Youth & Consequences

Circling around a power-hungry school clique, this teen dramedy is intriguing, mean-spirited, and entertaining all at once. "High school is a great big buzzsaw that grinds people up into little pieces -- some people are just a little better at hiding the damage," says calculating teen-queen Farrah (Anna Akana, terrific) in the voice-over that draws us into the action. She's certainly good at hiding her secrets -- and holding power over other students. A school election (shades of Election) is the crux of her current concerns, as she and her clique (shades of Heathers and Mean Girls) plot to throw a student council vote, and use the school's social media page, known as C-rotch, (shades of Gossip Girl) to spread vicious election-affecting scuttlebutt.

Don't get her wrong -- it's not that Farrah cares who leads the school. Her interest is instead in using secrets and insider info to bend the other students to her will. There's only one student who can stand in her way: C-rotch editor Colin, whose crush on Farrah keeps him trotting to her tune. But when Farrah's latest patsy suddenly threatens to upend the school's dynamics, Farrah may not be able to hold on to her power for long. The unkindness and less-than-positive messages may convince parents to keep this one on the do-not-watch list. But as a sort of dark high school-set Dangerous Liaisons, Youth & Consequences hits the mark and may soon make converts of new viewers.