Wayward

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Overview

A small-town cop suspects that the local school for troubled teens — and its dangerously charismatic founder — may not be all it seems.

Media

Wayward | Official Trailer | Netflix

Cast

Alyvia Alyn Lind

Creator:

Mae Martin

Fist Air Date:

2025-09-25

Episode Runtime:

44m

Production Companies:

Sphère Média, Objective Fiction

Genres:

Keywords:

academy bonding cop cult escape group therapy hallucination lesbian relationship lgbt memory miniseries missing children mysterious disappearance pregnant woman psychological manipulation sleepwalking small town thriller transgender

More Show Details

Vote Average: 6.2/10

Vote Count: 154 Votes

Show Popularity: 7.3151

Show Status: Ended

Show Type: Miniseries

Spoken Languages: English

Review

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Insomniacs Reviews
- 23 April 2026 at 2:16 am

8 Based on 1 Votes
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⭐ Insomniacs Rating: 8/10 THE SUMMARY Mae Martin trading comedy for a badge is the move we didn't know we needed. *Wayward* (2025) is an eight-part Netflix thriller set in 2003 in the eerie, picture-perfect town of Tall Pines. Martin plays Alex Dempsey, a small-town cop who moves to his wife’s hometown only to realize the local "therapeutic school" for troubled teens is basically a high-end cult. Led by the terrifyingly charismatic Evelyn Wade (Toni Collette), the academy uses "behavioral modification" that looks a lot like psychological warfare. It’s a dark, twisty dive into the "troubled teen industry" that feels like a cross between a true-crime doc and a fever dream. THE PROS Toni Collette is a total win. She does that "menacingly calm" thing better than anyone on the planet, making a simple conversation feel like she’s dissecting your soul. Mae Martin is a sincere surprise here; they bring a grounded, slightly messy vulnerability to Alex that makes the cop-procedural parts feel fresh. The 2003 setting is a masterstroke—no smartphones to call for help, just landlines and a lot of creepy isolation. The chemistry between the teen leads, Abby and Leila, provides the heart of the show, making you actually care about their survival rather than just waiting for the next plot twist. THE CONS It is an 8/10 because the final episode tries to cram about three seasons worth of lore into an hour. It’s a bit of a head-scratcher why they went for such a massive, chaotic ending when the rest of the show was a brilliantly controlled Languid Burn. It misses the 9/10 mark because some of the "psychedelic toad" elements (yes, really) felt a bit too surreal for a show that was otherwise trying to expose a very real, horrific industry. It is total garbage that we didn't get more of Sarah Gadon’s backstory earlier on, as her connection to the cult is the most interesting part of the mystery. THE VERDICT An 8/10. It is a genuine, stylish, and deeply unsettling thriller that proved Mae Martin is a "serious actor" now (their words, but it's true). I was totally gripped by the "Tall Pines" mythology, even if the landing was a little messy. It is total garbage if you’re looking for a lighthearted binge, but as an indictment of how society treats "difficult" kids, it’s a heavyweight in the 900+ archive. By April 2026, it’s the show that has everyone side-eyeing every "wellness retreat" and "specialty school" they see on Instagram. INSOMNIAC TRIVIA * Serious Hair: Mae Martin joked in interviews that they dyed their hair several shades darker for the role specifically to signal to the audience that they were no longer doing stand-up and were now "officially serious."* Sixth Sense Meta: While filming the car scenes, Mae Martin and Sydney Topliffe (Abby) kept re-enacting Toni Collette’s famous *Sixth Sense* car monologue between takes, much to Toni’s amusement.* Real Industry Roots: The show is inspired by Martin’s 20-year obsession with the "troubled teen industry," specifically unregulated residential programs that use cult-like tactics to "fix" adolescence.* The 2026 Connection: This April, a group of real-world survivors from these types of institutions used the show's 2026 streaming surge to launch a major legislative push for "Abby’s Law," a bill aiming to regulate therapeutic academies. THE VIBE Like a beautiful Vermont autumn morning that suddenly turns freezing cold. It is sharp, aesthetic, and deeply paranoid. It makes you want to throw your flip phone into the woods, stay far away from "peaceful" small towns, and never trust a headmistress who offers you tea.

TV Show Poster

Season 1

8 Episodes

Air Date: 2025-09-25

Videos

Wayward | Official Trailer | Netflix

Wayward | Official Teaser | Netflix

Wayward | Sneak Peek | Netflix

Cast

Alyvia Alyn Lind

Sydney Topliffe

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Reviews for

Wayward

Comment (1)

Insomniacs Reviews
- 23 April 2026 at 3:16 AM

⭐ Insomniacs Rating: 8/10
THE SUMMARY
Mae Martin trading comedy for a badge is the move we didn’t know we needed. *Wayward* (2025) is an eight-part Netflix thriller set in 2003 in the eerie, picture-perfect town of Tall Pines. Martin plays Alex Dempsey, a small-town cop who moves to his wife’s hometown only to realize the local “therapeutic school” for troubled teens is basically a high-end cult. Led by the terrifyingly charismatic Evelyn Wade (Toni Collette), the academy uses “behavioral modification” that looks a lot like psychological warfare. It’s a dark, twisty dive into the “troubled teen industry” that feels like a cross between a true-crime doc and a fever dream.
THE PROS
Toni Collette is a total win. She does that “menacingly calm” thing better than anyone on the planet, making a simple conversation feel like she’s dissecting your soul. Mae Martin is a sincere surprise here; they bring a grounded, slightly messy vulnerability to Alex that makes the cop-procedural parts feel fresh. The 2003 setting is a masterstroke—no smartphones to call for help, just landlines and a lot of creepy isolation. The chemistry between the teen leads, Abby and Leila, provides the heart of the show, making you actually care about their survival rather than just waiting for the next plot twist.
THE CONS
It is an 8/10 because the final episode tries to cram about three seasons worth of lore into an hour. It’s a bit of a head-scratcher why they went for such a massive, chaotic ending when the rest of the show was a brilliantly controlled Languid Burn. It misses the 9/10 mark because some of the “psychedelic toad” elements (yes, really) felt a bit too surreal for a show that was otherwise trying to expose a very real, horrific industry. It is total garbage that we didn’t get more of Sarah Gadon’s backstory earlier on, as her connection to the cult is the most interesting part of the mystery.
THE VERDICT
An 8/10. It is a genuine, stylish, and deeply unsettling thriller that proved Mae Martin is a “serious actor” now (their words, but it’s true). I was totally gripped by the “Tall Pines” mythology, even if the landing was a little messy. It is total garbage if you’re looking for a lighthearted binge, but as an indictment of how society treats “difficult” kids, it’s a heavyweight in the 900+ archive. By April 2026, it’s the show that has everyone side-eyeing every “wellness retreat” and “specialty school” they see on Instagram.
INSOMNIAC TRIVIA
* Serious Hair: Mae Martin joked in interviews that they dyed their hair several shades darker for the role specifically to signal to the audience that they were no longer doing stand-up and were now “officially serious.”
* Sixth Sense Meta: While filming the car scenes, Mae Martin and Sydney Topliffe (Abby) kept re-enacting Toni Collette’s famous *Sixth Sense* car monologue between takes, much to Toni’s amusement.
* Real Industry Roots: The show is inspired by Martin’s 20-year obsession with the “troubled teen industry,” specifically unregulated residential programs that use cult-like tactics to “fix” adolescence.
* The 2026 Connection: This April, a group of real-world survivors from these types of institutions used the show’s 2026 streaming surge to launch a major legislative push for “Abby’s Law,” a bill aiming to regulate therapeutic academies.
THE VIBE
Like a beautiful Vermont autumn morning that suddenly turns freezing cold. It is sharp, aesthetic, and deeply paranoid. It makes you want to throw your flip phone into the woods, stay far away from “peaceful” small towns, and never trust a headmistress who offers you tea.

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