The Netflix original TV show Grand Army, created by Katie Cappiello and released on October 16, 2020, follows a group of teens living in Brooklyn and their journeys to survive adolescence. The newly released series is aimed at young audiences, as it contains relatable issues facing modern day teenagers. Set in a large public inner city high school, many events and lessons the five main characters experience are important to the “Gen Z” age group.

This show is perfect for the fast paced and adventurous viewer, due to the many twists and turns and quickly moving storyline. In the pilot, a bomb goes off close to the Grand Army High School, where the characters attend, within the first 15 minutes.

Although the show is mostly light hearted and funny, it also contains scenes regarding everyday struggles like the presence of social media or fitting in, as well as more serious topics like sexual assault and drug addiction. Due to the nature of these more graphic and potentially triggering parts of the show, certain sensitive viewers may want to proceed with caution or watch with a trusted adult.

The majority of the cast in Grand Army are up-and-coming actors, allowing for the audiences’ full and complete immersion in the show with no prior biases towards the actors roles in other shows. This aspect allows for a deeper connection between the watcher and the cast. Along with that more technical aspect of the show, the general production quality is impressive with scenes in many realistic and diverse locations. With only nine episodes it is great to either binge in a day or draw out over a week to truly savor the short series.

Overall, this show is definitely worth the watch. As a viewer, one will most definitely feel as though they are part of the Grand Army High School by the end of the series. The triumphs and downfalls each teen in the show faces really do shed light on the somewhat turbulent reality of being an American teen in 2020. But it also displays the potentially lesser known problems that minority groups, poverty stricken, or sexually confused kids have to deal with, allowing for education and understanding to viewers who can’t directly relate to said disadvantages. Grand Army is perfect for viewers who keep in mind all the good and tough parts of this show and how it might affect them, but also for anyone looking for a laugh.