Quinn Shephard’s The Body landed on Netflix on 11 November 2026, all eight episodes in one go, and the sapphic internet has barely logged off since. Set in 2004 at a Catholic high school, it follows the Lions, a dance team whose initiation goes wrong and sets off prophetic visions and mass hysteria across their town.
At its heart are captain Anya (Kristina Bogic) and her best friend and co-captain Elise (Sara Boustany), whose secret relationship anchors the whole show. US Traitors co-winner Gabby Windey makes her scripted debut as Coach Miller. Here’s what critics, Rotten Tomatoes and fans are saying so far.
What is the Rotten Tomatoes score?
The Body debuted with a perfect 100% on the Tomatometer from its first handful of reviews. As more critics have weighed in, it has settled: at the time of writing (12 November 2026), season 1 sits at 77% from 13 critics. The audience Popcornmeter is at 97% from more than 250 ratings, so viewers are liking it even more than critics are.
What are the critics saying?
Mostly good things. Autostraddle called it “the best new sapphic television show I’ve seen in recent memory”, while Variety described it as “deliciously and unapologetically queer”. NME called it “excellent fun, sharply plotted and executed” and named Shephard one to watch.
RogerEbert.com compared it to Ken Russell’s The Devils, noting the show cares more about how high school and religious pressure breed hysteria than about outright supernatural scares. ScreenRant was more mixed at 6/10, calling it a “campy, entertaining hot mess” – but predicted it will become a cult classic alongside But I’m a Cheerleader and Jennifer’s Body, and praised sex scenes written for sapphic viewers rather than the male gaze.
Not everyone is converted. The Hollywood Reporter’s Angie Han felt the ideas were spread too thin over eight episodes, and that the show pays tribute to its influences better than it carves out its own place among them.
What is the IMDb rating?
On IMDb, The Body currently sits at 7.0/10 from just over 750 user ratings. That’s solid for day two, though scores this early tend to move as more people finish the binge, so expect it to shift over the next week.
What are fans saying on social media?
In short: Anya and Elise. Fans were writing fanfic off the back of the trailer before the show was even out, and since it dropped, plenty have binged all eight episodes in one sitting.
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Others are calling it one of Netflix’s best originals in a while, with plenty of love for the writing, the cinematography and the lesbian relationship at its centre.
It hasn’t all been praise. Some viewers have taken issue with Anya’s straight relationship storyline and parts of the plot, which has sparked its own pushback.
Over on Rotten Tomatoes, audience reviews are already begging Netflix for a season 2, and in a ScreenRant reader poll, around 82% said they want Anya to fully embrace her queer identity and her relationship with Elise if the show comes back. At the time of writing, Netflix hasn’t announced a second season.
Is it worth watching?
If you grew up on Jennifer’s Body, But I’m a Cheerleader and Mean Girls, yes. It’s camp, horny and drenched in Catholic guilt, with a sapphic love story right at the centre rather than in the subplot. Shephard herself has called the tone “gritty camp”.
A heads-up: the show deals with religious repression, anxiety and disordered eating, so go in knowing that.
The Body is streaming now on Netflix.
Happy bingeing,
Nonchalant x
Your next read: Your queer TV guide for November 2026
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This article was written by one of our creative team writers here at Nonchalant Magazine.
