Netflix’s The Body creator wanted to make ‘messy’ lesbian teen drama
Netflix releasers queer supernatural drama The Body. (Netflix)
The creator of Netflix’s The Body opens up about making a “very unsanitised, messy first queer love story.”
Created by Quinn Shephard, the show deals with themes of religion and sexuality, centred on the lives of young women.
The coming-of-age psychological drama supernatural horror is set around Halloween 2004. The show follows a group of Catholic schoolgirl misfits experiencing mass hysteria.
The series premiered on Wednesday (November 11) to an 83% critics’ rating and a 98% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Speaking to Variety about their relationship, Shephard shared she put herself into those charts.
She also added about the 2004 setting: “I do find the era really interesting, because it wasn’t like being gay was illegal, or like you’re guaranteed to get disowned, but it was definitely not good.
“It felt like the biggest threat was to your femininity, and your social standing as normal or cool.”
She also continued that she set out to make a show that embraced the messiness of young sexuality.
“I wanted to make a very unsanitised, messy first queer love story,” Shepard noted.
“I was seeing too many shows where the characters are gay and it’s totally fine and no one has a problem with it.
“Like, there’s the parent who’s a little homophobic, and then there’s one conversation where they’re like, ‘Actually, I love you, honey.’ No. It’s messy as hell. And you do some crazy stuff that you look back on, like, ‘Why did I do that?’ I really wanted to give that to Anya and Elise.”
What is the plot of The Body?
The Netflix show focuses on a Catholic school dance-troupe.
When their group initiation goes wrong, a wave of mass hysteria spreads throughout their school and community.
The eight-episode series, Shephard says, is “a love letter to all the ’90s and Y2K teen movies and erotic thrillers”.
The show follows the St Marks Lions dance group as it descends into chaos. In particular, fans have latched onto the relationship between queer teens Anya (Kristina Bogic) and Elise (Sara Boustany).
Cast of Netflix’s The Body
The Body stars a host of newcomers, along with a few familiar faces.
The Lions are made up of Howl’s Kristina Bogic, PEN15’s Sara Boustany, Soul’s Road’s Geena Meszaros, Didi’s Shirley Chen, and High School Musical: The Musical – The Series’ Sofia Wylie.
Additionally, there’s The Traitors winner Gabby Windey and The Pitt’s Jackson Kelly starring.
Is The Body an LGBTQ+ show?
Yes, The Body is an LGBTQ+ horror-drama, with the show featuring several queer characters and narratives.
One of the show’s central romances is dance co-captains Anya (Bogic) and Elise (Boustany).
They casually call each other their wife while navigating a slow-burn, codependent romance packed with sapphic yearning.
Speaking about the show, Shephard noted: “I like to joke that with the amount of queer women involved in making the show, the core ethos and tone is so inherently like lesbian camp and a lesbian sense of humor.”
Though a second season has not yet been confirmed, Shephard teased more queerness in a potential second season.
She shared: “We’ve got stuff to play with in Season 2 in terms of queer characters.”
