Home · Entertainment · Sep 10 archive
Netflix’s ‘Crew Girl’ Struggles to Navigate YA Drama Waters
Developing
In Short: Netflix’s new YA rowing drama 'Crew Girl' faces challenges in its execution, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The premiere of Netflix’s new YA rowing drama, "Crew Girl," offers a glimpse into the inside of an Easton Prep classroom, setting the stage for a potentially binge-worthy series. However, the show’s expository work, which explains the lack of a girls’ rowing program at this recently coed institution, is handled in a way that feels both familiar and underdeveloped, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The show’s central character, Teagan, finds her way onto a rowing team by serving as the coxswain, a non-rowing member who helps steer and coordinate the team.
The love triangle that inevitably forms between Teagan and the two boys on the team is a standard trope in teen dramas, but the scripts struggle to express why any of these people might be attracted to each other beyond the dictates of the genre, the report notes. "It’s in trying to build out the world outside of crew that 'Crew Girl' stumbles," according to The Hollywood Reporter. Despite these shortcomings, the show is described as "probably good enough" for a bingeable YA drama.
Beijing-based producer-distributor Hishow Entertainment is expanding its cinephile 'We Love Cinema' brand with a slate of new acquisitions, including recent Sundance winner "Josephine" and "Ah Girl" from Singapore’s Ang Geck Geck Priscilla. Hishow is also re-releasing Ron Howard’s 2013 Formula 1 racing drama "Rush," tapping into the Chinese audience’s nostalgia for recent classics.
In the UK, Channel 4 is making significant changes to its commissioning units, merging its drama and comedy units as part of a plan to cut its workforce by more than a quarter over the coming months. Drama commissioning is led by interim chief Gwawr Lloyd, following Ollie Madden’s departure to Netflix last year. A respected drama producer commented, "It makes sense after being resisted for years," while another producer noted the increasing cross-pollination between the genres, with writers like Jesse Armstrong occupying a space somewhere between comedy and drama.
What's still developing
- By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.
- We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services.
- This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
- There is no such thing as a bad Ellen Burstyn performance.
- They are not all that different from Wéber’s script, which offers little more than a pencil sketch of who Brooke is.
- To the film’s great fortune, Burstyn can do much of that heavy lifting herself in just a gaze or a pause.
- Channel 4’s new scripted unit will be responsible for shows including A Woman of Substance, Big Boys, and Derry Girls.
Sources
- Varietylink