Unlike House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, Daredevil and Bloodline, Netflix isn’t making much of a promotional push for its upcoming series Between. Perhaps that’s because it’s a co-production with Canadian networks, which means it’ll be un-bingeable, diverging from the Netflix model by launching on May 21 and releasing a new episode weekly. Let the impatient viewer rioting commence.
A survivalist thriller set in the small town of Pretty Lake, Between kicks off as a mysterious plague kills off every resident of the town over the age of 21. The government quarantines the town, leading to a power vaccum and struggle for dominance as the teens go to war with one another in order to stay alive. Think Lord of the Flies with moody, disinterested youth.
It’s a very similar premise to Michael Grant’s bestselling Gone series, which Sony Pictures Television is planning to adapt for the small screen, so maybe Between not making many ripples is a good thing. CBS’ Under the Dome has also been playing in slightly similar territory for a few seasons now, centering on a town inexplicably cut off from the rest of the world by an impregnable barrier. Suffice to say, though Between is described in the press release as an “original” survivalist thriller series, it’ll have to earn that.
Jennette McCurdy (iCarly) leads a cast of relative unknowns including Jim Watson, Ryan Allen, Wesley Morgan, Jack Murray and Shailyn Pierre-Dixon. Here’s the official synopsis:
“BETWEEN is the story of a town under siege from a mysterious disease that has wiped out everybody except those 21 years old and under. The series explores the power vacuum that results when a government has quarantined a 10-mile diameter area and left the inhabitants to fend for themselves.
An original survivalist thriller series, BETWEEN was created by award-winning writer/director Michael McGowan (Still Mine, One Week, Saint Ralph) and stars Jennette McCurdy (iCarly, Sam & Cat). The series is executive produced by McGowan, Don Carmody, David Cormican, and Naveen Prasad.”
Between begins its six-episode run on May 21, only on Netflix.