Wayward

Multihyphenate Canadian performer Mae Martin returns to serialized storytelling five years after their beloved semi-autobiographical Feel Good debuted. Their new limited series, Wayward, follows rebellious teens Abby (Sydney Topliffe) and Leila (Alyvia Alyn Lind) in the early aughts as they skip classes, get high, and listen to their Discmans, unaware that their parents are scheming to remedy their “bad” behaviour by involuntarily admitting them to a mysterious correctional school.

As Abby and Leila innocently enjoy their final days of slacker freedom, detective Alex Dempsey (Martin) arrives in the town of Tall Pines with their wife Laura (Sarah Gadon), who grew up there and feels drawn to return in her final months of pregnancy. Tall Pines is the kind of place where everyone knows your name, and homemade preserves are left on your front porch by neighbours, a gesture Laura finds comforting and Alex finds jarring. Although Alex may warm to small-town life, it’s clear they still have suspicions, especially when it comes to Evelyn (Toni Collette), the headmistress of the correctional school, who appears congenial and caring, but whose connection to Laura raises red flags.

When a teen escapes the facility, the sinister underbelly of the school is exposed, bringing Alex, Laura, Abby, and Leila together under dire circumstances. Featuring a killer soundtrack and Martin’s talents in front of and behind the camera, Wayward shines a light on the “troubled teen” industry, questioning societal definitions of what constitutes “bad” behaviour.

GEOFF MACNAUGHTON