where to watch: Netflix
when to watch: when you want something short and entertaining
you should note: co-created by a woman; easy to binge
tl;dr: Sydney Novak has a lot going on—her dad died just a few months ago, she doesn’t get along with her mom, her best friend has a new boyfriend, oh, and she might be developing superpowers?
If you’ve opened Netflix lately, you’ve probably seen the trailer for I Am Not Okay With This. Netflix seems to have been pushing it hard. I watched the trailer and was thoroughly intrigued, so I went ahead and watched it.
It was exactly what I was looking for—something short and bingeable that’s well-made and heartfelt. It’s not a big commitment at all; in fact, you could watch it easily in one sitting. Each episode is about 20 minutes long, sometimes less, and there are only 7 episodes in this debut season.
the characters
It follows Sydney Novak, or “Syd.” Syd’s dad died recently, and since then, she has had a bit of a temper. She kicks over trash cans, breaks pencils at school, and doesn’t quite know what to do with her emotions. She’s also figuring out her sexuality, navigating a complicated relationship with her mother, and spending a lot of time taking care of her little brother. On top of all that, she realizes she might have superpowers. Whenever she gets angry, it seems like she can do some pretty crazy stuff with her mind. And it’s getting harder and harder to hide.
Sophia Lillis’ Sydney is easy to like and relate to. She’s super expressive and awkward, and you just want to give her a hug.
In addition to Syndey, the show features some pretty awesome side characters. Sydney’s neighbor and classmate, Stanley Barber, listens to bands no one has ever heard of, has a distinctively 1970s wardrobe, and is always smoking weed. He’s sweet and funny and surprisingly graceful. He also has a massive crush on Sydney. He’s an amusing character, and I look forward to getting to know him more next season.
Dina is Sydney’s best friend. She’s beautiful, friendly, and kind. Sydney struggles when Dina starts dating popular jock Brad and suddenly has way less time for her. The show is good about balancing how Sydney feels about this without making Dina a lousy friend. She’s mostly there for Sydney when she needs it. I would’ve liked to see her character be a little more developed, but hopefully, that will happen next season.
Basically, all of these characters are just kids I would wanna be friends with, and that makes the show really fun to watch.
the world of the show
One exciting thing about this show is you don’t really know when it’s set. They mention phones, and I think it’s set in the current day, but you wouldn’t really know based on how they dress. The clothes are all kind of timeless and vintage-inspired—definitely not what high schoolers wear today. The houses and the sets also all seem like they’re from the 60s and 70s. The show is set in a random rundown town, and as you watch the show, you almost get the sense that this world exists outside the constraints of time and trends. That maybe the town is stuck in a different era. The aesthetic feels extremely nostalgic and not like a modern-day high school. There are definitely nods to classic 80s high school movies—the detention episode gave me a lot of Breakfast Club vibes.
Overall, it’s a fun, unique show, and I am excited to see where it goes! Check it out!
Your mention of the lack of a clear time period and timeless aura reminds me of Sex Education.