On Post Apocalyptic Media, we loved the series Between on Netflix. Sadly, it only saw two seasons before it mysteriously disappeared without so much as an official cancelation. Now Netflix seems to be reviving the series’ core idea in the form of an entirely new series with less gore but an otherwise highly similar plot. The new series, called The Society, feels like it might be VERY similar to Between, but with less grit and more of a CW feel. And of course, both series take on ideas that were first tackled on Jeremiah with Luke Perry. (RIP.)
Hey Netflix: Great idea for #TheSociety but Luke Perry and #Jeremiah did it first. 🙂 Share on X I wish Netflix was releasing Season 3 of #Between AND #TheSociety. Share on XThe Society is about a town where the adults all mysteriously disappear and the teens are left, unable to leave, so they must fend for themselves. In Between, everyone over the age of 21 dies of a mysterious virus, so the town must be quarantined. The teens must create their own society and survive on their own. So yeah, really familiar. (The Society also has some shades of Under the Dome, where a town was separated from the rest of the world by a mysterious dome. It was interesting but got weird in later seasons.)
The biggest difference between the two shows is that The Society is a Netflix original. And while Between was also advertised that way, it was really a show co-produced by City TV in Canada and Netflix. So it’s possible Netflix was more interested in doing their own highly similar show, but for a series they owned completely.
The Society looks intriguing, to be honest:
But also VERY similar to Between, which has disappeared just as mysteriously as the adults in The Society.
You can see more similarities in the Season 2 trailer:
Essentially, Between has more of a post-apocalyptic feel, since it involves a virus that, if it escapes the town, could pretty much destroy the world. The Society, meanwhile, involves a big mystery involving the town, but it seems brighter and trendier than Between. I predict that The Society will last longer than Between did. (One more point of similarity: both shows involve a teen who is pregnant and navigating a pregnancy in this weird type of scenario.)
The Society releases May 10 on Netflix and has 10 episodes. But I’m concerned by reviews like TV Guide. TV Guide says the show’s first episodes “feel almost entirely disinterested in the potential puzzle box aspects of how the kids got to this world, preferring instead to examine the existential questions… If you had the chance to rebuild the world and redefine your place in it, could you do it better…” I mean, that question is interesting, but the mystery surrounding the show is interesting too, and if it’s not explored much that could be a big disappointment.
I also see it described as “The 100 on steroids,” which is silly to me. The 100 is pure post-apocalyptic with numerous deaths and grit. There’s no way this could be “The 100 on steroids.” Sigh.
Don’t get me wrong – I am really looking forward to this show. But it’s important to acknowledge what came before it (and what many are still missing.)
If you want to see the shows that did The Society’s plot first, you can check out Jeremiah on Amazon here or Between on Netflix here.
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