Mae Martin Unveils Netflix Thriller Wayward, Premiering September 25
Netflix drops the first teaser for Wayward, a chilling new limited series led by Mae Martin and Toni Collette, set in a sinister teen academy.
In a bold shift from comedy to psychological thriller, Feel Good creator Mae Martin takes center stage in Wayward, an upcoming limited series from Netflix premiering September 25. Co-showrun by Martin and Ryan Scott, the eight-episode drama unfolds in Tall Pines, a seemingly idyllic town hiding disturbing secrets behind the walls of a teen behavioral academy.
The newly released teaser introduces Alex Dempsey (played by Martin), a police officer who relocates to Tall Pines with his pregnant wife Laura (Sarah Gadon). As Alex begins to suspect that the town’s prestigious academy for “troubled teens” harbors darker intentions, a slow-burning investigation is set into motion.
Veteran actress Toni Collette returns to the thriller genre as Evelyn Wade, the academy’s enigmatic leader. Her character, at once magnetic and unsettling, is poised to become a standout villain in the streaming era, adding to Collette’s growing list of psychologically intense roles following Hereditary.
Wayward dives deep into the underbelly of the “troubled teen industry,” a real-world phenomenon that inspired the series. Drawing from personal stories, including Martin’s own connection to someone sent to such an institution, the series blends haunting atmosphere with grounded emotional stakes.
The cast also includes Sydney Topliffe and Alyvia Alyn Lind as two rebellious students plotting their escape, along with Patrick J. Adams, Brandon Jay McLaren, and Tattiawna Jones. The series was filmed in the Toronto area and produced by Sphere Media.
With direction from Euros Lyn (Heartstopper), Renuka Jeyapalan, and John Fawcett, Wayward combines moody visuals and slow-burn storytelling in what Netflix hopes will become its next limited series hit. The teaser’s tone evokes a chilling descent into control, manipulation, and suppressed truths.
The teaser video, titled WAYWARD | Official Teaser | Netflix, sets the stage for a genre-bending ride that questions authority, power, and the cost of conformity in secluded institutions.
