Netflix has a habit of breaking hearts. But honestly, nothing stung quite like the 2020 axe falling on The Society. One minute we're gearing up for a second season in West Ham—or New Ham, whatever—and the next, the "renewal" is yanked away due to COVID-related budget spikes. It was a mess. But even though the show is technically dead, the cast of The Society has basically taken over Hollywood. It’s like a talent incubator that people are only now starting to fully appreciate.
You look back at that roster and it’s actually insane. Kathryn Newton? Gideon Adlon? Jack Mulhern? They weren’t just "teen actors" in a Lord of the Flies rip-off. They were the engine of a show that tried to explain how a civilization actually functions—or fails.
The Powerhouse Leads Who Carried New Ham
Kathryn Newton was already a known entity, but her role as Allie Pressman was different. It was heavy. She had to play a girl who didn't want to lead but ended up holding a gun to her friends' heads to keep the peace. Since the show ended, Newton has become a literal Marvel superhero (Cassie Lang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania). She’s got this specific energy—a mix of "girl next door" and "I will absolutely destroy you"—that made Allie work.
If Allie was the reluctant king, Campbell Eliot was the dark shadow. Toby Wallace played Campbell with this terrifying, quiet stillness. It wasn't the typical "angry villain" trope. He was a sociopath. He made you uncomfortable just by standing in a room. Wallace has since gone on to win the Marcello Mastroianni Award at the Venice Film Festival for Babyteeth. That’s the level of caliber we're talking about here.
And then there’s Gideon Adlon. She played Becca, the moral compass who was pregnant throughout the entire chaos. Adlon has since voiced major characters in The Walking Dead video games and starred in The Craft: Legacy. Her performance was the emotional anchor. When the cast of The Society is discussed, people often overlook the quiet roles, but Becca was the reason many of us stayed invested. She represented the future of their tiny, trapped world.
Why Fans Are Still Obsessed With the Grizz and Sam Dynamic
If you go on X (formerly Twitter) or TikTok today, you’ll still see "Grizzam" edits. It’s unavoidable. The relationship between Grizz (Jack Mulhern) and Sam (Sean Berdy) was arguably the best-written part of the show.
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Jack Mulhern wasn't even on social media when the show launched. He was this mysterious, poetic jock who liked gardening and philosophy. It was a breath of fresh air. Mulhern has a very old-school Hollywood vibe—think a young James Dean but more sensitive. His chemistry with Sean Berdy, who played Sam, was effortless. Berdy, who is deaf in real life, brought a necessary layer of inclusivity that didn't feel like a "diversity check-box." It was just part of his character’s reality.
The scene where Grizz learns Basic Sign Language just to talk to Sam? It’s peak television. Honestly, that single subplot did more for the show’s longevity than any of the supernatural mystery elements. It felt real. In a show about kids disappearing into a parallel dimension, the most grounded thing was two boys trying to communicate in a library.
The Supporting Players Who Fleshed Out the Chaos
The Society wasn't just about the three or four people at the top. It was a true ensemble.
Alex Fitzalan played Harry Bingham, the rich kid who spiraled into depression. Fitzalan captured that specific brand of "privileged boy whose world just ended" perfectly. Then you had Olivia DeJonge as Elle, the survivor of Campbell’s abuse. DeJonge has since skyrocketed, playing Priscilla Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis. Seeing her go from the terrified Elle to a global icon like Priscilla just proves how deep the talent pool was in this cast of The Society.
Let's talk about the Guard. Alex MacNicoll (Luke), José Julián (Gordie), and Salena Qureshi (Bean). Gordie was the intellectual heart, trying to figure out the science of where they were. His "discovery" of the eclipse remains one of the show's biggest cliffhangers. We still don't know if they were in a different universe or some government experiment. It’s frustrating.
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The Career Trajectories of the Main Cast
| Actor | Character | Notable Project After The Society |
|---|---|---|
| Kathryn Newton | Allie Pressman | Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Abigail |
| Toby Wallace | Campbell Eliot | The Bikeriders, Pistol |
| Olivia DeJonge | Elle Tomkins | Elvis, The Staircase |
| Gideon Adlon | Becca Gelb | Miller's Girl, The Craft: Legacy |
| Alex Fitzalan | Harry Bingham | The Wilds |
The "What If" That Still Lingers
The creator, Christopher Keyser, has actually spoken about what Season 2 would have looked like. It wasn't just going to be more of the same. It was going to involve the "Outpost" and the return of the parents' perspective.
The fact that the cast of The Society had already started prep for Season 2 makes the cancellation even more of a gut punch. They were literally weeks away from filming. We were supposed to see the fallout of the coup. Allie and Will (Jacques Colimon) were in chains. Campbell, Harry, and Lexie (Grace Victoria Cox) had taken over. It was setting up a total shift from a shaky democracy to a full-blown dictatorship.
The complexity of the scripts required a cast that could handle political nuance. These weren't just teenagers partying; they were teenagers trying to figure out how to distribute food and punish criminals without a jail. The actors treated the material with a seriousness that made the stakes feel life-or-death.
Why the Show Refuses to Die in the Public Consciousness
Usually, when a one-season Netflix show gets cancelled, it vanishes into the "Suggested for You" abyss. But this one didn't.
Part of it is the "Cast of The Society Effect." Because so many of these actors went on to lead major films, new fans are constantly discovering the show. They watch Ant-Man, look up Kathryn Newton, and find this weird, unfinished masterpiece on Netflix. It’s a perpetual cycle of discovery and disappointment.
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Another factor is the writing. It touched on themes that felt prophetic—isolation, the breakdown of social contracts, and the fear of an invisible "smell" or sickness. When 2020 actually happened, the show felt less like fiction and more like a fever dream of what we were all going through. The cast of The Society became the faces of our collective anxiety for a while.
How to Follow the Cast Today
If you’re still holding out hope for a revival, I hate to be the bearer of bad news: it’s probably not happening. The actors are too famous now. Their "quotes" (meaning their asking prices) have likely tripled. Coordinating the schedules of Kathryn Newton, Olivia DeJonge, and Toby Wallace would be a logistical nightmare that Netflix isn't going to fund for a niche YA drama.
However, you can still see the DNA of the show in their current work.
- Watch Kathryn Newton in Lisa Frankenstein if you want to see her lean into the weirdness she hinted at in Allie’s darker moments.
- Check out Toby Wallace in The Bikeriders—he’s still playing that dangerous, unpredictable type, and he’s incredible at it.
- Follow Gideon Adlon on social media; she’s often the one most vocal about her love for the show and her former castmates.
The best way to honor the show isn't just by rewatching the ten episodes for the hundredth time. It's by supporting the cast of The Society in their new ventures. Most of them are taking risks in indie films and high-concept TV because that’s the kind of work they did on The Society. They were part of something special, even if it was cut short.
Practical Steps for Disappointed Fans
Since a Season 2 script leak is unlikely and a reboot is a long shot, here is how you can actually engage with the story and the talent involved:
- Read the "Season 2" Interviews: Christopher Keyser has given several deep-dive interviews explaining exactly who the father of Becca's baby was and what the "dog" meant. It provides some closure.
- Support the "Society" Alumni: Follow the smaller actors from the Guard. Many are doing incredible work in theater and short films that fly under the radar.
- Engage with the "New Ham" Community: There are still active Discord servers and subreddits where fans piece together the lore based on background details in the show.
The story of the cast of The Society is a reminder that a show's value isn't measured by how many seasons it gets, but by the impact it leaves on the people who watched it. These actors were the right people at the right time for a story that was, unfortunately, interrupted by the real world.