I Am Not Okay With This is a Netflix original dark comedy series that was released in February 2020, though I came across it this year. The dark comedy focuses on Sydney Novak, played by Sophia Lillis — an actress primarily known for portraying Beverly in the “It” horror franchise.

Sydney is a 17-year-old girl who has to balance coping with multiple hardships being thrown at her, including confusion about her sexuality and powers she randomly obtained. While dealing with the typical struggles one faces during their time in high school, Sydney also must grapple with her grief following the loss of a loved one.

Across the span of seven 20-30 minute episodes, the series shows Sydney in the face of a variety of serious topics and how she deals with them all.

Before watching, one should be warned that the show contains violence, profanity, substance usage, mentions of suicide and sexual references. While I Am Not Okay With This is something many students might be able to relate to in one way or another, it is important to note the show is rated TV-MA for the content listed above and therefore it is only meant for mature audiences.

Rotten Tomatoes gave the series a rating of 86% and I would rate it 4 out of 5 stars. It’s very good, but it ends on a cliffhanger which leaves you really wanting more — likely because it was canceled after only one season. It also has a few things in it that feel almost unnecessary in my opinion, but that might still appeal to other people. I would recommend this show because it is something a lot of teenagers could find at least something to relate to in it. Some possible areas people might see themselves in Sydney are in her issues with trauma or questioning her sexuality. I think the show can offer a sense of comfort to some for that reason, showing them they are not alone in their similar struggles.

Admittedly, the show is a little crazy at times and some parts are unrealistic, like how when Sydney gets upset, she has an outburst that causes things around her to explode or be harmed. Even so, I think it accurately portrays how someone her age might handle everything she is being confronted with. It is also able to really get the story across and keep you entertained even with how short the show is.

I Am Not Okay With This is a show that I would recommend to anyone able to watch it. Even if you cannot relate to the show, it is still something I think is short and enjoyable enough to hold most people’s attention. It is an interesting series overall and I would say it’s binge-worthy as well for anyone looking to try out a relatively quick watch.