Does ‘Everything Suck’?

Released on 16 February, ‘Everything sucks!’ is a light hearted comedy that has received mixed reviews . Although the coming of age story is set in the 90s, it still presents a stereotypical high school experience complete with geeks, drama kids, and bullies. The series follows the story of three freshmen geeks trying to fit in at Boring high school, Luke (Jahi Di´Allo Winston), Tyler (Quinn Liebling), and McQuaid (Rio Mangini), and their friend and principle’s daughter, Kate, (Peyton Kennedy), who is questioning her sexuality. The era is set with a banging 90s playlist full of the catchy sound that’s lacking in today’s music.

Even though the show did make me laugh, the sense of humour is mostly light. It contains a lot of cringe-worthy, cheesy, moments. But it also manages to take a more serious tone intended to capture more important issues like social acceptance, sexuality, and suicide. The actors, and their characters are what make the series worth watching. Kennedy’s portrayal of Kate is complex, and realistic. She manages to embody a shy girl trying to come out to her father and friends. And Winston delivers an incredible performance of a frustrated teen who experiences moments of pure happiness and anger.

Some reviews have criticized the series’ lack of originality, claiming that it is practically a a copy-cat of a similar series ‘Freaks and Geaks’. Ben Travers, a reviewer for IndieWire, said “By the time ‘Everything Sucks!’ gets around to its valuable point, you’ve probably already taken the title at face value. But not everything sucks in the latest underdeveloped Netflix series.” And Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair, wrote, “‘Everything Sucks!’ is, quite unlike that dumb and ungainly title, a refreshingly good-hearted, uncynical show about adolescence.” Indeed, the directors and writers could have brought a more authentic touch to ´Everything Sucks!´, although its imitative nature does not take away from the strong premise.

I personally loved the show, as well as all its tender, beautiful and cringe moments. I am highly anticipating a second season. The last episode ended with a major cliff-hanger, which suggests that our questions will be answered in a follow-up season.