High School (2022 TV series)
# High School (2022 TV series)

High School is an American coming-of-age drama streaming television series developed by Clea DuVall and Tegan and Sara Quin, based on the 2019 memoir of the same name by the Quins. It premiered on Amazon Freevee on October 14, 2022.

## Premise

Through a backdrop of '90s grunge and rave culture, two twin sisters navigate identity, love, and music.

## Cast

### Main

* Railey Gilliland as Tegan
* Seazynn Gilliland as Sara
* Esther McGregor as Natalie
* Olivia Rouyre as Phoebe
* Amanda Fix as Maya
* Brianne Tju as Ali
* Geena Meszaros as Lily

### Recurring

* Cobie Smulders as Simone
* Kyle Bornheimer as Patrick
* Jayne Eastwood as June
* Nikki Rae Hallow as Loni
* Nate Corddry as David

## Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Teleplay by | Original air date |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | "I Bet It Stung" | Clea DuVall | Clea DuVall | October 14, 2022 (2022-10-14) |
| 2 | "Shock To Your System" | Clea DuVall | Clea DuVall | October 14, 2022 (2022-10-14) |
| 3 | "Hang On to the Night" | Clea DuVall | Clea DuVall | October 14, 2022 (2022-10-14) |
| 4 | "Welcome Home" | Rebecca Asher | Laura Kittrell | October 14, 2022 (2022-10-14) |
| 5 | "Freedom" | Rebecca Asher | Clea DuVall | October 21, 2022 (2022-10-21) |
| 6 | "Hello, I'm Right Here" | Clea DuVall | Laura Kittrell | October 21, 2022 (2022-10-21) |
| 7 | "Fix You Up" | Clea DuVall | Clea DuVall | October 28, 2022 (2022-10-28) |
| 8 | "The Con" | Clea DuVall | Laura Kittrell | October 28, 2022 (2022-10-28) |

## Production

### Development

On October 20, 2020, it was announced that Amazon Studios's free ad-supported streaming service IMDb TV was developing a project based on identical twin indie pop duo Tegan and Sara Quin's eponymous 2019 memoir. Happiest Season director Clea DuVall was attached to create and direct the pilot episode, as well as executive produce alongside the Quin sisters. The series is set to be produced by Plan B Entertainment under their overall deal at Amazon Studios. At Amazon's first NewFront presentation on May 3, 2021, it was announced that IMDb TV had given the project a series order. Upon the series order announcement, Tegan and Sara said:

   We are incredibly excited to be working with Lauren, Ryan, and the fantastic IMDb TV team to bring 'High School' to life and apologize in advance to our mother for forcing her to relive this period of time with us again. We've made casting suggestions on her behalf to the incomparable Clea DuVall and our wonderful partners at Plan B.

### Casting

On March 17, 2022, Railey and Seazynn Gilliland were cast as the leads, while Cobie Smulders and Kyle Bornheimer were set to guest star in the show.

### Filming

On March 17, 2022, it was reported that principal photography was set to begin on March 21 in Alberta, Canada.

## Reception

In advance of its official Amazon premiere, the series received a preview screening in the Primetime program at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 7.4/10, based on 22 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "High School is as effervescent and sensitive as a Tegan and Sara album, delivering a highly specific coming of age comedy that rings with universal truth."

Metacritic gave the series a weighted average score of 82 out of 100 based on 10 critic reviews, indicating "universal acclaim."

On Rolling Stone's list of the 20 Best TV Shows of 2022, it was named as the 7th Best.

On The New York Times' list of Best TV Shows 2022, the show was listed 5th.

