Netflix has announced a straight-to-series order for PREP, a coming-of-age adaptation of Curtis Sittenfeld’s bestselling debut novel. The series will be written and executive produced by Nicole Taylor, known for One Day and Three Girls.
The story follows Lee Fiora, a scholarship student attending Ault, a prestigious New England boarding school. As an outsider among her privileged and confident classmates, Lee navigates the complexities of high school, including friendship, crushes and class differences, while trying to find her place in an unfamiliar world.
Nicole Taylor will serve as showrunner, writer and executive producer. Will Ferrell, Jessica Elbaum and Alix Taylor will executive produce for Gloria Sanchez Productions, alongside author Curtis Sittenfeld.
“Prep is my all time favourite novel and I have longed to adapt it for the entire twenty years since I first read it and found myself reflected uncannily back. There is no more acute depiction of the introspective, bookish self-conscious adolescent girl and no more truthful or excoriating take on the perils of social mobility than in Curtis Sittenfeld’s beautiful first novel. I am overjoyed to be adapting for Netflix,” said Taylor.
Sittenfeld also expressed her enthusiasm for the television adaptation.
“I’m overjoyed that Netflix is making Prep as a TV show–the 22-year wait was worth it! Alix Taylor at Gloria Sanchez has guided the project forward with such intelligence and enthusiasm, and Nicole Taylor’s scripts are truly brilliant. Nicole’s adaptation makes me understand my own novel, and myself, better. My 51-year-old self can’t wait to see what they do with this story of privilege, longing, and teen angst,” said Sittenfeld.
PREP joins Netflix’s growing young adult programming slate, which includes original series such as Outer Banks, Ginny & Georgia, Crew Girl, On My Block, Never Have I Ever, Minimum Wage and A Different World.
The platform has also expanded its collection of book-to-screen adaptations with titles including Finding Her Edge, My Life With the Walter Boys and the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before film franchise. Upcoming series The Sticks, The Body, Poser and Sid & Zoey are also part of the expanding slate.
According to Netflix, young adult titles have generated more than 10.4 billion global views since the first half of 2023. The genre has also produced some of the platform’s most popular franchises, including Stranger Things 4, Stranger Things 5 and Wednesday, which holds the distinction of being Netflix’s most popular English-language series of all time.
Since 2022, young adult titles have accounted for an average of 30 percent of Netflix’s most talked-about titles on its social channels each year.
