TEENAGE BOUNTY HUNTERS: A Delightful First Season Shot Down by Netflix
With a title like a pulpy crime novel and characters reminiscent of Sex Education, Teenage Bounty Hunters isn’t far off from the “high school drama with higher stakes” TV trend. Its protagonists, teenage twin girls who act their age and almost look it, fall into bounty hunting by accident. They quickly find that they’re pretty good at it, for teenagers, and they enjoy it besides.
Through season one, we follow twins Sterling and Blair as they catch criminals, explore their identities, and develop relationships with family, friends, and bounty hunting, mentors. Meanwhile, they try to hide their side hustle from parents and friends at their very conservative Christian school. Though it sometimes leans toward drama, the show is very much a comedy and is often laugh-out-loud funny.
Unexpected Believability
Despite its unlikely premise, the show is personable and even relatable. The pressures of keeping secrets and discovering your own identity are pillars of the real-life teenage experience, and though the stakes may be objectively raised in Teenage Bounty Hunters, the regular high school experience can feel just as intense.
The characters in this action-comedy-drama have fantastic chemistry without exception. Most notable, though, is the pure synchronicity of twins Maddie Phillips and Anjelica Bette Fellini. The leads portray teenagers who are believable, that is to say, somewhat immature, but not obnoxious in the least.
The twins’ friends and family are, like them, noticeably flawed but overwhelmingly likable. The characters read realistically, especially because besides the twins’ bounty hunting, everyone has a pretty regular life. Even in the wilder scenarios, the dialogue mostly stays down to earth, and for some reason, the show stays wholly believable.
An Unsatisfying Finale
The seeds of evolving personalities and interesting relationships are sown but unfortunately not fully reaped in Teenage Bounty Hunters‘ first season alone. Though there are compelling ups and downs throughout the season, almost no threads are tied at the end of season one, whether plot, relationship or otherwise. The climax feels like less of a cliffhanger and more of a midpoint.
Such an ending should be reserved for shows guaranteed a second season — which perhaps this one believed it was. Whether this enormous cliffhanger was due to hubris, certainty, or desperation for a second season, it would have been unsatisfying even if the wait were only for a season two.
Nevertheless, it would have been bearable if Netflix hadn’t canceled the show two months after it premiered. No one seems to know why. Some cite COVID-19; others, lack interest. Newsweek references “low viewing figures” for the show’s cancellation, were “low” means only staying on the top 10 charts for two weeks in the U.S.
For many, this quick cancellation ignited strong feelings against Netflix. Many viewers are as baffled as I am, given Teenage Bounty Hunters‘ 92% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and place on the New York Times “Best shows of 2020” list.
Netflix has always been somewhat of a black box, but whether the streaming service had a good reason to cancel the show or not, fans are pushing for it to come back, whether by Netflix or another provider.
Despite the disappointing end to this witty show, it’s worth the upset to brave the abandoned first season. Better to have loved than lost, as they say, and Teenage Bounty Hunters will have you fall in love with its charm and pure personality.
Conclusion
Teenage Bounty Hunters hit an unlikely intersection of relatability, character and relationship growth, and adventure. Though the pacing — especially at the end — is unfortunate, it could under different circumstances have become a staple of high-schoolers-doing-things-high-schoolers-shouldn’t-really-be-doing TV.
Regrettably, we may never see a season two of this promising show. Its charming leads, complex relationships, and witty dialogue made it as fun and refreshing as anyone could have hoped. Here’s to hoping that another producer sees the potential in this niche hit, and in the meantime, season one is a great weekend watch.
What’s your favorite show that got canceled too early? Let us know in the comments!
Watch Teenage Bounty Hunters
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