TV Review: ‘Panic’ On Amazon Prime

Review by James Lindorf

When you are a graduating senior in Carp, Texas, having a future outside of the small town can seem impossible. Sure, the lucky few make it out on a scholarship, but for everyone else, it takes money to chase down their dreams. Every year the bold, brave, and desperate among the senior class will take part in a winner takes all competition to change their lives. All they have to do is not “Panic.” Premiering on May 28th on Amazon Prime Video “Panic” is a one-hour teen drama series written and created by Lauren Oliver, who is adapting her bestselling novel.

The series stars an ensemble cast led by Olivia Welch (Fear Street) as the put-upon Heather Nill. Heather is the elder daughter of a single mother who is often caught up in her own world to take care of her girls. One of Heather’s best friends and fellow contestant Natalie (Jessica Sula), has an undefined dream that she is ruthlessly pursuing, and no one is safe if they get in her way. Heather’s other best friend and potential love interest is Bishop (Camron Jones). The reserved son of a local prosecutor thinks Heather should drop out of “Panic” but supports her as long as she decides to play. Outside of that core group, the show also focuses on bad boy Ray Hall (Ray Nicholson), the mysterious new guy in town, Dodge Mason (Mike Faist), and a collection of cops out to stop this year’s events for a range of personal and professional reasons. The five main actors all do a reasonably decent job, but some stand out from the crowd. The performances of Jessica, Ray, and Olivia make the show. If you can’t connect with one of those three characters, I have a hard time believing you will make it through all ten episodes of season 1.

The challenges in “Panic” range from a fairly lame dare like cliff diving to stealing something from the home of a shotgun-toting recluse, crossing the highway blindfolded, and even Russian roulette. Each event begins with a clue that must be deciphered to determine the location and starting time of the next game. Anyone that does not participate in the group events is disqualified. Your performance earns points, the more risks you take, the faster you complete a game the more points you earn. You have to keep earning them at a high level if you want to keep playing, forcing even the most timid to push their luck. Things get really interesting and dangerous when they move to the solo games and attack the players’ deepest fears.

“Panic” blends “The Hunger Games,” “Jackass,” and “Gilmore Girls” into high energy melodrama. No matter how silly or dangerous the game is, that is when the show is at its peak. Unfortunately, the show loses steam whenever it focuses on the drama, not because the actors can’t pull it off but because it is the least interesting and weakest written portion of the show. Behind the games and the drama is the season’s big mystery. Who are the judges and organizers of the games? Where does their money come from, and why do they want to put these kids’ lives in danger? “Panic” is a cut above a lot of the dark teen shows that thrive on Freeform or the CW, but it still has room to grow it to something outstanding in season 2.

Genre: Drama
Network: Amazon Prime Video
Premiere Date: May 28, 2021
Creator: Lauren Oliver
Exec. Producers: Lauren Oliver, Joe Roth, Jeff Kirschenbaum, Adam Schroeder