Boarders

There are no cloying Very Special Episodes to be found among this bingeable batch of six. In fact, the only real complaint I have about the first season is that it’s far too short. If ever a TV series could support an old-school, American broadcast order of 23 episodes, it would be this instant classic among teen dramas.

At times, Boarders tries far too hard to be the new, hedonism-fuelled Sex Education. Its assets lie in the smart cast, cracking pace (no mean feat with episodes coming in at around 50 minutes) and Taylor’s witty, surprising script. Roll on a second series.

Witty and sharp, “Boarders” gets to the heart of what it means to learn who you are when you’re being simultaneously ostracized and objectified.

Boarders, though, consistently manages to both fit into the old tropes and reinvent the clichés to fit around these characters. It’s a real charmer.

Razor-sharp writing and great performances make the six episodes deliciously bingeable.

Boarders offers six episodes of solidly executed covers of the greatest hits. It’s consistently likable, occasionally clever and the young cast of relatively newcomers delivers across the board.

The coming-of-age stuff (horny high jinks, puking at boozy parties) means this is unlikely to appeal much beyond the target audience. Yet there is an interesting underlying point running throughout.