Started February 26, 2020 · Canceled · Based on 1 season, 7 episodes through February 26, 2020 · TV-MA
Sydney Novak is a lonely 17-year-old girl living in a small Pennsylvania town. She grieves her father’s suicide and often argues with her mother. She cares for her younger brother while facing school problems and money troubles. Strong feelings awaken powers that let her move objects with her mind. The seven short episodes combine dark comedy, family pain, teen romance, and sudden violence.
Sydney develops romantic feelings for her best friend Dina, then struggles to hide them. The girls kiss at a party after Sydney’s feelings become harder to control. Brad later reveals Sydney’s feelings through a homophobic insult at the homecoming dance. The romance becomes a major part of Sydney’s growing identity alongside grief and superpowers. The series gives these personal struggles more importance than political arguments or criticism of society.
Community feedback
Was our 56% Woke rating accurate?
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for I Am Not Okay with This.
Woke representation / casting
Sofia Bryant plays Dina as a prominent black friend in the main teen group. The show gives Dina a major role in Sydney’s same-sex love story. Sofia Bryant says the team wanted characters represented through race and personal struggles. The rest of the cast shows no obvious identity checklist.
20%
Woke political dialogue
Not present. The show contains no political dialogue.
0%
Identity-driven story themes
Sydney falls in love with her female best friend, Dina. Sydney hides her feelings for Dina as those feelings grow stronger. The girls kiss at a party. Brad publicly exposes Sydney’s feelings with a homophobic insult. The story makes queer attraction a major part of Sydney’s identity alongside grief and superpowers.
78%
Western institutional / cultural critique
Not present. The show contains no criticism of Western institutions or culture.
0%
Woke character or canon changes
The adaptation changes Dina from a gloomy, detached punk in the graphic novel. The series presents Dina as a confident friend with her own romantic problems. Sofia Bryant says the new version avoids the usual black best friend sidekick role. The adaptation keeps this identity focus visible while making it secondary.
25%
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Some Reddit viewers blamed Netflix for pushing a same-sex romance in a familiar teen formula. Another viewer called the public homophobic bullying scene unrealistic in a supposedly woke 2020 climate. One IMDb user described the show as a woke retread. Major reviews and news stories did not show a broad campaign against the show. The reaction was real, scattered, and user-generated.
18%
Creator track record context
Charles Forsman shows the clearest mild signal through reported socialist sympathy. Forsman’s stories still focus on dark teen trauma. His stories do not focus on activist lessons. Other listed creators have low or no documented political or identity-focused profiles. Interviews frame the show’s queer material as personal growth.
16%
Production
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