New Cruel Intentions series is a love letter to the original film but without the salacious buzz | Canada Voices

The world was a different place when Cruel Intentions debuted in theatres 25 years ago. Sarah Michelle Gellar was at the height of her Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame. Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon were dating. Someone convinced Joshua Jackson to bleach his hair. And teens had not yet been exposed to the exploits of Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars or Euphoria.

This is all to say that step-siblings making sex bets and Gellar and co-star Selma Blair exchanging saliva was scandalous. Les Liaisons Dangereuses, the risqué book on which the movie was based, wasn’t exactly required reading in school, and many teens wanted to see what the buzz was about.

Fast-forward a quarter of a century though, and the world has been desensitized to such storylines and scenes. So Prime Video unleashing its version of the IP with a new eight-episode series doesn’t hit in quite the same way. That doesn’t mean it isn’t worth checking out.

The series takes place at a Washington, DC college where a hazing incident puts Greek life in jeopardy. To maintain their power and status quo, step-siblings Caroline (Sarah Catherine Hook) and Lucien (Zac Burgess) make a bet to woo the vice-president’s daughter, freshman Annie Grover (Savannah Lee Smith). If Caroline can get her in the sorority, its future is safe. But she needs her brother dearest to help seduce Annie into that life.

From there the viewer can expect callbacks and Easter eggs, from a pool scene and Lucien’s car to a memorable first kiss and a drug-filled cross necklace. The finale even features a rendition of Bittersweet Symphony that evokes instant nostalgia. Those moments are fun to spot, but it’s the exploration of Greek life that differentiates this show.

Most of Caroline’s plotting revolves around keeping her sorority, of which she’s the president, intact as criticism mounts. It somewhat mirrors what’s happening in real life, as sororities and fraternities confront their problematic pasts and the calls to end dangerous rushing practices grow louder. (If you haven’t checked out Netflix’s documentary Bama Rush yet, it’s a deep dive into what’s going on over at the University of Alabama, for example.)

It’s an interesting thread but would not be sustainable in a second season. (And after investing time to get to the open-ended and somewhat unsatisfying finale, not having a second season would be frustrating for many.) That’s why interesting supporting characters, strong performances and side stories are necessary anchors in Season 1. Unfortunately, there are some lows along with the highs.

As is always the case with a series versus a movie, the show has time to dive deeper. Caroline is drawn as a more complicated character with sympathetic undercurrents. The actor Hook easily commands attention in every scene. The movie’s signature tone can be a hard one to nail, but she slides into it easily.

She’s particularly great opposite her No. 2, Cece (Sara Silva), an anxious overachiever whose storyline with an older prof (original film star Sean Patrick Thomas, in a new role) keeps the series moving as the main plot involving Annie unfolds.

Then there’s Blaise (John Kim), who could be the Chuck Bass of the bunch, if Chuck Bass moonlit as a rich frat party planner. His desperation to continue living among his wealthy counterparts adds conversation about class and wealth, but it’s his one-liners to watch out for. His interactions with a dumb-but-sweet politician’s son named Scott (Khobe Clarke) add to the complex scheming and show twists, but their overall relationship is one we’ve seen on TV before.

Where the show really goes off the rails is with the Beatrice (Brooke Lena Johnson) character. Her politicking to take down the sororities while constantly talking over everyone else is just annoying – to the other characters and the audience. There are no soft moments to balance her out, which is a lost opportunity to represent the complex feelings of rejection and anger so many girls in her situation face.

As for Lucien, Burgess plays him with a disarming charm. As an audience you slowly begin to root for him despite his past deeds (including his many sex videos uploaded to the cloud). That’s partially thanks to the way Annie is written and how she is played by Smith. She’s naive and innocent, but by no means dumb. There are plenty of moments in the dialogue where other characters might disregard a hint to a past storyline, but Annie pushes and demands answers. By the time you get to the final episode you can’t help but want her and Lucien to make it.

Whether that’s enough to capture modern audiences or retain nostalgic viewers remains to be seen. Creators Phoebe Fisher and Sara Goodman have created a love letter to the original film, but younger streamers might not care, especially since there’s nowhere to currently purchase or stream the 1999 film in Canada.

Then again, pretty rich kids doing terrible things continues to be an escapist theme that many viewers love unwinding with. This might not be the Cruel Intentions of your past, but it’s certainly doing its best to modernize the cult of Greek life while presenting its own sexy scandals and twists. Just don’t expect the same shock value.

All eight episodes of Cruel Intentions are now available to stream on Prime Video.