Tegan and Sara's High School is pure nostalgia — but not the rose-tinted kind. The oversized '90s grunge fashion is more drab than quirky, Calgary is depicted during its bleak winter, and each new friendship is a new opportunity for hurt feelings. This eight-episode series is based on the Quin sisters' 2019 memoir, and it effectively celebrates the past without romanticizing it.
High School follows Tegan and Sara (played by Railey and Seazynn Gilliland, respectively) as they start at a new school. Sara is having a secret romance with her friend Phoebe (Olivia Rouyre), and as a result is pulling away from Tegan. Things are also a little chilly at home, as mom Simone (Cobie Smulders, by far the show's most recognizable star) and longtime partner Patrick (Kyle Bornheimer) have a passionless relationship.
Full of likeable characters and intensely relatable moments of drama and disappointment, High School is an immersive watch, and creator/director Clea DuVall effectively fleshes out the world by occasionally turning the camera on supporting characters.
The season slightly loses its way in the second half, as High School becomes less interesting the more it focuses on T&S's budding music career. The show is too enamoured with the sisters' early songwriting experiments; words like "musical genius" get thrown around without quite enough irony or self-awareness. The real appeal of the music is the way it brings Tegan and Sara together and adds a new dimension to their sisterhood.
High School is clearly aiming to get renewed, since Season 1 ends on an extremely unsatisfying note. There are multiple characters with blossoming "will they, won't they" relationships that are left up in the air, making for a frustrating finale that ends before it gets going. High School has more than earned a second season, so hopefully it gets one.
(Amazon Freevee)High School follows Tegan and Sara (played by Railey and Seazynn Gilliland, respectively) as they start at a new school. Sara is having a secret romance with her friend Phoebe (Olivia Rouyre), and as a result is pulling away from Tegan. Things are also a little chilly at home, as mom Simone (Cobie Smulders, by far the show's most recognizable star) and longtime partner Patrick (Kyle Bornheimer) have a passionless relationship.
Full of likeable characters and intensely relatable moments of drama and disappointment, High School is an immersive watch, and creator/director Clea DuVall effectively fleshes out the world by occasionally turning the camera on supporting characters.
The season slightly loses its way in the second half, as High School becomes less interesting the more it focuses on T&S's budding music career. The show is too enamoured with the sisters' early songwriting experiments; words like "musical genius" get thrown around without quite enough irony or self-awareness. The real appeal of the music is the way it brings Tegan and Sara together and adds a new dimension to their sisterhood.
High School is clearly aiming to get renewed, since Season 1 ends on an extremely unsatisfying note. There are multiple characters with blossoming "will they, won't they" relationships that are left up in the air, making for a frustrating finale that ends before it gets going. High School has more than earned a second season, so hopefully it gets one.
