The Society is an American mystery teen drama television series created by Christopher Keyser, that was released via streaming on Netflix on May 10, 2019. It stars Kathryn Newton, Gideon Adlon, Sean Berdy, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Jacques Colimon, Olivia DeJonge, Alex Fitzalan, Kristine Froseth, Jose Julian, Alexander MacNicoll, Toby Wallace and Rachel Keller. Although it was initially renewed for a second season, it was ultimately canceled after one season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Contents
Premise
The Society follows the story of a group of teenagers who must learn to run their own community after the rest of the population of their town (West Ham, Connecticut) disappears. The mystery begins when the students of the local high school return early from a canceled field trip and find that everyone else is gone. A dense forest appears surrounding the town; the outside world apparently no longer exists and cannot be contacted by telephone or Internet. The teenagers must come up with their own rules to survive with limited resources.
Cast and characters
Main
Kathryn Newton as Allie Pressman, Cassandra's younger sister who grew up in her shadow
Gideon Adlon as Becca Gelb, Sam's best friend who is pregnant. The father's identity is unknown.
Sean Berdy as Sam Eliot, Allie and Cassandra's deaf cousin
Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Helena, Luke's religious girlfriend
Jacques Colimon as Will LeClair, Allie's best friend and love interest who grew up in foster care
Olivia DeJonge as Elle Tomkins, an outcast who becomes Campbell's girlfriend
Alex Fitzalan as Harry Bingham, the popular and wealthy son of the Town Mayor, and Kelly's boyfriend
Kristine Froseth as Kelly Aldrich, Harry's girlfriend
Jose Julian as Gordie, a smart kid who has a crush on Cassandra
Alexander MacNicoll as Luke, Helena's boyfriend and former quarterback
Toby Wallace as Campbell Eliot, Sam's older brother and Allie and Cassandra's cousin who exhibits psychopathic personality traits
Rachel Keller as Cassandra Pressman, Allie's older sister who is a natural leader and has a congenital heart defect
Recurring
Jack Mulhern as Grizz, a former football player
Spencer House as Clark, a former football player and Gwen's on-and-off boyfriend
Emilio Garcia-Sanchez as Jason, a former football player and Erika's boyfriend
Salena Qureshi as Bean, a smart kid and Gordie's best friend
Olivia Nikkanen as Gwen, Clark's on-and-off girlfriend
Kiara Pichardo as Madison, Olivia and Gwen's friend
Grace Victoria Cox as Lexie, Allie's rival
Naomi Oliver as Olivia, Gwen and Madison's friend
Kelly Rose Golden as Marnie
Matisse Rose as Jessica
Alicia Crowder as Erika, Jason's girlfriend
Benjamin Breault as Blake
Damon J. Gillespie as Mickey, Harry's housemate
Peter Donahue as Shoe, a later member of The Guard
Seth Meriwether as Greg Dewey
Madeline Logan as Gretchen
Dante Rodrigues as Zane
Guest
Amy Carlson as Amanda Pressman
David Aaron Baker as Jim Pressman
Michael Siberry as Rodgers Eliot
Paul Anthony Stewart as Doug Eliot
Anastasia Barzee as Karen
Chaske Spencer as Mr. Pfeiffer
Chloe Levine as Emily
Ava Gaudet as Lynette Eliot
Production
Development
In 2013, Christopher Keyser and Marc Webb pitched the show to Showtime, but the network decided to pass on the series. On July 24, 2018, Netflix announced that it had given the production a series order. The series was created by Keyser, who also acted as writer and executive producer, with Webb directing.
Keyser and Webb had a focus of making the show attractive and appealing to younger viewers and keeping them engaged without making the show feel like homework. Their collaborations fleshed out a familiar high school social structure, jocks, theatre kids, loners etc. "This is essentially a character show, though it’s got high stakes” said Keyser.
Inspirations
When The Society was first announced, many immediately compared it to Lord of the Flies, and after its release, it drew comparisons from Lost and The Leftovers. Christopher Keyser had explained that Lord of the Flies was a key inspiration for The Society and while writing the series he began to question how far society had progressed as a civilisation. Furthermore, Keyser clarified that The Society had already been written before he watched The Leftovers, therefore it wasn't a direct influence. However, after watching it, Keyser and Marc Webb agreed to adjust the show's grief and adult elements, recognising that they couldn't match what The Leftovers had achieved. “There’s no way I’m going to do that any better than that show did.”
Casting
Alongside the initial series announcement, it was confirmed that Kathryn Newton had been cast as a series regular. In November 2018, Rachel Keller, Gideon Adlon, Jacques Colimon, Olivia DeJonge, Alex Fitzalan, Kristine Froseth, Jose Julian, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Alex MacNicoll, Jack Mulhern, Salena Qureshi, Grace Victoria Cox, Sean Berdy, and Toby Wallace joined the cast. Prior to the cancellation of the second season, it was planned that Olivia Nikkanen would be promoted to a series regular role for that season.
Filming
Principal photography was conducted in Massachusetts, spanning seven months July 2018 through January 2019. Massachusetts served as the primary production base for all 10 episodes of The Society. This series was developed at New England Studios in Devens, Massachusetts with filming taking place over eleven cities including Ayer, Bolton, Carlisle, Concord, Fitchburg, Grafton, Groton, Harvard, Lancaster, Lexington and Sterling. During the production of The Society the show employed more than 650 Massachusetts residents and sourced goods and services from hundreds of local businesses throughout the state.
Themes
The Society focused on how teenagers can live and thrive without any adults to supervise and govern. This is layered with smaller themes including power, violence, gender, leadership, class and privilege. The students discover that the same inequalities and injusticies that were present in the world they left behind quickly manifest in their new society.
Renewal and cancellation
The series was renewed for a second season in July 2019, but production was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was announced on August 21, 2020 that the show had been canceled, the complications of the pandemic having led to cost increases and difficulty scheduling production. Keyser has revealed that the new season would have explored the establishment of an "outpost" outside of New Ham and the political conflicts between the outpost and the town over control. In addition, answers regarding the Sci-Fi mystery and how the teenagers were transported to the parallel universe.
Release
On April 30, 2019, Netflix released the official trailer for the series.
Netflix amplified the marketing for The Society through an outdoor campaign in Argentina, which represented what the world could look like if it was run entirely by teenagers. Burned and crashed cars were used to create the effect.
Reception
The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes provides an 86% approval from 36 reviews, and an average rating of 7.44/10. The website's critical consensus states, "An intriguing tangle of mystery and melodrama, what The Society lacks in levity—and at times clarity—it makes up for with its surprisingly thoughtful exploration of community, culture, and what it means to grow up." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 66 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Critics praised the series for its ambitious storytelling and sharp social commentary. Fans of The Society connected strongly with the show, in part due to the diverse cast and relatable characters.
