Netflix’s ‘I Am Not Okay With This’ Is Perfect for Stephen King Fans

While Netflix’s list of miniseries grows by the minute, there are some in the format that have sadly fallen between the cracks of the highly popular streamer, as others keep getting all the attention. The thriller Baby Reindeer, Mike Flanagan’s horror epics, and Ryan Murphy’s Monster are some of the most popular Netflix miniseries, but sometimes it’s worth digging deeper into the algorithm. It is one of the potential ways you can find I Am Not Okay With This, a coming-of-age comedy thriller that’s one of the most original mashups you’ll ever see.

Heavily inspired by one of Stephen King’s most iconic pieces (you’ll see why), I Am Not Okay With This is the perfect one-day binge that manages to tell its story in fewer than ten episodes. It stars Sophia Lillis and Wyatt Oleff, famous for their performances in It, as well as Kathleen Rose Perkins, Sofia Bryant, Richard Ellis, and Dave Theune, among others. It was created by Jonathan Entwistle (Karate Kid: Legends) and Christy Hall (It Ends With Us), and is based on the 2017 graphic novel by Charles Forsman.

The seven-episode miniseries belongs in that select group of shows that Netflix surprisingly canceled. It starred Lillis and Oleff while they were still riding that wave of success post-It, but it also complied with one of the best formulas in today’s streaming standards: a short miniseries with episodes that ran for less than 30 minutes. However, citing COVID-19 reasons, the streamer decided to cancel Season 2, which they had already greenlit. Unfortunately, no other streamer picked it up for further production and Syd’s story was left unresolved.

Nevertheless, her coming-of-age journey feels perfectly told. I Am Not Okay With This is one of those shows that truly doesn’t need a continuation, and works better as a swift glance into the life of a very compelling character whose “issues” take a backseat when compared with the everyday conundrums of every teenager. After all, what’s more inspiring and cinematic than teenage love?

A Near-Perfect Execution of Coming-of-Age Tropes

Sophia Lillis and Wyatt Oleff in I Am Not Okay With This

Netflix

I Am Not Okay With This follows the story of Syd Novak (Lillis), a gay teenager who’s in love with her best friend, Dina (Bryant). Syd is also facing the sudden loss of her father – a tragedy that has estranged her from her relationship with her mother. Unable to handle her emotions and frustration, the teenager realizes her mind is more powerful than she thought.

Walls crack, someone’s nose starts bleeding, and objects randomly fall in the grocery store, but Syd keeps hiding her telekinetic abilities. Her neighbor Stan (Oleff) gets too close to her as she tries her best to control her feelings for Dina, who struggles to see that Syd may like her as more than a friend. Unfortunately, Syd’s frustration grows, along with the consequences of her lack of control.

‘I Am Not Okay With This’ Shares Something Essential With Stephen King’s Universe

Aside from starring the two It actors, the series also feels like a modern take on some themes that are frequent in Stephen King’s body of work. Teenage frustration and bullying have been featured in King’s novels, and Syd faces these throughout the entire story. School culture has also been part of the author’s universe, and the series has a great depiction of it.

But perhaps the greatest nod comes from the story itself. Syd’s realization that she has telekinesis and is unable to control it is sometimes too reminiscent of Carrie, both the novel and all the universe of adaptations that King’s literary debut has gotten over the years. Even the series’ most memorable shot sees Syd walking in the middle of the street drenched in blood, while the sirens are heard in the background. We don’t have to tell you how similar this is to the depiction of Carrie White in the film’s conclusion, right at the height of her violent rampage.