In just five weeks, this year has been full of new releases and seasons already. Netflix has been under fire lately for the removal of several classic shows previously in their library, amongst many other streaming services. However, the service has simultaneously been producing new seasons of fan favorite shows—one of which is “Ginny and Georgia,” a hit teen drama about a family with dark secrets living in a new small town. 

Georgia Miller (Brianne Howey) has two children, Ginny (Antonia Gentry) and Austen (Diesel La Torraca). Georgia comes from a troubled childhood, being faced with drugs, alcohol and gangs. Season one starts with the death of her husband, Kenny. She takes the money left to her in Kenny’s will and leaves town, trying to get away from her old life. Kenny has an overbearing ex-wife who hates Georgia and hires a private investigator to uncover anything bad about her to get the money back. Georgia brings her family up the East Coast to Wellsbury, Massachusetts, a town she had always dreamed of living in since she was younger. 

Wellsbury is a very traditional town with a small and close-knit community. When Georgia arrives, she shakes things up. As the mother of two kids with different fathers, the people of the town have a few things to comment about. Across the street, there is a family with twins the same age as Ginny, and Georgia develops a friendship with their mom. Season one ends with a lot of questions unanswered: Why did Ginny run away? Where is she going? And what happened to her life back home? 

Season two was released on Jan. 5 and consists of 10 episodes, each about an hour long. Many were anticipating its release for over two years, but no one expected such a wild ride, complete with Georgia’s secrets eventually catching up to her and Ginny beginning to be affected by them, leading to conflicts within the characters’ already complex relationships. 

The show has a largely unknown cast. This is Antonia Gentry’s first major role, however, Brianne Howey is no stranger to big roles, having already appeared in “The Pursuit of Happiness” and “The Exorcist.” The show also features Felix Mallard as Marcus, Sara Waisglass as Marcus’ twin, Maxine, and Scott Porter as Paul, Georgia’s fiance. The way the cast interacts with one other adds an extra element to the show, as they very convincingly play characters who are genuinely close to one another.

The show is similar to other teen dramas like “Degrassi,” “Secret Life of an American Teenager” and “Riverdale.” It highlights and addresses important teen issues, including alcohol abuse, self-harm, divorce, race and religion, and seems to be cementing itself as a classic teen drama. There are some unrealistic moments that definitely do not portray the highschool experience totally correctly, but the drama and tension in the show will draw you in and make it worth the watch.