Long gone are the days of The WB and The CW serving as a hub for must-see teen dramas like “Dawson’s Creek,” “Felicity,” and “Gossip Girl.” Now, Prime Video is going all in on YA material with “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” “We Were Liars,” “Elle,” and “Off-Campus,” making it the destination for coming-of-age stories. Those titles are all based on existing IP—whether a novel series or a prequel to a monster-smash movie—but the latest offering, “Sterling Point,” is a big-hearted triumph without an existing foundation to draw on beyond the pantheon of teen shows that have come before it.
Creator Megan Park returns to the Lake Muskoka setting that provided the backdrop for her charming 2024 movie, “My Old Ass” (which Park wrote and directed). That comedy-drama starring Aubrey Plaza and Maisy Stella explored the push-pull between endless possibilities of youth and the terror that comes with taking a risk. A dose of magic mushrooms taken on an 18th birthday and conversing with your future self captured the ache of expectation of the life ahead. “Sterling Point” doesn’t employ the same trippy genre-breaking concept in the lead-up to this milestone age; its more conventional approach to a life-changing adolescent experience is no less engaging.
New Yorker Annie (Ella Rubin) is the kind of 17-year-old who thinks she already has everything figured out; she knows which prestigious college she wants to attend and what she will major in. But when her summer program plans fall through, Annie gets a different kind of education after learning of family ties to the popular Canadian vacation spot. What follows is an eight-episode journey of discovery that could easily fall into predictable trope territory as family secrets spill and new romances heat up. But in the capable hands of Park and with a creative team that includes “The O.C.” and “Gossip Girl” creative duo Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, serving as executive producers, “Sterling Point” strikes a balance between serious storylines and light-hearted hangouts, making this sing.
The death of estranged grandparent Gordon kicks off Annie’s Muskoka adventure when she learns that her father, Steven (Jay Duplass), has been keeping a family connection secret from her and twin brother Connor (Keen Ruffalo). Gordon has left the twins’ property on the island, allowing Annie to find herself amid this newfound uncertainty. That is not all Gordon has bequeathed, and an additional sizable inheritance adds friction. But that is not the only earth-shattering revelation that could spin “Sterling Point” into a full-blown melodrama before it has even begun. Annie and Connor were adopted at birth, and they have unknowingly been kept from their dead adopted mother’s immediate family. Luckily, the revelation that their mom (who died when they were two) has a biological daughter doesn’t unravel the entire plot, and that has much to do with how Rubin and Amélie Hoeferle (as sister Ramona) sell the roller coaster of emotions and dialogue that acknowledges the more outlandish revelations.
From the moment Annie and Ramona’s connection is made, “Sterling Point” kicks up a gear. While Annie is tactile and frank, talking at a pace ideal for an Amy Sherman-Palladino series, Ramona is more selective about how much she shares. It is a classic opposites scenario in which each young woman learns something valuable from the other. The rest of the teens are a mix of locals and rich tourists, adding another source of conflict bubbling beneath the surface. Those lived-in relationships provide balance to the excitement and awkwardness that come from Annie’s whirlwind arrival.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a teen drama without a love triangle, with Annie having two suitors. One is a local boy called Ellis (Jacob Whiteduck-Lavoie), who flies a seaplane and struggles to make his feelings known; the other is a vacationing New Yorker, Rory (Daniel Quinn-Toye), whom Annie already knows. Rory represents the rich outsiders coming to this idyllic spot, but his character is not flattened into a two-dimensional stereotype. Relationships evolving from what they once were add to the electric undercurrent, as Ramona struggles to hide her feelings for her best friend Oona (Bo Bragson). Yearning is core to any great YA story, and “Sterling Point” has this in droves. The fifth episode, directed by Park and written by Jared Frieder (who wrote and directed “Three Months”), juggles ongoing discoveries as Annie embraces spontaneity and Ramona—who never shies away from her sexuality—takes a chance.
As with all YA genre shows, absent or barely-there parents raise a few plausibility eyebrows. The few adult characters are all played by recognizable faces who don’t have much to do until the second half of the season. Jeffrey Dean Morgan broods, Jay Duplass is perpetually on edge or looking sad, and Missi Pyle steals every single scene she is in as Rory’s wine-slugging mom. There is self-awareness about the dead-mom trope without becoming overly mawkish or too knowing in the delivery. Likewise, there is nuance in the depiction of Annie and Ramona’s recent and dormant grief. “Fire Island” director Andrew Ahn helms a terrific penultimate episode (as well as Episode 6), hitting an emotional crescendo and still leaving some room for laughs.
Not every character is afforded this much insight, and even though it makes narrative sense by the finale, for the most part, Annie’s twin, Connor, is on the periphery and less developed. Ruffalo has inherited his father Mark’s easygoing delivery—Connor is often the comic relief—and his themed birthday party nearly reaches the pop-culture heights of the Saoirse Ronan references in “My Old Ass.” Still, Connor disappears for long stretches of time only to pop up to assist in the central conflict.
Some of this is a matter of geography, and Lake Muskoka provides a backdrop for Annie to extricate herself from her brother and dad. While this area is less haunted by actual ghosts than “Widow’s Bay,” cell service is equally spotty, which allows Annie to explore her new bubble without distractions. This also gives the series a throwback feel to older shows like “Dawson’s Creek,” as does the appearance of analog staples like mix tapes. Tangible art is thriving in Gen Z spaces with physical media offering a respite from the AI onslaught. The setting also lends itself to this “touch grass” aspect, and there is a freedom in the expansive environment, which is also home to the instantly iconic “Heated Rivalry” cottage. Lake Muskoka is for lovers.
Park’s “My Old Ass” depicted the tension between childhood being over and adulthood beginning, and “Sterling Point” continues to explore this universal feeling as adolescent characters look to the future while adults stew in their regrets. One memorable moment conveying this passage of time comes from a conversation about getting your first period, illustrating how singular this milestone can be—or not, depending on the circumstances. It is in this ability to make an experience both personal and relatable that the magic of “Sterling Point” lies. Teen shows are a TV staple, but great ones are rare, and this series from Park is on its way there. [A-]
Emma Fraser is a freelance entertainment journalist with a focus on TV, movies, and costume design. In addition to The Playlist, she has contributed to The Daily Beast's Obsessed, L.A. Times, Elle, Backstage, Little White Lies, and more.
