The Wilds (TV series)

The Wilds is an American drama streaming television series created by Sarah Streicher for Prime Video. The series centers around a group of teenage girls who are left stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash, but are unaware they are the subjects of a social experiment. The ensemble cast features Sophia Ali, Reign Edwards, Shannon Berry, Jenna Clause, Mia Healey, Helena Howard, Erana James, Sarah Pidgeon, David Sullivan, Troy Winbush, and Rachel Griffiths. The first season was released on Prime Video on December 11, 2020 and received positive reviews from critics, with praise for the performances, writing, and plot. In December 2020, the series was renewed for a second season.
Plot.
A group of teenage girls from different backgrounds—Fatin Jadmani, Dot Campbell, Martha Blackburn, Rachel Reid, Shelby Goodkind, Nora Reid, Toni Shalifoe, and Leah Rilke—are on an airplane when it crashes into the ocean while en route to Hawaii for the Dawn of Eve program, a young women's empowerment retreat. They survive the crash and find themselves stranded on a deserted island. As the girls work to survive as castaways and learn about each other, they are unaware that they are subjects of a social experiment; the plane crash was staged and their stranding orchestrated by Gretchen Klein, the head of the Dawn of Eve program. The girls' adventures on the island are intercut with flashback scenes about their lives before the crash, and flashforward scenes where two men claiming to be FBI agents interview the survivors after their supposed rescue.
Production.
Development.
On June 28, 2018, Amazon Studios gave production a pilot order. On August 3, 2018, it was announced that Susanna Fogel had signed on to direct the pilot and serve as executive producer.
On May 28, 2019, it was announced that Amazon Studios had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of ten episodes. The series was developed by Sarah Streicher who is also expected to executive produce alongside Jamie Tarses from Fanfare; and Dylan Clark and Brian Williams of Dylan Clark Productions. It was also announced that Amy B. Harris would be acting as showrunner and executive producer. On December 19, 2020, Amazon Studios renewed the series for a second season.
Casting.
On July 31, 2018, Mia Healey, Helena Howard, Reign Edwards, and Shannon Berry were cast as series regulars. On November 7, 2019, Rachel Griffiths, David Sullivan, Troy Winbush, Sophia Ali, Sarah Pidgeon, Jenna Clause, and Erana James joined the main cast. On May 3, 2021, Zack Calderon, Aidan Laprete, Nicholas Coombe, Charles Alexander, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Reed Shannon, Tanner Ray Rook and Alex Fitzalan were cast in starring roles for the second season.
Filming.
Filming for the first season began in October 2019 in New Zealand. Most of the outdoor scenes for the first season were filmed in Bethells Beach, New Zealand. Filming for the second season would relocate from New Zealand to Queensland, Australia and began filming in April 2021.
Release.
The series' first season was released on December 11, 2020 on Prime Video. 
Critical response.
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series received an approval rating of 92% based on 25 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.32/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "An addictive thriller that also captures the complex lives of teenage girls, "The Wilds" is worth getting lost in." Metacritic gave the series a weighted average score of 76 out of 100 based on 11 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Kristen Baldwin of "Entertainment Weekly" gave the series a B+ and wrote, "Here, the mystery isn't so much why these girls are on the island as how being there will change them—and I, for one, want to go back." Richard Roeper of "Chicago Sun-Times" gave the series 3.5 out of 4 stars and said, "What's so impressive about "The Wilds" is how creator Sarah Streicher and the deeply talented young cast members immerse us in this world so quickly and create an almost instant interest and empathy for these eight teenage girls."