Teenage Bounty Hunters: Season 1
August 16, 2020 11:06 AM - Season 1 (Full Season) - Subscribe
After joining forces with a veteran bounty hunter, sixteen-year-old fraternal twin sisters Sterling and Blair dive into the world of bail skipping baddies while still navigating the high stakes of teenage life. (Netflix)
TV Guide Review: Fun Netflix Show Is Just About as Bananas as It Sounds
Den of Geek (Spoiler-Free) Review - Netflix’s latest attempt to corner the teen market brings us the lively and diverting yet inconsequential Teenage Bounty Hunters..
Hollywood Reporter Review: "Bubbly, satirical, Bible-obsessed and horny, the new Netflix dramedy Teenage Bounty Hunters is a Frankenstein's monster of a show, a hodge-podge of disparate pieces that not only implausibly coheres into a whole, but exhibits far more heart than anyone would reasonably expect."
Polygon review: Netflix’s Teenage Bounty Hunters is a raunchy comedy drama slapstick thriller satire that works - The new show from Orange Is the New Black’s Jenji Kohan hits every genre
AV Club - A charming cast fleshes out the thin premise of Teenage Bounty Hunters
TV Guide Review: Fun Netflix Show Is Just About as Bananas as It Sounds
Den of Geek (Spoiler-Free) Review - Netflix’s latest attempt to corner the teen market brings us the lively and diverting yet inconsequential Teenage Bounty Hunters..
Hollywood Reporter Review: "Bubbly, satirical, Bible-obsessed and horny, the new Netflix dramedy Teenage Bounty Hunters is a Frankenstein's monster of a show, a hodge-podge of disparate pieces that not only implausibly coheres into a whole, but exhibits far more heart than anyone would reasonably expect."
Polygon review: Netflix’s Teenage Bounty Hunters is a raunchy comedy drama slapstick thriller satire that works - The new show from Orange Is the New Black’s Jenji Kohan hits every genre
AV Club - A charming cast fleshes out the thin premise of Teenage Bounty Hunters
I really enjoyed it. The leads are charming, the banter is funny, and the show nails the setting. It was like Carl Hiassen + Booksmart + Chrisley Knows Best.
It’s not flawless—as the season goes on, the show has trouble balancing the “teenage“ and “bounty hunter“ parts—but I definitely enjoyed my time with it. The fact that I finished it within 24 hours is a huge endorsement; usually it takes me weeks and weeks to finish anything.
I’m not religious at all, but I liked how it respected the faith of the main characters. It’s not a show you can recommend to your Christian friends and family, which is too bad because it takes the characters’ faith at face value and never uses it as a joke or a reason to portray them as stupid or naïve.
The show (and main characters) are progressive, but set within a regressive white rich Christian society. I feel like if the show gets enough press we’ll start seeing hot takes unhappy that it wasn’t a full-throated denunciation of that society. There was a lightness to the depiction of that world that I think might rub people the wrong way, or be misread as an endorsement. But personally I think they balanced it really well.
Oh, and finally, I thought ending a show about Christian teenagers with a lock-in instead of a prom was just a masterstroke!
posted by Ian A.T. at 10:20 PM on August 16, 2020 [2 favorites]
It’s not flawless—as the season goes on, the show has trouble balancing the “teenage“ and “bounty hunter“ parts—but I definitely enjoyed my time with it. The fact that I finished it within 24 hours is a huge endorsement; usually it takes me weeks and weeks to finish anything.
I’m not religious at all, but I liked how it respected the faith of the main characters. It’s not a show you can recommend to your Christian friends and family, which is too bad because it takes the characters’ faith at face value and never uses it as a joke or a reason to portray them as stupid or naïve.
The show (and main characters) are progressive, but set within a regressive white rich Christian society. I feel like if the show gets enough press we’ll start seeing hot takes unhappy that it wasn’t a full-throated denunciation of that society. There was a lightness to the depiction of that world that I think might rub people the wrong way, or be misread as an endorsement. But personally I think they balanced it really well.
Oh, and finally, I thought ending a show about Christian teenagers with a lock-in instead of a prom was just a masterstroke!
posted by Ian A.T. at 10:20 PM on August 16, 2020 [2 favorites]
The show really sold me with lacrosse as useful training for bounty hunting.
posted by miss-lapin at 2:31 AM on August 17, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by miss-lapin at 2:31 AM on August 17, 2020 [1 favorite]
This has been a surprise hit for me - the same way Veronica Mars, Buffy got me with the sharply funny, but still light, humor, and the bang-on characterization and acting from all the cast. (Also, as a twin, once they started the "twin speak" thing, I was a goner.)
Don't think I've watched almost 10 hours of a show set in a Christian private school before - and agree with Ian A.T. that there seemed to be a more-woke-than-not view of the setting, done with love & a belief in the 2 fundamental truths "Be kind to others" and " Protect the poor" (quote unquote Sterling).
Also with Project Power, this is the 2nd Atlanta-set show I binged over the weekend. I liked that this show had just more Georgia-based actors in it (Wynn Everett as their teacher Ellen made me LOL and rewind so many times) - kinda refreshing.
Rooting for this show to continue!
posted by popsciolist at 5:42 AM on August 18, 2020
Don't think I've watched almost 10 hours of a show set in a Christian private school before - and agree with Ian A.T. that there seemed to be a more-woke-than-not view of the setting, done with love & a belief in the 2 fundamental truths "Be kind to others" and " Protect the poor" (quote unquote Sterling).
Also with Project Power, this is the 2nd Atlanta-set show I binged over the weekend. I liked that this show had just more Georgia-based actors in it (Wynn Everett as their teacher Ellen made me LOL and rewind so many times) - kinda refreshing.
Rooting for this show to continue!
posted by popsciolist at 5:42 AM on August 18, 2020
Uh, wasn't Project Power set in New Orleans? Maybe it was shot in Atlanta but I doubt it since NO is a pretty unique place. Also it's a major film production hub (so is ATL) so I don't see why it'd be shot elsewhere.
Anyhow, This was great (much better than Project Power, which was not very good at all), they pulled off the loquacious teenager thing well and made great use of the setting. My only slight peeve is that April's dad felt like a Chekhov's gun that never went off. Come to think of it the entire 3-episode ending arc was that way too, giving the impression that plot threads are being set up for future episodes. Here's hoping this show gets renewed.
posted by axiom at 3:41 PM on August 18, 2020
Anyhow, This was great (much better than Project Power, which was not very good at all), they pulled off the loquacious teenager thing well and made great use of the setting. My only slight peeve is that April's dad felt like a Chekhov's gun that never went off. Come to think of it the entire 3-episode ending arc was that way too, giving the impression that plot threads are being set up for future episodes. Here's hoping this show gets renewed.
posted by axiom at 3:41 PM on August 18, 2020
Ah yes, Project Power is indeed set and filmed in New Orleans. I conflated the two in that 12 hour Netflix binge fest - mea culpa!
posted by popsciolist at 6:57 PM on August 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by popsciolist at 6:57 PM on August 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
EW Interview: Creator, Kathleen Jordan, shares more on developing the show:
One of our rules for ourselves in the writers' room is we didn't ever want to be making fun of Christianityand what's next in store for a potential season 2 - (spoilers for season 1 below!)
"Sterling is her parents' perfect child, and that comes from the fact that they really overcompensated with their adopted daughter, they over-parented her, to Blair's detriment. That's something that we want to definitely explore in a hopeful season 2."posted by popsciolist at 3:35 AM on August 26, 2020
Teenage Bounty Hunters Cancelled by Netflix After 1 Season
The article doesn’t say it, but I feel like this is another COVID-19 cancellation rather than a reflection on the show. They can’t film the second season at the moment, and with filming paused indefinitely it could be really expensive to keep the actors and members of the creative team on contract until things can start up again.
Still sucks, though.
posted by Ian A.T. at 8:01 PM on October 5, 2020
The article doesn’t say it, but I feel like this is another COVID-19 cancellation rather than a reflection on the show. They can’t film the second season at the moment, and with filming paused indefinitely it could be really expensive to keep the actors and members of the creative team on contract until things can start up again.
Still sucks, though.
posted by Ian A.T. at 8:01 PM on October 5, 2020
Aw, what a bummer. This was such a fun show, I was looking forward to seeing what they'd do with the revelations of the S1 finale.
posted by oh yeah! at 5:58 AM on October 6, 2020
posted by oh yeah! at 5:58 AM on October 6, 2020
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posted by oh yeah! at 11:14 AM on August 16, 2020 [2 favorites]