Mae Martin and Toni Collette’s new series Wayward has sucked viewers in, jumping up the viewing charts on Netflix.
The Canadian series follows the Taskmaster star (who also created the show) as protagonist Alex Dempsey, a police officer who investigates an academy for “troubled teens” in Tall Pines.
Alex joins forces with two teen students , Leila (Alyvia Alyn Lind) and Abbie (Sydney Topliffe), to unearth the secrets of the academy and its headteacher, Evelyn Wade (Collette).
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The cast is rounded out by Sarah Gadon as Laura Redman, Alex’s pregnant wife and former Tall Pines student, and Suits star Patrick J Adams as Mr Wyatt Turner, Leila and Abbie’s guidance counsellor.
The addictive eight-episode series has been praised as the “best show in a long time” from a fan on Instagram, who revealed they binged it all in one go.
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“Spent my entire saturday watching yesterday best show in a longggg time,” the person commented on Martin’s Instagram.
“I’m not ashamed to admit that I streamed this whole show in one day,” someone else wrote.
“I am absolutely loving it! Bravo on another amazing show,” another Martin fan wrote, referring to the star’s first series, queer dramedy Feel Good.
“We have one episode left! Been watching 2 at a time, to drag it out. I don’t want it to end!” another fan enthused. “One of the best shows in a long time!”
The series is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with a critic rating of 74% out of 34 reviews.
Wayward isn’t a perfect series, critics note, though the “stellar” performances and the high-octane tone makes it an enjoyable ride.
“While its conclusion is more frustrating than you might expect, Wayward’s stellar performances and propulsive pacing make the journey worth more than the destination,” Paste magazine wrote in their review.
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Digital Spy’s review praised Wayward’s central performances and twists, though it points out how the series is juggling too much in a relatively short runtime.
“A queer twisty genre blending thriller that goes places you won’t expect, even if it tries to do a little too much at points,” the review reads. “Toni Collette is predictably great, but it’s Mae Martin who steals the show.”
Wayward is streaming on Netflix.
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Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy.Â
Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).Â