Wayward (miniseries)
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Prepare yourself for Wayward. A Canadian mystery thriller limited series from Mae Martin, now streaming on Netflix. Starring Mae Martin, Alyvia Alyn Lind, Sydney Topliffe, Toni Collette, and Sarah Gadon.
In Tall Pines, nothing is ever what it seems. After a daring escape from an academy for "troubled teens," two students, Leila and Abbie, team up with a new local police officer, Alex. Together, they begin to unravel the town's dark and deeply rooted secrets.
The cast includes Mae Martin as Alex Dempsey, a transgender man and a young police officer new to Tall Pines. Alyvia Alyn Lind is Leila, a troubled teenager who recently lost her sister and is sent to Tall Pines Academy. Sydney Topliffe plays Abbie, Leila's best friend. Toni Collette embodies Evelyn Wade, the head teacher at Tall Pines Academy. Sarah Gadon is Laura Redman, Alex's pregnant wife and a former Tall Pines student.
Also featured are Joshua Close as Duck, head of the boys at Tall Pines Academy, and John Daniel as Rory, a Tall Pines student who befriends Abbie. Tattiawna Jones plays Rabbit, head of the girls at Tall Pines Academy, and Isolde Ardies is Stacey, Abbie's roommate. Brandon Jay McLaren joins as Dwayne Andrews, Alex's partner on the police force.
Recurring roles include Patrick J. Adams as Mr. Wyatt Turner, Leila and Abbie's guidance counselor, and Patrick Gallagher as Chief Bartell, the Tall Pines Chief of Police. Gage Munroe is Riley, a student who goes missing from Tall Pines Academy. Byron Mann portrays Brian, Abbie's strict father, with Jenny Raven as Carla, Abbie's mother. Cynthia Ritchie plays Claire, Abbie's overachieving sister, and Donald MacLean, Jr. is Kyle, Leila's older boyfriend.
This eight-part series, commissioned by Netflix in April 2023 with Mae Martin also starring and serving as showrunner, is a story they've "been dying to tell for years." Filming began in Ontario, Canada, in mid-2024.
Wayward premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival before its streaming release on Netflix on September 25, 2025.
With a 73% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 71 out of 100 on Metacritic, Wayward is a series that promises "generally favorable" reviews.
Discover the secrets of Tall Pines. Stream Wayward on Netflix.
Wayward is a Canadian mystery thriller limited series from Mae Martin for Netflix. This miniseries stars Mae Martin, Alyvia Alyn Lind, Sydney Topliffe, Toni Collette, and Sarah Gadon, and it was released on Netflix on September 25, 2025.
== Premise ==
Nothing is what it seems in Tall Pines. After an escape attempt from an academy for “troubled teens," two students Leila (Alyvia Alyn Lind) and Abbie (Sydney Topliffe) join forces with a newly local police officer, Alex (Mae Martin), unearthing the town's dark and deeply rooted secrets.
== Cast ==
=== Main ===
Mae Martin as Alex Dempsey, a transgender man and young police officer, new to Tall Pines
Alyvia Alyn Lind as Leila, a troubled teenager who recently lost her sister who is sent to Tall Pines Academy
Sydney Topliffe as Abbie, Leila's best friend
Toni Collette as Evelyn Wade, head teacher at Tall Pines Academy
Sarah Gadon as Laura Redman, Alex's pregnant wife, former Tall Pines student
Joshua Close as Duck, head of the boys at Tall Pines Academy
John Daniel as Rory, a Tall Pines student who befriends Abbie
Tattiawna Jones as Rabbit, head of the girls at Tall Pines Academy
Isolde Ardies as Stacey, Abbie's roommate at Tall Pines Academy
Brandon Jay McLaren as Dwayne Andrews, Alex's partner on the police force
=== Recurring ===
Patrick J. Adams as Mr. Wyatt Turner, Leila and Abbie's guidance counselor
Patrick Gallagher as Chief Bartell, Tall Pines Chief of Police
Gage Munroe as Riley, student who goes missing from Tall Pines Academy
Byron Mann as Brian, Abbie's strict father
Jenny Raven as Carla, Abbie's mother
Cynthia Ritchie as Claire, Abbie's overachieving sister
Donald MacLean, Jr. as Kyle, Leila's older boyfriend
== Episodes ==
== Production ==
In April 2023, an eight-part series from Mae Martin was commissioned by Netflix with Martin also set to star. Martin acted as showrunner on the series alongside Ryan Scott, as well as executive producer. Production is through London- and Los Angeles–based Objective Fiction and Canada’s Sphere Media. Scott also served as executive producer alongside Ben Farrell for Objective Fiction along with Hannah Mackay, Jennifer Kawaja and Bruno Dubé.
The series was initially called Tall Pines. Martin said it is a story they have "been dying to tell for years." Brandon Jay McLaren joined the cast in May 2024. In June 2024, Sarah Gadon, Toni Collette, Patrick J. Adams, Alyvia Alyn Lind, Patrick Gallagher, Sydney Topliffe and Josh Close joined the cast.
Filming began in Ontario, Canada, in mid-2024.
== Release ==
Wayward premiered in the Primetime program at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, in advance of its streaming release on Netflix on September 25, 2025.
== Reception ==
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 73% approval rating based on 33 critic reviews. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave a score of 71 out of 100 based on 17 critics, indicating "generally favorable".
== References ==
== External links ==
Wayward at IMDb
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