Renew “Everything Sucks”

Maria Buri
April 26, 2018

Netflix, a fairly recent television and movie giant, has a hugely important role in media. In January, Netflix hit 117.6 million subscribers — almost three times the population of Canada. With a platform that large, Netflix has a responsibility to show their viewers shows with representation.

One of the shows that they should be supporting is “Everything Sucks”. This 2018 web television series was cancelled on April 6th, just 18 days after the first episode aired. “Everything Sucks” takes place in the 1990’s, borrowing nostalgia from “Stranger Things” and “Freaks and Geeks”. It features Peyton Kennedy as Kate Messner, a sophomore questioning her sexuality, and Jahi Di’Allo Winston as Luke O’Neil, a freshman with a crush on Kate. They are joined by drama kids Emmaline Addario (Sydney Sweeney) and Oliver Schermerhorn (Elijah Stevenson), as well AV Club nerds McQuaid (Rio Mangini) and Tyler Bowen (Quinn Liebling).

Though cliche at times, “Everything Sucks” nails it with real and human characters. Kate, generally portrayed as a normal high school student, feels distant and separated from her peers because she is gay. Luke’s family life is less than ideal as he struggles to hate, and love, his father who abandoned Luke and his mom. Tyler Bowen, Luke’s friend, is a down to earth goofball who has dyslexia and ADD.

However, “Everything Sucks” isn’t just about teenagers. It also follows the love story between Kate’s dad and Luke’s mom. Both adults think they can’t find love but in reality, they just aren’t open to it yet. They think they don’t deserve love. This is actually a common theme throughout “Everything Sucks”. The main message is that anybody, no matter age, sexuality, struggles, can find love.

And fans have really picked up on this. The movement to renew Everything Sucks seems to grow stronger every day. Cast members, especially Peyton Kennedy, post frequently on social media to encourage fans to demand a second season. Besides the main hashtag #reneweverythingsucks, one of the most moving hashtag campaigns was #iamkatemessner, which highlighted how important a role model Kate is and how her story encourages acceptance in everyone.

However, Kate’s story is nowhere near complete. She was on the verge of coming out to her dad, but never got to. The stories of the other characters are also left incomplete. Even with its flaws, like over-playing tropes and not developing side characters, “Everything Sucks” deserves a second chance.

After all, not everything has to suck.