Grand Army (TV series)

Did You Know?

• Fahamu Pecou painted the promotional artwork for the posters.
• The series originally ordered 10 episodes but premiered with 9.

Production

Netflix ordered a ten-episode expansion of Katie Cappiello's 2013 play in October 2019, with plots drawn from her students' real experiences. On the day its teaser dropped, writer Ming Peiffer tweeted that she and two other writers of color had left the project, alleging racist exploitation and abuse by one of the creators.

Odessa A'zion played Joey Del Marco, and Amalia Yoo returned from the stage version as Leila Kwan Zimmer. Maliq Johnson, Amir Bageria, and Odley Jean also joined the main cast. Filming ran from May to September 2019 in Toronto and New York City, with indoor scenes shot in Toronto and outdoor and subway scenes in New York.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, 71% of 14 critics gave the show a positive review, averaging 7.34 out of 10. The site’s consensus called it a strong showcase for its fresh cast, though its attempt at a raw portrayal of teenage life was too heavy-handed to truly land.

Metacritic assigned a score of 68 out of 100 from 12 reviews, meaning generally favorable notices. Entertainment Weekly’s Kristen Baldwin gave the series a B-minus, calling it overly ambitious but noting that Odley Jean was a standout among the gritty teen drama. Rolling Stone’s Alan Sepinwall awarded 4 out of 5 stars, praising the series for occasionally reaching the thoughtful heights of the genre’s gold standard, My So-Called Life.