as much as “The Society” spins its wheels — and with 10 episodes clocking in at a solid hour each encompassing a sprawling cast, it inevitably does — there just aren’t many other teen shows that routinely debate the advantages of capitalism versus socialism or democracy versus dictatorship. With the exception of a time jump deeper into the season, “The Society” rarely takes shortcuts while the teens figure out what it means to build a community from the ground up, and what the dynamics of their old world mean in this new one. Much of the series’ best material comes when the characters have to confront their privilege or lack thereof. Harry, who used to have everything, struggles to adjust to sharing his assets. Will (Jacques Colimon), a poorer orphan, embraces the opportunity to found a more equitable order. And some of the most interesting and revealing moments come from the reaction to Cassandra’s aggressively pragmatic solutions from all the disgruntled boys who resent her power and influence over their girlfriends. To them, the biggest threat isn’t whatever force brought them to this New Ham (a question the show entertains but isn’t wholly consumed by), but a smart girl with the audacity to tell them what to do. More than anything else on the show, the exploration of this dynamic (which I like to call “the Elizabeth Warren paradox”) feels both urgent and timely. All of this is wholly worthy and fascinating for a show like this to dive into. But after I watched all of “The Society” within 48 hours — which, to Netflix’s inevitable relief, is a relatively easy thing to do — I wasn’t nearly as invested in its story as I should’ve been. Few of the characters register as particularly compelling beyond their loglines; not even the aforementioned time jump, usually a storytelling device meant to shake things up, does all that much to meaningfully shift anyone’s particular arc. Take the jocks, who tend to blend into one dim bro. Many of the female characters — with the exceptions of Allie, Cassandra, and steadfast Christian Helena (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) — feel interchangeable. That just shouldn’t be the case after a few episodes, let alone ten solid hours of content that hinge on these particular characters being riveting enough to stand all on their own. “The Society” premieres Friday, May 10 on Netflix.<doc-sep>Oh, new Netflix teen drama The Society, how I love thee! Let me count the ways. There’s: The highly derivative high concept Let’s face it: we’re quite late in human history and all the good ideas have gone. Who needs constant innovation, anyway? Sometimes a gal just wants to kick back and relax. We need, absolutely, this tale of a group of high-schoolers (played, as hath been traditional unto the days of Dawson’s Creek and Beverly Hills 90210, by actors in their mid-20s) who arrive back in their New England hometown after a school trip to find that their parents, and every other non-buff, non-16-year-old soul has disappeared. Dum-dum-DAH! It’s Stephen King’s Under the Dome meets the CW’s The 100 meets Michael Grant’s Gone series meets Lost meets The Breakfast Club (everything teenage meets The Breakfast Club, still, even if it appears to 2019’s adolescents as Casablanca did to us) meets a billion other things, with Lord of the Flies waiting in the wings. It’s a sci-fi Dawson’s Creek, a supernatural Pretty Little Liars. It doesn’t matter – take your pick! Watch the trailer for The Society The people Who aren’t people. They are algorithms. Blond or brunette ciphers with diverse skintones, each allocated one defining characteristic or secret sorrow. In a main character, the two may be skilfully entwined. Cassandra, for example, has a Secret Heart Defect. Fortunately, brunette Gordie’s defining characteristic is noticing when girls he secretly likes go blue under stress. He is always around to help. Just to put your minds at rest, there are also jocks, mean girls, rebels without a cause, good Christians, party girls with hearts and hymens of gold and – of course – nerds holed up in the library trying to figure out what the hell is going on and make the jocks understand that a finite food supply in the supermarket is Not A Good Thing. The shameless illogic The phones that work only to let the characters communicate with each other. The absence of panic with which these abandoned teenagers greet their situation. The mysterious appearance and disappearance of graffiti around town assuring them that they are being judged in pretty much biblical fashion. The unfailingly clean, ironed clothes and full makeup for all. The lack of even the slightest attempt to clear the trees and bushes that are blocking the road out of town. Good! I have enough detail in my life. I don’t need it in my art. The inexplicable fondness arising There is something endearing about a programme so carefully and competently engineered to be not one iota better than it needs to be. It’s soothing to watch something run so efficiently, to know that not an ounce of effort, vision or budget has been uselessly expended, that no one’s life’s work is being set loose to roam the brutal TV landscape like a fragile gazelle, that no hearts are going to be broken, whatever ratings it does. We are free to enjoy or not, and I am grateful. And finally … There’s the suspected pregnancy, the golden boy who’s nastier than he looks and the nasty boy who’s nicer than he seems; the dramatic unexpected death; the eventual realisation of which older stars it is the youngsters remind one of (Allie is a dead ringer for Virginia Madsen; Cassandra is Sarah Paulson); the rigorous hewing to the pathetic fallacy as legitimate dramatic device. All of this and more makes for a brilliantly average, perfectly imperfect show for bouncing teens, cankered fortysomethings and nothing in between. A joy.<doc-sep>
Take "13 Reasons Why," add a "Lord of the Flies" twist, and mix in some "Lost" for good measure. Netflix may have built its original series initially around adults, but these days, it really loves teens — especially teens who behave badly. That’s the cornerstone of “The Society,” a series constructed around the premise of what happens to 200 teenagers who think they’re going on a school field trip, and are instead deposited in a carbon copy version of their small town, except with no adults and no younger children around. Things aren’t too bad at first for the teens — the power is still on, and there’s a supermarket full of food — but the situation quickly takes on new urgency as they slowly realize that they’ve been completely cut off from the rest of the world. How, exactly, the teens ended up in this mirror universe is one question that only sort of haunts the series, as eventually the mystery behind its premise gets de-emphasized in favor of the kids discovering that their survival will require some heavy duty growing up, fast. This theoretically makes the show a microcosm for discussing philosophical issues surrounding the creation of a society like this, as well as an opportunity to explore the nature of power, as factions arise and battle is waged for control. And while the show drags a bit in its early episodes, as the teens keep getting distracted from the bigger issues by their interpersonal woes, the pacing improves dramatically in the back half of the season as the drama escalates. Seacia Pavao/Netflix “Are we in an episode of ‘Riverdale’ or in Soviet Russia?” one teen asks, and the answer ends up being far more the latter. To “The Society’s” credit, its commitment to exploring the big questions raised by the premise, specifically in regards to how the kids might come to manage each other and their resources, is unquestionable — because while initially led by Cassandra (Rachel Keller), the ad-hoc society quickly develops life and death stakes. (A note: For those who find violence in school settings triggering, “The Society” won’t be an easy watch.) The show’s characters, despite being played by many not-exactly teenagers — Keller’s casting as a girl just out of high school feels particularly out of place after her breakout roles as older characters in “Fargo” and “Legion” — feel extremely teenager-y. And the vast nature of the cast, combined with a notable lack of diversity (the cast could be better served by a larger percentage of people of color) occasionally makes it hard to track individual characters — an issue not made easier by the fact that many of the characters lack much in the way of definition. (Like, how many jocks in letter jackets are there, exactly?) However, there are some standouts within the cast, including Kathryn Newton (most recently seen as Reese Witherspoon’s spirited daughter in “Big Little Lies”) as Allie, who finds herself having to step up in order to keep the town from descending into chaos. Seacia Pavao/Netflix Meanwhile Toby Wallace, as resident sociopath Campbell, develops well into his role as a charmingly evil villain. Another strong supporting player who deserves a lot more screen time than she gets is Salena Qureshi as Bean, and Sean Berdy from “Switched at Birth” gets to play a character whose hearing impairment is not his sole defining quality. (The show’s casual embrace of the nuances of sign language is one of its best details.) Too gritty and dark to have much fun scratching the pleasant itch of teen soap tropes, “The Society’s” adult content keep it from feeling like a natural fit for a network like the CW (though it does stir up memories of that network’s “The 100”). From the pilot directed by Marc Webb (“The Amazing Spider-man,” “500 Days of Summer,” the latter film making a cameo appearance later in the season), it feels slightly better in its execution than really necessary — though, no spoilers for the end of the season, but there are plenty of questions left unresolved, to an almost unsatisfying degree. That said, at a certain point the drama does get addictive, as the show eventually reveals what it’s really about: a grim reckoning with the fact that these teens have had to grow up too fast. And these days, with climate change and school shootings and a government that’s rotting from the inside, teens today might find “The Society” painfully relatable.