I Am Not Okay With This & The Society Axed at Netflix

After shutting down the theatrical releases of a number of films in 2020, the effects of COVID-19 are affecting TV even further as Netflix has chosen to cancel I Am Not Okay With This and The Society due to complications with filming under new safety guidelines, according to Deadline.

The decision comes as a bit of a surprise given that not only did both series receive rave reviews from critics and audiences alike, but Society had actually been renewed for a second season last summer and was eying a return to production sometime in September while I Am Not Okay had a scripts for a second season written up and was on track to earn a proper renewal from the streaming platform. Sources report that the move comes as the uncertainty regarding production starts and balancing the schedules of the large cast of Society and increased budgets due to new safety guidelines began to create problems for Netflix.

“We’ve made the difficult decision not to move forward with second seasons of The Society and I Am Not Okay With This,” Netflix said in a statement to Deadline. “We’re disappointed to have to make these decisions due to circumstances created by COVID, and we are grateful to these creators, including: Jonathan Entwistle, Christy Hall, Shawn Levy, Dan Levine, Dan Cohen and Josh Barry at 21 Laps Entertainment for I Am Not Okay With This; Chris Keyser, Marc Webb and Pavlina Hatoupis for The Society; and all the writers, casts and crews who worked tirelessly to make these shows for our members around the world.”

Written by Chris Keyser (Party of Five), The Society was as a modern take on the 1954 Nobel Prize-winning novel Lord of the Flies and followed a group of teenagers who are mysteriously transported to a facsimile of their wealthy New England town, left without any trace of their parents. As they struggle to figure out what has happened to them and how to get home, they must establish order and form alliances if they want to survive.

The series starred Newton as Allie, Rachel Keller (Legion, Fargo) as Cassandra, Gideon Adlon (Blockers, Mustang) as Becca, Jacques Colimon (Duat) as Will, Olivia DeJonge (The Visit) as Elle, Alex Fitzalan (Slenderman) as Harry, Kristine Froseth (Sierra Burgess Is A Loser, Apostle) as Kelly, Jose Julian (A Better Life, Shameless) as Gordie, Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Helena, Alex MacNicoll (Transparent, Backseat) as Luke, Jack Mulhern (Locke & Key) as Grizz, Salena Qureshi (Madam Secretary) as Bean, Grace Victoria Cox (Heathers, Under The Dome) as Lexie, Sean Berdy (Switched at Birth) as Sam and Toby Wallace (Romper Stomper) as Campbell.

The series was co-created and executive produced by Keyser along with director Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer, The Amazing Spider-Man). Keyser also served as the showrunner while Webb served as the series’ director.

I Am Not Okay With This was an irreverent origin story that follows a teenage girl named Sydney, who’s navigating the trials and tribulations of high school, all while dealing with the complexities of her family, her budding sexuality, and mysterious superpowers just beginning to awaken deep within her. Sydney is described as an awkward and smart girl with a dry, witty, sardonic sense of humor. Though Sydney views herself as painfully average, she is far from it, as she discovers she has telekinetic powers which may prove to be problematic.

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The series adaptation starred Sophia Lillis (Sharp Objects) as Sydney and Wyatt Oleff (Guardians of the Galaxy) as Stanley Barber. Lillis and Oleff recently starred in It: Chapter 2 which premiered last year in September. The series also featured Kathleen Rose Perkins (Episodes) as Maggie, Sofia Bryant (The Good Wife) as Dina, Aidan Wojtak-Hissong (Falling Water) as Liam, and Richard Ellis as Brad Lewis.

I Am Not Okay With This was created by Jonathan Entwistle (The End of the F***ing World) who also served as a producer along with Stranger Things executive producers Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen and Josh Barry.