Every summer has that show — the one you binge with the AC blasting, a couch full of snacks, and sometimes your Twitter or whatever fingers ready because it’s so good you have to commiserate with others.
Netflix had that with The Society.
It was the perfect Young Adult thriller that quietly dropped and subsequently exploded, appealing to all demographics with its vibe that combined Lord of the Flies, Lost, and 1984 into this must-watch genre thriller that entertained as much as served as a perfect commentary on society.
The Society Understood the Assignment
Well, I mean, that’s likely where the name came from, right?
The series centered on a group of teenagers who find themselves mysteriously trapped in a replica of their wealthy Connecticut town — somehow in another dimension.
And there, with no adults around to save or lead them, they have to fend for themselves in what feels like the WORST Sociology assignment in the history of humankind (and not everyone would score an A).
We had no adults, no rules or laws, but instead, there were endless secrets, more trauma than one small community should amass, and a pervasive eeriness and uncertainty.
It was brilliant. It is purely riveting television that scratches the minds of any Social Science lover. The series was gripping, the characters were fascinating, and the intensity was so great that I might have even ground my teeth while watching.
Made for Bingeing and Built for Summer
The Society was the type of summer binge that generated serious buzz and felt like it upheld some of the great genre summer programming of the past that we still lament.
And then? It vanished, too. After scoring a well-deserved renewal, especially after that provocative and emotionally wrought cliffhanger that left us uneasy and gasping, Netflix revoked its renewal.
The Society ironically became a casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic, and subsequently, there were no moves to revive it.
It was such a gut punch. In fact, it’s five years later, and it still hurts. Why else do you think I’m randomly discussing a series that ended so long ago?
I still think about The Society and what it could have been!
The Society Was Young Adult Content at Its Smartest
At first glance, The Society looked like another teen ensemble drama — messy relationships, hormonal outbursts, petty betrayals.
However, it quickly revealed itself to be something more innovative, darker, and emotionally grounded than anyone had expected. It was a brilliant reflection on teens, yes, but also on society at large, at who we are at our baser selves under the most dire of circumstances.
The series expertly utilized teen characters to address real societal issues: class warfare, the ethics of governance, disability rights, sexual assault, mental illness, misogyny, racism, authoritarianism, police brutality, trauma, and grief.
It was raw and damning, and you couldn’t look away for one second.
The premise of this exploration was relying on teens to rebuild civilization, imposing their own society that illuminates just how slippery a slope it is to fall into the worst that we have to offer.
The Society Not Only Respected Teen Characters, But the Intelligence of Its Audience
Every day, there was an internal battle, just as much as an external one, to maintain a sense of humanity, democracy, morality, and ethics, to not slip into lawlessness, greed, and individualism.
Survival depended on community, but the worst of human traits often threatened that.
The Society explored these themes through the lens of flawed teenagers, highlighting the plight of holding civilization on their shoulders.
This series respected the young adult genre, avoiding a superficial and condescending focus on love triangles and petty, inconsequential matters. Instead, they touched on the deeper, more profound issues that these teens were battling.
It didn’t rely on the usual teen drama tropes or shallow stereotypes. It gave us characters — beautifully messy, flawed, complicated kids who were forced to grow up in the most impossible of circumstances.
Characters Actually Mattered and Had Depth
Allie stepping into leadership with quiet strength? Iconic. Grizz emerging as one of the kindest, most thoughtful portrayals of queerness in teen television? Essential. Sam navigating life and leadership as a deaf person? Groundbreaking. Elle’s trauma? Painful and raw.
These weren’t one-note characters. They were layered and relatable.
We saw thoughtful depictions of leadership, love, and vulnerability.
The Society also knew how to write race and queerness without feeling gimmicky and forced. Neither was an afterthought — it was integral and celebrated, yet also normalized and felt uniquely ahead of its time for a mainstream Netflix drama.
And that’s saying a lot for Netflix, which is often at the forefront of conversations dissecting race and sexuality.
The Society Nailed Teen Genre Storytelling
The Society would have been the perfect summer binge. It just feels like summertime, in a way that’s not all bright colors, foggy lenses, and glitz and glam from the usual fare.
It’s eerie, like the emptiness of an abandoned town, the slow-burning unraveling of mystery over lazy days and restless nights — it’s hypnotic.
It was the kind of show you’d throw on during a heatwave and not stop watching until 3 a.m. The pacing was brilliant, the tension never let up, and the vibes were immaculate. It was the ideal show to watch all at once, then immediately rewatch to catch clues or dissect scenes all over again.
Of course, one of the things I miss most about The Society is that it didn’t pander to its audience. It trusted them to handle ambiguity and moral messiness. There were no easy answers, no clear heroes or villains — just people trying, failing, and trying again. It felt real, refreshingly so.
It was gripping but also emotionally charged in a way that many teen series aren’t. It wasn’t afraid to slow down and sit in the quiet moments. The small friendships. The heartbreaks. The impossible choices.
The Society was Eerily Ahead of Its Time — And Still Has More to Say
When COVID-19 hit, production on Season 2 was delayed, and ultimately, the show was canceled in August 2020 due to pandemic-related costs.
But the irony wasn’t lost on us — The Society was, in many ways, about quarantine, isolation, and the breakdown of social order. Watching it in retrospect feels downright eerie. It’s wild!
It feels resonant, and it’s certainly something that would have reached a broader audience than before in a Post-pandemic world that still feels apocalyptic — one where we’re still trying to navigate and figure out, with all of its upheaval and savagery.
That’s part of what makes the show ripe for revival. In a post-pandemic world, where questions of leadership, mutual responsibility, and the collapse of systems feel more relevant than ever, The Society has even more to explore.
It has more to say, and we’re more open than ever to hear and see it.
We Deserve the Answers — and the Closure
The ending of Season 1 was brutal. A full-on coup. New alliances. Shocking betrayals. Then, a final reveal that everything the kids believed might have been a lie.
A literal wall with names etched in remembrance. A timeline upended. And then … silence. We’re left with a semicolon rather than a period or exclamation mark, and five years later, that won’t do.
It’s rare for a show to hit this hard and leave such a strong legacy after just one season. But The Society did.
It created a fandom that’s still active, still theorizing, still begging for Netflix — or another streamer — to give it the wrap-up it deserves.
Run Us that Revival, Please and Thank You!
The Society was immersive, intelligent, emotionally rich, and endlessly rewatchable.
It respected its characters and its audience and, in doing so, built something more than just a “teen show.”
In a landscape that’s increasingly risk-averse and algorithm-driven, The Society was a rare gem that not only entertained but also sparked conversation. Important ones.
So yes, it’s time to bring it back. Revive it. I don’t care how.
Give it the limited series treatment. Make it a movie. The two-season revival it deserves. Whatever it takes.
Deliver the answers, the hope, the brutal truth, and the closure.
Please give us The Society again. It’s time. We need and deserve it. We’ve earned it.
Watch The Society Online
Not every show gets the love and respect they deserve, but we still love talking about them and reminiscing.
If you made it this far, you probably still care about The Society, too. Drop a note, hit share, and keep rooting for the little guys — us and these types of shows.
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