Panic
By Joyce Slaton,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Violent stunts, gripping twists in book-based teen thriller.

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Panic
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What's the Story?
Each year, tiny Carp, Texas is enlivened when the town's graduating seniors play PANIC, a game of escalating challenges that nets one lucky winner a five-figure pot, but last year got a couple of students killed when they walked across the highway with blindfolds on. Heather (Olivia Welch) didn't plan on playing, but after a sudden reversal leaves her feeling like this year's $50,000 prize may be her only chance, she shocks her best friends Bishop (Camron Jones) and Natalie (Jessica Sula) by throwing her hat into the ring, taking on competitors like mysterious new kid in town Dodge (Mike Faist) and bullying school tool Ray (Ray Hall), as well as Natalie herself. The town's police force, worried about more violence, are racing to keep the game from happening at all, but with things moving so fast, it's anyone's guess who will win out -- or survive. The series has been adapted by Lauren Oliver from her own YA novel of the same name.
Is It Any Good?
It has a seamy "sin and scandal in a small town" vibe that's not unlike Riverdale, but Olivia Welch breathes such life and pathos into main character Heather that this series transcends cliches. Of course, the show's setup is pure high-concept YA (literally), and you'll have to take a couple of grains of salt to accept that the teens of tiny Carp, Texas have been secretly running a high-stakes game of truth-or-dare for generations. Many of the characters are walking stereotypes, too: the swaggering bully who taunts other students into participating in Panic, Heather's geeky BFF who's transparently in love with her, the new guy at school with secrets.
Even Heather herself is something of a type, the good girl attempting to break the cycle of small-town poverty yet fighting insurmountable odds. But with Welch in the role, Heather is easy to root for, transparently transmitting pain and badassery in turn. We feel her pain when the path to a college degree is blocked; we understand all the factors that lead up to her feeling like she has nothing to lose by playing her town's challenge game. And so, as goofy as Panic's setup is, viewers will be drawn in despite themselves, eager to see how this young woman gets herself out of the mess she's in, and how the rest of Carp's secrets will be revealed. For easygoing summer pleasures, you most assuredly could do worse.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about bullying. What instances of bullying exist in Panic? What different forms can bullying take? Is any one form more or less harmful than another? How do the characters in Panic egg each other on to greater violence and more daring stunts? What reasons does the show give us for the acts of bullying that take place?
The teens on this show compete for a cash prize by performing stunts that escalate in danger. Does watching the stunts make you want to try something like this? The show begins with a warning not to imitate its stunts; why? Does the warning work to dissuade you? What are the possible real-life consequences of challenges like jumping from a rock cliff into a quarry?
Teens: Do you think this series paints an accurate portrait of teen life? Are the characters' troubles relatable to you? Why or why not? What kinds of stereotypes does this show reinforce or challenge? How does what you see of teen life on TV or in movies influence your own life? Parents: Talk to teens about the role models and messages in shows like this.
TV Details
- Premiere date: May 28, 2021
- Cast: Olivia Welch, Jessica Sula, Mike Faist
- Network: Amazon Prime Video
- Genre: Drama
- TV rating: TV-14
- Last updated: February 28, 2022
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