Wayward cast, plot and release date as creepy Mae Martin thriller hits Netflix

Wayward is a new must-watch thriller hitting Netflix later this month that is bound to cause a stir among subscribers.

The limited series takes place in Tall Pines, a seemingly idyllic town that’s hiding some sinister secrets.

Canadian comedian Mae Martin not only stars but also created and wrote the series.

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After Feel Good, their acclaimed comedy-drama, was released to universal acclaim on Channel 4 and Netflix, Martin’s next project should definitely not be missed.

But what has been confirmed about this mysterious new thriller so far? Let’s take a closer look.

What is Wayward about?

The upcoming miniseries promises to shine a light on the dark side of the troubled teen industry against the backdrop of the fictional Tall Pines Academy.

While the town of Tall Pines appears to be the perfect place for police officer Alex Dempsey (played by Martin) and his pregnant wife Laura (Sarah Gadon) to settle, he soon discovers something is very wrong.

After connecting with two students at the school, Abbie (Sydney Topliffe) and Leila (Alyvia Alyn Lind), Alex begins to suspect that its enigmatic leader Evelyn (Toni Collette) isn’t all she appears.

A logline from Netflix describes Wayward as “a thrilling and genre-bending limited series about the eternal struggle between one generation and the next, what happens when friendship and loyalty are put to the ultimate test, and how buried truths always find a way of coming to the surface.”

Who is in the cast of Wayward?

Taking on main roles in the series are Martin as Alex Dempsey, Sarah Gadon (Alias Grace) as his wife Laura Redman and Toni Collette (Hereditary) as Evelyn Wade.

Newcomer Sydney Topliffe portrays Abbie while The Young and the Restless star Alyvia Alyn Lind plays Leila.

Another recognisable names is Suits star Patrick J. Adams, who’ll be playing a teacher called Wyatt Turner.

The rest of the supporting cast includes:

• Brandon Jay McLaren as Dwyane Andrews
• Tattiawna Jones as Rabbit
• Isolde Ardies as Stacey
• Joshua Close as Duck
• Patrick Gallagher as Chief Bartell
• Gage Munroe as Riley
• Byron Mann as Brian

Is Wayward inspired by a true story?

While the narrative of Wayward is entirely fictional, including the ominous Tall Pines Academy at the centre of the drama, Martin reveals they were inspired by real-life experiences.

“I was a wayward teen in the early 2000s, and my best friend was sent to one of these troubled teen institutes when she was 16,” Martin tells Tudum.

“She came back and had just the craziest stories about it.”

When is Wayward being released?

Subscribers don’t have too much longer to wait as Wayward will be arriving on Netflix on Thursday, 25th September.

That means fans only have a week before their new thriller obsession hits screens.

Even better, all eight episodes of the series will be releasing at once, so viewers won’t need to wait to discover how the mystery unravels.

Wayward will be released Thursday, 25th September on Netflix.