Teenage Bounty Hunters review

With 13 Reasons Why, Sex Education, The Society, Never Have I Ever, Lost and Found, Derry Girls, and The Politician (which began in high school), Netflix is really going all in on the CW formula of attracting teenage audiences.

The story revolves around two twins, Blair and Sterling, who go to a strict Christian school in Georgia where a lot of the rules of teenage coolness are inverted. Being celibate, getting good grades, and showing your love of God are all in. There’s a great deal of contrast between the twins in that Blair has a conscious urge to rebel against the establishment whereas Sterling is pretty much the establishment. She’s a fellowship leader of the Christian prayer group and begins the series as half of the school’s royal couple.

In the pre-credits sequence in the first episode, Sterling loses her virginity with her long-time boyfriend while Blair has a hook-up that arrives at, shall we say, a lesser base and talks about how she’s going to go all the way this year with a hint of pride that she’s farther along than her sis. There’s a friendly jealousy between the pair that shows of this genre can’t live without.

Oh yeah, and they get a side gig chase down criminals. It’s kind of jammed in premise-wise but it works as it ties in thematically to the pair having to live a double life as sexual beings in a society that encourages teenage sexlessness.

The show plays around with hypocrisy of religion with a nuance that doesn’t necessarily damn the Christain characters on the show. In fact, the virtuous teacher Ellen is one of the bright spots on the show.