Streaming services pump out shows fast and cancel them even faster — that’s why I’m here! With my new column, Show Down, I typically check out a new show released every week and let you know if we will get a second season or if it is forever destined to live as a niche Tumblr fandom.
We all have that one show that, in our heart of hearts, we know was destined for a second season. I have about 10,000 of them, but to spare us all a long ramble, I figured I could discuss just one: “The Society.”
To quote myself — which is such a silly thing to say but bear with me — “Netflix, please know that if you ever decide to bring back ‘The Society,’ my life will be yours,” and it’s true! While it wasn’t perfect, I do find myself thinking about this show more often than not. The way in which they left us in the finale had my jaw on the floor.
“The Society” follows a group of high schoolers from the fictional West Ham, Conn., based on a district in London, who return early from a mysteriously canceled field trip just to find everyone else in their town is gone. Their phones are working, but they can only text each other, and a thick, never-ending forest blocks the roads.
The show, released on Netflix in 2019, was a hit from the moment it dropped, so much so that it received the all-clear for a second season in July that year. However, due to COVID-19, the show was canceled. It was not the only one, as shows such as “Glow,” canceled after three seasons and “I Am Not Okay With This,” which was canceled after one season.
“This wasn’t a normal cancellation. This wasn’t about not having the audience or we didn’t believe in it anymore. There was a global crisis that changed all of our lives in the one year we were able to make it,” said show creator Christopher Keyser.
The casting was exquisitely well done, the tensions were high and the plot captured the attention of viewers and created a craving for more.
You wanted to know who the father of Becca’s baby was, you wanted to understand the effect of the gas and why only older teens were transported. Also, why can’t they escape the forest? How does this alternate reality exist, and more importantly, are they simply puppets at the hand of a more significant, more sinister being?
In an exclusive for Metro UK, Keyser said, “‘There’s this society where there are no rules and they have to figure everything out for themselves,’” and “‘then you have that large question of, “Are we headed towards order or chaos?’”
The group of teens have never lived independently and have lived in a bubble with their families and friends. What was so special to me about “The Society” was the authenticity of the characters and the way in which the story unfolded.
With 10 episodes, the plot unravels and rewinds. The more we discover about the town, the less we know. It truly feels like a one-step forward and about 1,000 steps back, which would be frustrating if it didn’t feel so essential to characters’ developments. Still, another thing that sets this apart for me is the exploration of a typical high school “social order” in an alternate setting.
Suddenly thrown for a loop, we watch as their hierarchy crumbles. Friendships are made, lives are risked (and potentially lost), and connections are forged in ways they wouldn’t have if not for this situation.
I also find it fascinating that the characters are not as concerned with what brought them there or how they can get out. They seem to be entirely focused on coping with their new reality and finding ways to exist within it, at least for the most part.
Ultimately, the show is all about human connection and our ability to destroy and create life. We see firsthand a group of teenagers being given a chance to forge a new society. I do wonder how they would have gotten out and what exactly brought them there, but I am more curious as to how they would have continued to evolve and if, in the end, there would be a new and unique society.
The show is still available on Netflix, and I highly recommend viewing the first season. I know there’s no continuation, but I think the story is worth watching, even if there is no end.
I know “The Society” is a show-down, but it’s a 5/5.