Cult

In a nutshell, Cult is a TV series about a TV series called "Cult," whose opposing main characters are a sinister cult leader and his former lover who's now out to prove he's a fraud and a murderer, all of which is being consumed by a host of emotionally invested fans who appear to act on their obsessions in the real world. If that's not confusing enough for you, the actors who play the aforementioned cult leader and his female antithesis on the secondary series also show up in Jeff's universe as their "real-life" personas (Roger Reeves and Marti Gerritsen, respectively) and eventually discover that their involvement in the show brings unwanted -- and, at times, dangerous -- attention from those same obsessed fans. Add to this a "real-life" cop with questionable loyalties who's handling Nate's unsolved case, sinister strangers lurking at every turn, and a reclusive show creator who might hold all the answers for Jeff and Skye, and Cult has the makings of a smart, complex thriller.

In an era of entertainment that draws viewers into the fold like never before (take the fans' role in reality contests, for instance), Cult raises some intriguing points about where the line is drawn between reality and make-believe, and the power of the media's influence on impressionable fans. Sturdy teens are best suited to handle the suspenseful, violent content in this scintillating series, and to dig deeper for some applications to the messages we absorb from media. Of course, this is best done with help from you, so settle in with your teens for some thrills and chills at the hands of this crafty, puzzling drama.