Netflix’s ‘Wayward’ Was Inspired By A Real School For Troubled Teens

The Netflix limited series Wayward is set in Tall Pines, a picturesque town in Vermont, that, on the surface, appears to be the perfect place to settle down, start a family, and escape the woes of city life. As for things that seem too good to be true, dark secrets are lurking beneath the town’s serene topography.

The eight-episode limited series, which premiered on September 25, was created by Mae Martin, who revealed in an interview alongside co-stars Toni Collette and Sarah Jadon that this story was inspired by a real-life school for troubled teenagers.

“The story is based on my best friend, Nicole. She’s just the funniest person I’ve ever met. We were so codependent and hysterical all the time, and she was sent to one of these schools. She was taken over the border and handcuffed in the middle of the night, and she was gone for two years. She ended up ultimately escaping on bare feet through the woods and hitchhiking across the state, and was in a very dangerous situation. I always felt incensed about that, and also, I had a lot of guilt that I should have been sent with her or instead of her. I always imagined what that would have looked like. Abby and Leila’s friendship is based on ours. I would be more like the Leila character, and I wondered what would have happened if I’d followed her.”

Wayward is shining a very bright spotlight on schools that take extreme measures to help and cure troubled teenagers. Several of these places have come under fire for their methods, which many claim are abusive, neglectful, and cruel, and there have been cases of students escaping who have never been found.

Defenders have labeled these academies or institutions as therapeutic boarding schools, residential treatment centers (RTCs), or glamorized them as wilderness therapy programs. Such controversial schools for troubled teens have made headlines over the years for their abrasive methodologies in dealing with teenagers in need of help.

The programs and environments have been described as intensive and extremely structured in an effort to address and cure severe emotional and behavioral issues, as well as substance abuse and addiction issues.

Those who have gone through such programs are under 24/7 supervision, and students are away from their families and friends for long periods of time while they receive treatment for mental health, academic support, and various forms of therapy. Former students and their families have told their stories over the years, and in many cases, the teenagers claim they suffered from such measures.

Martin’s friend served as a consultant on Wayward and even has a cameo as a waitress in the series, which was filmed in Canada. “She’s very happy to have the story told. It’s also emotional because these places do exist.”

Martin, who served as co-showrunner and executive producer alongside Ryan Scott, stars as police officer Alex Dempsey, who moves to town with his pregnant wife, Laura (Gadon). Alex quickly realizes that the beauty of the place is hiding sinister secrets after a run-in with two students, Abbie (Sydney Topliffe) and Leila (Alyvia Alyn Lind). Both tell Alex how desperate they are to escape, and the three work together to uncover the evils of this seemingly idyllic place.

Also starring are Toni Collette as the headmistress of the school, Evelyn Wade, and Brandon Jay McLaren as corrupt cop Dwyane Andrews, who tries to impede Alex’s investigation into a slew of missing teens.

Collette discussed how inspired she was by the way Evelyn was written. “This was an incredibly intimidating character to chip away at. I wasn’t quite sure where to place her. Before you start any job, when it’s in your head, it’s all kind of theory,” she explained, describing a relaxed and supportive set. “The world kind of opened very easily, and I mean, there’s so much to play with. This woman is incredibly complex, and choosing what to reveal at any given moment was fun.”

When asked if she sees Evelyn as evil, Collette was quick to answer and defend her character. “She absolutely believes that she’s a healer, and she’s full of altruism and here to help and guide and help people raise their vibrations into a happy existence. That’s how I saw her. She believed what she was doing was the right thing.”

Jadon described her character, a graduate of Tall Pines, who spent years away and has just returned to town. “She’s creating what she thinks will be a beautiful family, but when she returns home, she is confronted with her experience at the school and her relationship with Evelyn. I think that at times, she feels very much a victim, but then I think ultimately, she is trying to reclaim herself and in so doing, reclaim Tall Pines.”

Martin’s interest in telling the stories of those who have been through these types of programs was the catalyst for Wayward. “In talking to a lot of survivors of these places, there’s a lot of trying to unpack and figure out who you really are underneath, before you were 14 and someone told you that you were a sociopath.”

As for the two teenagers at the heart of Wayward, Topliffe and Lind were moved by the fact that there are real-life versions of Tall Pines. Both spoke in an interview about the reality behind the show.

“This is a wild story, because literally, when I was auditioning for it, someone I know was about to send someone to one of these places, and they were like, ‘Yeah, we’re gonna go. And it sounds incredible.’ And then they looked at Reddit, and they were like, ‘Oh, shoot, it’s one of these schools.’ They were about to sign over guardianship,” said Topliffe.

“At the beginning of the series, Mae wrote us a beautifully written document that should be published about their friend’s experience in one of these schools,” Lind added. “It helped us really understand it more. I did all the research I possibly could. And yeah, it’s really freaky.”

Martin clarified that the fictitious Tall Pines is not intended to be a literal depiction of the real-life schools that exist. “This is used as a framework for a pretty wacky thriller, but it’s something that I care deeply about, and if it can start conversations about that industry, then that’s really helpful. And actually, you don’t have to dial up the horror too much. The more you research it, there is a lot of information about missing kids, and all kinds of abuse and neglect.”