It's been 50 years since Stephen King's Carrie was first humiliated at her high school prom, and used her telekinetic powers to destroy the school. We have the original novel and the 1976 movie starring Sissy Spacek and John Travolta (plus new versions in 2002 and 2013), so why do we need a new Carrie tv series in 2026? Because the world is much darker place now, and the themes of fundamentalism, bullying, and being an outsider are more relevant than ever. Besides, according to the buzz, there's going to be queer content. so let's check.
Each episode is named after a high school class, except for the first, just entitled "First Period."
Scene 1: A series of 911 calls saying that the high school is on fire during the prom, it has spread into the town, everyone is dead. 200 people killed, the whole town destroyed.
Some time later, Focus Character Sue goes on a podcast to tell us that there's something we don't know about what happened in Chamberlain: the whole town destroyed, 200 people killed. 'We were kids, just trying to do our best."
Scene 2: While a conspiracy theorist rants on the radio, a guy (Talmoh Penniket, top photo) leaves his decrepit house and gets into his redneck pickup truck. The mailbox is locked, and there's a "no soliciting" sign. He drives to a construction site and gets to work. Uh-oh, a huge pile of bricks falls down on him, crushing him.
Cut to the police talking to the crew foreman. Somebody has to claim the body, "Did Mr. White ever mention anyone to you? A boyfriend, a girlfriend?" Hey, no heteronormativity! And on Amazon Prime!
"No. He didn't talk much. All I know is that he was a vet, and a bit of a doomsday prepper."
Next the property manager let the police into his house, so they can look for his next-of-kin. Didn't he have an emergency contact? I have one at my job, and I don't work with gigantic bricks.
There's dinner settings for three -- "I thought he lived alone" -- and a thumping in the closet: a mother and daughter hiding. The daughter is, of course, Carrie.
Scene 3: Back on the podcast, Focus Character Sue is asked to tell them more about Carrie White. Other students chime in: she was "real quiet," a bully, "genuinely kind," a troublemaker, a victim, a hero. a monster, "my friend." A social worker adds that Carrie was born in the house, and never left. They were "a cult of three," with no phones, no television, no internet. She was "stunningly uninformed," but extremely smart.
Mom hadn't been out of the house in 15 years, either. The judge agreed that she could keep custody, but she had to go to work, and Carrie had to go to school.
Scene 4: The first dayy of school. Focus Character Sue fixes breakfast for her two sisters (aren't there any boys in this town?). Mean Girl checks on her Duke University application -- nothing yet -- and suggests that Dad (Michael Trucco, left) build them a new gym to sway her admission. She wants crepes for breakfast, but Dad refuses and insults his ex-wife.
Cut to a girl putting oatmeal on her face. Everyone rejects her. Next she tries brown toothpaste. Now she's a superstar, loved by the whole school. Wait -- it's an ad? Impossible. No ad could be so idiotic.
Mean Girl picks up Sue in her tank-sized car, and they drive to school. They're both applying to Duke, where they plan to be roommates.
Mom drops Carrie off at school, and cautions: "Take pity on them. Most of them aren't awake. Especially the teachers. Don't let them fool you." When I was growing up in the Nazarene Church, they told us that sinners would be trying to brainwash us every moment, so you had to be on guard. The most casual comment, like "What did you do over the weekend," was suspect.
She enters the school all happy, but is horrified by the metal detector installed to keep school shooters out. I am, too. Her cross on a chain sets off the alarm. I would interpret that as an attack on Christianity. Mean Girl and Sue, watching advise that she stop being poor: precious metals don't set it off.
Next she is horrified by the sight of two girls kissing. Homophobic, or did your limited education not mention the exitence of LGBTQ+ people?
Weird that no one stares at her for her 19th century pioneer dress.
Guidance Counselor Morton (Tim Bagley) helps her find her first class. The actor is gay, but I imagine the character is straight by default.
Left: This series is turning out to be very beefcake-deficient, so here's a nude dude to tide you over.
More after the break
Scene 5: First class: Focus Character Sue tries to make friends with Carrie, and explains that it's home room, for attendance and announcements. Mean Girl glares. An additional Mean Girl makes nasty comments. It's trans actress Josie Totah, but I imagine her character is cis by default.
The hot jocks arrive late. Carrie drools over Tommy (Joel Oulette, who has no beefcake photos online). Uh-oh, he smooches with Sue. Her new best friend is dating the Boy of Her Dreams!
The teacher issues a half-hearted warning while grinning warmly, thrilled at the display of heterosexual identity.
Scene 6: More classes: a lecture, something being fizzed, computer lab. Carrie asks one of the boys who will be interviewed in Scene 2 for directions.Since Sue and Mean Girl are seniors, they don't have any classes with Carrie until study hall (a session dedicated to studying, I guess. I never had one).
"So, who's the hottest person you met today?" Mean Girl asks. More inclusivity -- she doesn't specify "boy." Mean Girl #2 joins in on the discussion of who's gotten hottter this year, and who's gotten uglier. Carrie suggests being kind rather than catty, and they all stare. But..it's high school. Attacking people is the only way to gain power and prestige.
Next Carrie quotes The White Bird, by J.M. Barrie, but they haven't read it -- or heard of it. "I thought everybody read the books," she says. So she thinks that the books she had at home are the only ones that exist?
A lockdown drill! This is a depressingly realistic high school. The girls explain that it's a drill for when a shooter comes into the school. But she's making too much noise -- you have to keep quiet.
Too late -- a performer dressed as a gunman bursts in. Carrie shrieks, there's an earthquake, and a tv set falls down, hitting his foot. They have to terminate the drill.
The teacher is Rahul Kohli, left. Apparently an artist's interpretation.
Cut to the guidance counselor explaining that gunmen often invade schools to kill the students. It hasn't happened here yet, but they have drills, so the students will be prepared. Foreshadowing of Carrie's rampage later, except most school shooters are not bullying victims. That's a misconception.
Carrie is shocked. "Who knows about these tragedies?"
"Well -- everybody."
Scene 7: The podcaster interviews the next door neighbor. She saw Carrie once in a while, but didn't realize that no one else knew about her.
Flashback to the Neighbor reading a young adult novel. The young Carrie climbs through a hole in the fence and notes that it's a funny looking Bible.
"It's not a Bible, it's called BoyProof." I looked it up -- it's not about lesbians.
"A Bible named BoyProof! That's ridiculous."
Neighbor explains that there are books other than the Bible, but Carrie doesn't understand. She's read a lot of other books. Maybe the parents buy them for her after this incident.
Mom catches them talking, yells at Carrie for associating with "a whore," and sentences her to an hour in the closet. Then the Neighbor sees rocks falling on Carrie's house -- and nowhere else.
I fast-forwarded through the rest of the episode. It goes as far as the scene where Carrie starts menstruating in gym class, and doesn't understand what's happening (her "first period," get it?)
Otherwise it's girls all the way down the cast list to Arik Asperot, who plays Student #2 in one episode. He graduated from Vancouver Film Academy in 2024, but he has no online presence except for a Linkedin page, a post from his talent agency congratulating him on getting this job, and a photo where he's wearing a t-shirt that says "I love my boyfriend." But he's in a Halloween costume, so it might not count.
And a j/o video, if it's the right Arik.
Beefcake in Acne Commercials, Really.
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