Since its debut on September 25, Netflix’s Wayward quickly rose to the top of the charts. Just five days after it came out, it became Netflix’s most-watched scripted drama — and for good reason. The creepy, unsettling thriller caught viewers’ attention with its dark and twisted story. What’s even scarier, and what many don’t know, is that the story is inspired by real events, cults, and the troubled teen industry.
The limited series follows a newly married couple, Alex (Mae Martin) and Laura (Sarah Gadon), who move to a peaceful-looking town to start a family. At the same time, it follows two teens, Abbie (Sydney Topliffe) and Leila (Alyvia Alyn Lind), as they go through the ups and downs of teenage life until they end up at a “therapeutic” school called Tall Pines Academy, run by the charming but secretly evil Evelyn Wade (Toni Collette).
The show, created, written by, and starring Mae Martin, looks at generational trauma and how it’s exploited through psychological abuse, manipulation, and brainwashing in the troubled teen industry — also known as the teen “rehabilitation” industry. Martin, who is known for their comedy and stand-up, explored a much darker topic with Wayward. The subject is one that has always deeply affected them. Martin told Tudum:
I often talk around adolescence, or I write characters who are processing their teens. It was such an intense time for me, and is for everyone, but I’ve always known I wanted to more directly dive into that time and all the visceral feelings of adolescence.
Martin was inspired by personal experiences with troubled teen programs because a friend was sent to one at age 16. When she returned, she had the “craziest stories,” which pushed Martin to research the industry and its dark past. That same friend, Nicole, later became a consultant for the show.
During Martin’s research, they found that “a lot of its origins actually came from self-help groups and cults in the ’70s and how there can be huge profits and often questionable practices. I knew it was rich for thriller territory.” The cult Martin refers to is Synanon. Founded in the 1950s by Charles Dederich, Synanon started as a group meant to help people with substance abuse problems.
But Dederich, a former Alcoholics Anonymous member, used harsh and harmful methods. The program was supposed to teach “self-reliance and making the person responsible for his own actions.” What began as a small group in Venice, California, called the “Tender Loving Care Club,” was anything but loving. Members played “The Game,” where anyone could “say anything to debunk excuses given by people for their substance-use disorders.” “Anything” included insults and humiliation.
Dederich planned his program as a two-year residential treatment. Shockingly, Synanon became popular, leading him to expand. In 1963, he bought an 18-room Victorian mansion in Westport, Connecticut.
Wayward is also set in New England, in the fictional perfect town of Tall Pines, Vermont. But Synanon’s stay in Connecticut was short — the Supreme Court forced it to leave after three years for breaking zoning laws. A year later, Synanon changed drastically. It turned from a rehab program into a “fully fledged cult.” People could no longer graduate from the program, and soon, terrible things followed — couples were split up, children were raised communally, and babies lived in “the hatchery.”
Even with all that, during the 1970s, California courts and juvenile agencies still sent troubled teens to Synanon’s Malibu branch. Unlike the adults, the teens didn’t choose to be there, and Dederich’s “methods” didn’t work. Violence became normal at Synanon.
“The Game” stopped being verbal and turned physical. Teens tried to escape, but by 1974, Synanon had gained religious status, had 1,300 members, and more than $30 million in assets. It started as non-violent, but once teenagers were brought in, Dederich dropped that idea and used the “Imperial Marines” to enforce rules. If someone tried to escape — like Phil Ritter — they were nearly beaten to death.
When people and lawmakers discovered what was really happening, and after an incident that led to Dederich’s downfall, Synanon went bankrupt in 1991. Still, its cruel “tough love” approach lives on in many modern youth rehab programs. Paris Hilton, for example, has spoken about being institutionalized as a teen and the trauma that came from it.
In the end, Wayward goes much deeper than a normal thriller. Martin has said they felt guilty for not rescuing their friend Nicole when she was in the institution, and that Wayward is their version of “what if.” Martin also told the Los Angeles Times that “It’s not like we are exposing any particular institution, I just want people to think about it.” The eight-part thriller series is now streaming on Netflix.
