Netflix's Underrated One-Season Teen Thriller Masterpiece

While Wayward is an exciting and buzzy new series, The Society is the greatest Netflix teen thriller. When the show came out in 2019, it seemed like it had a promising road ahead of continued twists, reveals, and world-building. Sadly, Netflix decided against season 2 of The Society, even though it initially received a renewal.

We may never see the teenagers in West Ham, Connecticut again, but these 10 episodes are so well-crafted that it’s easy to accept the show’s fate. Wayward and The Society have several elements in common, and if you’re looking for a thriller that stands on its own, the latter is going to be chilling, haunting, and meaningful.

Before Wayward, The Society Was An Underrated Teen Thriller Series With A Big Twist

Wayward can be praised for many reasons, including its expert juggling of various character arcs, from cop Alex Dempsey (Mae Martin) and his pregnant wife Laura Redman (Sarah Gadon) to rebellious teens Abbie (Sydney Topliffe) and Leila (Alyvia Alyn Lind).

Wayward has a huge twist partway through its eight episodes as you learn that there are no children in the small town of Tall Pines, Vermont. That’s a brilliant reveal since it hints at the former students now working at Tall Pines Academy and suggests a terrifying reason for Alex and Laura moving there.

However, The Society had an equally significant plot twist. When you first tune in, you think this is going to be a story about sisters Cassie (Rachel Keller) and Allie Pressman (Kathryn Newton) as they help each other navigate surviving without any adults around. Then, in episode 3, “Childhood’s End,” Greg Dewey (Seth Meriwether) shoots and kills Cassie.

This twist makes it a show about grief, loss, and standing on your own despite your close bonds to a family member. Now the focus is on Allie and how she can honor her sister while being as ambitious and tough as she was.

Besides this clever plot twist, The Society also has Wayward‘s strong character development. The teenagers on each show are more than just authority-hating rebels who don’t want to listen. They give meaning to the phrase “be an individual” because they want to enjoy their lives without having to change based on who adults think they should be.

The Society‘s young characters come up with survival plans, which is impressive (although their violent battles are less so). They also find small moments of joy, like hosting a prom, similar to the great Wayward scene when the teens dance to Third Eye Blind.

Both shows also have memorable and smart settings that are more than just a small town with unsettling long-time residents hiding secrets or a serial killer who makes it the opposite of a friendly place to live. Each town is the opposite of the other, as one has no kids and one has no adults, and both are clever ideas.

The Society Expertly Blends Coming-Of-Age Plotlines With Thriller Elements

Becca (Gideon Adlon) laying down in The Society — Becca (Gideon Adlon) lying down and smiling slightly in a scene from The Society

Traditional teen dramas are great and totally worth watching, and the Brenda/Dylan/Kelly Beverly Hills, 90210 love triangle and Capeside setting of Dawson’s Creek will live on forever. But there’s something special about a coming-of-age show that is also a mystery, and that’s why The Society is so fantastic.

Like the “monster-of-the-week” episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer that allow the show to talk about relatable high school and college situations, The Society never forgets that it’s a story about a specific period of life. Characters fall in love and are intimate with each other, and the show also explores teen pregnancy through Becca Gelb (Gideon Adlon).

But there are some great thriller elements here, too, from questions about where the adults went to whether West Ham has a paranormal element. The teens’ lives are also always in danger, which places a heavy weight on every romance since the characters don’t want to lose each other.

The 2019 series even arguably drives home Wayward‘s ultimate message, which depicts a disturbing school and touches on the “troubled teen industry”: young adults deserve respect, compassion, and a place to be themselves. In its own unique way, The Society creates a world where teenagers are truly on their own, and that allows them to feel powerful and capable.

Sure, in an ideal scenario (both on TV and in real life), teens would have supportive grown-ups around, from teachers to parents to other relatives. But they also need time and space to figure themselves out, and it’s interesting that this show’s premise lets them do that, albeit with some added danger that, of course, would never really happen.

The Society Is The Rare Great One-Season Thriller

Allie (Kathryn Newton) and Cassie (Rachel Keller) in The Society — Allie (Kathryn Newton) and Cassie (Rachel Keller) looking scared in a scene from The Society

It’s possible to imagine the canceled Netflix show going on for a few seasons. Each subsequent installment of The Society could have layered in more history about the town, or perhaps this strange situation had happened before.

But, considering how rare it is for a thriller to impress despite only having one season, The Society should be talked about a lot more than it is, five or so years after its release.

We get some information in the season 1 finale, even though, of course, more could be explained, and find out the parents are alive. We also learn that the teenagers are in New Ham, which is another dimension, and the final moments also suggest that the parents think the teenagers are gone forever.

That might not be enough answers for everyone, which is totally fair, but since the premise revolves around where the characters actually are, it works. The Society is a beautiful and dark story and should get more attention as the coolest and most engrossing teen thriller on Netflix.