A Closer Look at the Real-life Inspiration in Netflix’s ‘Wayward’
Netflix’s hit series Wayward has captivated audiences with its unsettling mystery surrounding tall Pines Academy, a behavioral boarding school. While presented as fiction,the show draws heavily from the experiences surrounding CEDU,a now-defunct network of similar institutions,and the real-life efforts to uncover missing persons cases connected to them. the series’ success has sparked conversation about the troubled teen industry and the lasting trauma it inflicts, but also raised questions about the balance between fictionalization and factual depiction.
The initial connection between the show and reality began with a direct outreach.According to Jacob Safran,a former CEDU pupil and blogger who documented his experiences and the cases of missing students,the show’s premise mirrors his own story of connecting with law enforcement.Safran told The Hollywood Reporter that in november 2021, Detective Alisha Rosa, a newly-promoted California detective transferred to the Twin Peaks station in the San Bernardino Mountains, discovered his blog post on Medium after investigating multiple missing children linked to CEDU. “It really became the story of an intrepid cop and a citizen journalist connecting on how to find out what happens to these kids,” Safran explained.
while the fictional character Maurice differs from Safran – Maurice is portrayed as a parent of a missing child, while Safran is a former student – Safran notes striking parallels between Maurice’s journey on the show and his own. He specifically points to a scene where a local sleuth in Wayward experiences radio silence from media outlets when attempting to expose Tall Pines Academy. This mirrored Safran’s own frustration when contacting media about the CEDU missing persons cases, including that of Daniel Yuen.
Initially, both Safran and the fictional Maurice were skeptical of a relatively inexperienced detective taking on a powerful institution like CEDU or Tall Pines. However, Safran’s perspective shifted as Detective Rosa’s investigation, aided by his insights, progressed. This progress was abruptly halted when Rosa was removed from the revived CEDU missing kids case by her superiors, a progress Safran described as a “rug-pull.”
Wayward quickly rose to prominence, reaching No. 1 on the Netflix Top 10 chart in its first week and remaining in the top 10 as its release. This success has fueled speculation about a potential second season, and whether it might delve deeper into the realities of life at CEDU or directly acknowledge the connections to actual events.
For survivors like Safran,the show is a commendable step towards shining a light on the dark tactics employed within the troubled teen industry and fostering a broader conversation about the long-lasting trauma experienced by those subjected to these practices. Though, Safran also feels the show should more explicitly acknowledge its basis actually. “It’s just not the day-to-day counter therapeutic techniques, all that kind of stuff is similar, but not. It’s not authentic to the experience. They know the ancient record,they know the lingo,they know the cult stuff,” Safran stated to THR. ”Reality in the troubled teen industry is always darker and funnier and weirder.”
The Hollywood Reporter contacted Netflix for comment on these connections but did not receive an immediate response. this story will be updated if and when a response is provided.
