Twisted secrets, mind-bending mysteries, and a finale no one saw coming — this is hands-down the strangest series of the year.

Netflix’s Wayward is easily the weirdest TV show you will watch this year. The psychological thriller, which premiered on the streaming platform on September 25, 2025, was created by comedian Mae Martin, who doubles as the series’ star. Martin appears alongside Toni Collette, Sarah Gadon, Sydney Topliffe, and Alyvia Alyn Lind, each of whom contributes fantastically to Wayward‘s bizarre story.

Wayward follows Martin’s Alex, who moves to a new town with his wife, Laura (Gadon), for a fresh start. Their new home of Tall Pines initially looks idyllic. The residents support one another and seem to prioritize the betterment of the troubled youth who attend Tall Pines Academy. However, Alex quickly discovers that there’s something truly weird going on in this town, and it all comes back to Evelyn Wade (Collette).

Netflix’s Psychological Thriller Wayward Takes Weird To A New Level

Courtesy of Netflix

Psychological thrillers and weirdness go hand in hand. However, Wayward really takes this to a new level. When Alex and Laura first arrive at Tall Pines, it’s clear that the residents are a bit too nice. However, that’s only the beginning of it. Things only get more bizarre as episodes of Wayward go on.

This Netflix series challenges the characters’ and viewers’ understanding of reality.

This Netflix series challenges the characters’ and viewers’ understanding of reality. By the end, we aren’t entirely sure what did or did not happen. It’s interesting that Wayard pulls this off without any supernatural elements. Set in 2003, the miniseries utilizes real psychological concepts and controversial therapeutic methods to twist the story into bizarre loops. Then, there are those unsettling cult aspects.

Cults are another common feature of psychological thrillers. There’s something both fascinating and unsettling about the way a group of people can be manipulated into even the most damaging ways of thinking. Wayward explores this with strange subtlety until, all of a sudden, we are watching people perform violence and intimacy with the same sort of unsettling relish.

Wayward Uses Its Weirdness To Explore Powerful Themes

Wayward doesn’t use weirdness just for the sake of chills and thrills. The series’ themes revolve significantly around the way adults think of and behave toward teenagers, not just in fiction, but in the real world as well. Martin has real experience with institutions meant for troubled teens, and included those who had been subjected to such abuse in their youth in Wayward‘s creative team.

Though Tall Pines Academy is a fictional school, the abuse faced by these students and the overarching lesson that they are damaged and bad is very real. Such treatment goes under the radar, since, just as in Wayward, the therapies utilized are presented as helping and improving teens’ lives. Shame is a tool of manipulation in these institutions, just as they are in real-world cults.

Overall, Wayward explores how easily thoughts and even memories can be manipulated, utilizing bizarre imagery and character actions to do so. It’s thrilling and entertaining, but poignant in its themes and lessons. Suffice it to say, Wayward will fix itself in your mind in a way that other shows this year are unlikely to achieve.