New Netflix Show ‘Grand Army’ Tackles Teen Drama and Complex Societal Issues

Netflix released the show Grand Army, dealing with racism, school shootings, homophobia, and more.  

On October 16th, Grand Army, a 10 part drama by Netflix is being released. The premise centers around 5 teens attending the largest public high school in Brooklyn, and the struggles they must face.  The series is based on Katie Cappiello’s play, Slut,  and is produced by Joshua Donen (the producer of Gone Girl) and Beau Willimon (who helped develop House of Cards). Some of the cast members include Odessa A’zion, Odley jean, Maliq Johnson, Amir Bageria and, Amalia Yoo.

The diverse cast comes from all walks of life, with each one having a story of their own. The protagonist of the show, Joey Del Marco (played by Odessa A’zion), is a Black 16-year-old girl who, according to Deadline, is “both loved and hated for speaking her mind” and depends on her friends to help with her family struggles. Yoo plays Leila Kwan Zimmer, a Chinese girl who was adopted by Jewish parents who struggles with identity issues. Bageria plays Siddhartha Pakam, who “struggles to live up to everyone’s expectations of him”, balancing his traditional South Asian background with modern American high school. Dominique Pierre (who is played by Odley Jean), is a “first-generation hustler” whose goals are to “make sure her family can pay rent, be the first to go to college and ask John Ellis to prom”. Maliq Johnson plays Jay Johnson, who comes from Spanish Harlem and has a dream of attending Julliard to further his saxophone talents.