Netflix orders 20-episode run of Prep series

Netflix has issued a direct-to-series order for a new coming-of-age drama titled Prep. The project adapts the 2005 novel of the same name by Curtis Sittenfeld.

Nicole Taylor, known for her work on One Day, will serve as the showrunner, executive producer, and writer for the series. Sittenfeld and actor Will Ferrell will also hold executive producer credits on the project.

The story follows Lee Fiora, a scholarship student, during her years at Ault, a prestigious boarding school in New England. The narrative centers on her experience as an outsider among her wealthy, confident classmates while she manages friendships, romantic interests, and social class dynamics.

Taylor described the source material as her "all-time favourite novel" in a press release. She stated that she had wanted to adapt the book for twenty years because she saw herself reflected in the protagonist.

Taylor added that the novel offers a "truthful or excoriating take on the perils of social mobility." She expressed joy at bringing the story to Netflix.

Sittenfeld shared her enthusiasm for the development, noting that the twenty-two-year wait was worth it. She praised Taylor's scripts as "truly brilliant" and said the adaptation helped her understand her own work better. The author, now 51, said she looks forward to seeing how the team handles the themes of privilege, longing, and teen angst.