Amazon’s High-Drama YA Series The Wilds Looks Fascinating

Being a teen girl is really hard. That’s the big takeaway from the first trailer for Amazon’s new YA series The Wilds. The first look at the series promises a harrowing look at teen girlhood in a series that I think we could describe as Lost meets Pretty Little Liars. But then again, I’m not sure that’s a great comparison because this show looks extremely interesting and unique.

Now, I know you may be thinking it because I wondered this too, this is not the “Female Lord of the Flies” that was announced a while back. That news broke in 2017 and it was supposed to be a movie. Thankfully, nothing has come of it. This definitely does have some big Lord of the Flies energy, what with at least one girl running around with her face painted with blood. But it’s also has a lot more mystery.

Amazon describes the series, which comes from writer/producer Sarah Streicher (Daredevil), as “Part survival drama, part dystopic slumber party,” and it follows a group of girls from “disparate backgrounds” after a plane crash strands them on a deserted island. From the trailer, it looks like these girls are all high achievers or otherwise deeply committed to people or causes at home, which makes being on the island and even more daunting test.

“The castaways both clash and bond as they learn more about each other, the secrets they keep, and the traumas they’ve all endured,” Amazon also adds, which lines up with this very high drama trailer—but they also get to the big twist: “These girls did not end up on this island by accident.”

Now that right there is what makes this most fascinating to me. Their parents seem to be in on the stranding, and I wonder if this is some sort of tough love therapy for girls who need to separate their selves from their accomplishments and duties? Or is it something more nefarious? Are the parents bad guys, a la Runaways? Are these girls there to build a new society or something? I have no idea, but I’m excited to find out.

I’m also excited by a cast and creative team that’s predominantly women. The cast includes, according to our friends at TVLine, Sophia Ali (Grey’s Anatomy), Shannon Berry (Australia’s Offspring), Reign Edwards (MacGyver), Helena Howard (Quibi’s Don’t Look Deeper), Erana James (New Zealand’s Golden Boy), Jenna Clause, Mia Healey, and Sarah Pidgeon. The most notable name is among the grown-ups: Rachel Griffiths.

I like that this cast is diverse in a lot of ways, and yes, I also like that we saw at least two girls kissing in the trailer because someone on that island has to hook up, right? In general, I’m looking forward to a twisty, dark show about the travails of being a teen, because it really is the most isolating and tough part of life. Being on an island just makes it literal.

The Wilds will begin its first 10-episode season on December 11 on Amazon Prime Video.

(via TVLine, image: Amazon Prime Video)

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