Netflix’s Grand Army is a bold, messy attempt to capture the chaos of being a teenager in 2020 Brooklyn. Created by Katie Cappiello, the series adapts her play Slut: The Play, and it follows five students at the largest public high school in Brooklyn as they fight to succeed, survive, break free and seize the future. It premiered on October 16, 2020, and ran for nine episodes across one season before being canceled in June 2021.
The show tackles big topics with a small cast. Joey Del Marco (Odessa A’zion), Dominique Pierre (Odley Jean), Siddhartha Pakam (Amir Bageria), Jayson Jackson (Maliq Johnson), Leila Kwan Zimmer (Amalia Yoo), John Ellis (Alphonso Jones II), Tamika Jones (Brittany Adebumola), and Tor Sampson (Crystal Nelson) all orbit each other as the series unfolds. The premise is simple: these kids live in a world full of racism, poverty, rape, drugs, sex, LGBT issues, and mental health problems, and they have to find a way to move forward anyway.
Trailer, via Netflix.
The Ensemble That Drives It
The ensemble is the heart of Grand Army. Odessa A’zion plays Joey Del Marco, a confident young woman who navigates a world built against her. Odley Jean brings weight to Dominique Pierre, whose story takes a sharp turn into grief and loss. Amir Bageria is Siddhartha Pakam, a quiet boy who carries more than he lets on. Maliq Johnson plays Jayson Jackson with a restless energy that keeps the show moving. Amalia Yoo returns from the stage production as Leila Kwan Zimmer, a character who anchors the group with steady intelligence.
The supporting cast rounds out the picture. Alphonso Jones II plays John Ellis with a presence that grounds the chaos around him. Brittany Adebumola brings warmth to Tamika Jones, and Crystal Nelson gives Tor Sampson a sharp edge that cuts through the show’s gentler moments. Together, they make the sprawling, interconnected world of Grand Army feel lived-in rather than staged.
The Premise and Its Limits
The premise is ambitious. Cappiello’s adaptation tries to cover everything from institutional racism to personal trauma in a single season. That scope is both the show’s strength and its weakness. The series wants to be a snapshot of a generation, and it leans on the five central characters to represent a wide range of experiences.
What works is the specificity of individual stories. Joey’s struggle with identity and belonging feels grounded in the details of her daily life. Siddhartha’s quiet anxiety about his family’s expectations lands because the show takes the time to show his routine, his home, and his fears. Jayson’s restless ambition feels real because the show shows him acting on it, often in ways that backfire.
What doesn’t work is the pacing. Nine episodes is not enough time to fully develop every thread, and some subplots feel rushed or abandoned mid-air. The show also struggles to balance its multiple perspectives. With five central characters, each episode has to split attention across all of them, which means no one gets the depth they deserve.
The Setting and Its Scope
The show is set at the largest public high school in Brooklyn, and that setting is used well. The school itself becomes a character, full of corridors, classrooms, and stairwells that hold secrets and rumors alike. The show captures the texture of teenage life in a large institution, where everyone knows someone and no one is truly alone.
The series also moves beyond the school. Home life, neighborhoods, and the wider city all get screen time, and the contrast between the safe halls of the school and the harsh realities outside is a recurring theme. The show understands that adolescence is not just about classes and homework; it’s about everything that happens between them.
What Works Well
Grand Army has several strengths that keep it watchable despite its flaws. First, the writing is sharp and often funny. Cappiello’s dialogue is naturalistic without being stiff, and the show finds humor in the absurdity of teenage life even when the stakes are high. Second, the casting is strong. The actors sell their characters with conviction, and the chemistry between them feels genuine.
Third, the show handles difficult subjects with care. The series addresses rape, drug abuse, and mental health without sensationalizing them. It shows the effects of these issues on real people, and it avoids easy answers or cheap resolutions. Finally, the show is visually confident. The cinematography is clean and dynamic, and the show uses color, light, and movement to reinforce its emotional tone.
What Falls Short
Despite its strengths, Grand Army has several weaknesses that hold it back. The biggest problem is pacing. The nine episodes try to pack too much into a short window, and some storylines feel underdeveloped. The show also suffers from a lack of focus. With five central characters, it can’t give everyone equal time, and some arcs feel like they’re left hanging without resolution.
Another issue is the handling of race. The show attempts to address institutional racism, but it sometimes leans on stereotypes or tropes that don’t serve the characters well. The show also struggles with its depiction of trauma. Some scenes feel exploitative, using pain as a shortcut rather than a lived experience.
A Season That Runs Out of Time
The cancellation of Grand Army after one season is a shame. The show had momentum and a clear vision, and cutting it off early robbed viewers of closure. The final episode ends on a note that feels unresolved, leaving the audience wondering what happens next to Joey, Dominique, Siddhartha, Jayson, and Leila.
That ending is a microcosm of the show’s larger problem. It tried to do too much in too little space. A second season could have given the writers room to breathe, to explore the consequences of earlier choices, and to let the characters grow naturally over time. As it stands, the show is a promising start that never quite reaches its destination.
How the Episodes Stack Up
If you’re considering watching Grand Army, here’s how the nine episodes stack up:
- Episodes 1-3 — These open the show with introductions and setup. They establish the world and the characters, and they work best when they’re patient.
- Episode 4 — A standout episode that digs deep into one character’s backstory. It’s the most emotionally resonant hour of the series.
- Episodes 5-6 — These episodes shift the focus to other characters and their relationships. They’re competent but less memorable than the middle stretch.
- Episodes 7-8 — The tension builds as the season approaches its end, and these episodes deliver some of the show’s best writing.
- Episode 9 — The finale tries to wrap things up, but it leaves more questions than answers. It’s the weakest episode in the lineup.
The Verdict
Grand Army is a flawed but worthwhile watch. It has a strong cast, sharp writing, and a willingness to tackle difficult subjects head-on. It also has pacing problems, unresolved subplots, and moments that feel heavy-handed. The show is at its best when it slows down and focuses on individual characters, and it’s at its worst when it tries to juggle too many threads at once.
The series is a snapshot of a moment in time, and it captures the anxieties and joys of being a teenager in 2020 Brooklyn with a degree of honesty that’s rare in mainstream television. It’s not perfect, but it’s worth seeing for anyone interested in honest, character-driven storytelling.
Grand Army is available to stream on Netflix, and it remains a compelling, if imperfect, entry in the teen drama canon. It deserves credit for trying to say something meaningful about a generation, even if it didn’t fully succeed.
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