If you spent the last few vacation seasons immersed in “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” then the new Prime Video series “Sterling Point” might be your next watch. There’s the YA novel aura, magical island escapism, and an ensemble built on messed-up family dynamics and secrets the past generations try to keep hidden (but not well enough). You know, that kind of aesthetic. A world of pretty teens and new adults navigating complicated emotional terrain in the isolation of a very specific island subculture. It’s high school, but during break, so there are no classes or teachers in the way. And like “The Goonies,” the parents are only a suggestion.
The series follows Annie (Ella Rubin), raised in New York with her adoptive father and twin brother (Keen Ruffalo). When she inherits Sterling Point, a secluded Canadian island on Lake Muskoka, from their mysterious grandfather, she heads out for a gap summer to get to know herself better. On the island, she runs into Ramona (Amélie Hoeferle), who forces Annie to deal with a past she didn’t know existed.
There’s also a love triangle. Actually, double that: there’s the straight triangle and the queer one, which must be appreciated for the equal screen time. The first in this intersecting polygon of will-they-won’t-they love belongs to Annie, Ellis (Jacob Whiteduck-Lavoie), and Rory (Daniel Quinn-Toye). These two dark-haired and earnest boys with opposing personalities create emotional tension throughout. For Ramona, there’s a crush, the wild child named Oona, and Oona’s parade of paramours. The ensemble is rounded out by Ruffalo, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jay Duplass, and Missi Pyle. My faves are Bo Bragason as Oona and Nikko Angelo Hinayo as Sully, who add the sparkle that pulls you into the show in their refusal to be the typical sidelined queer love interests or sidekicks.
What emerges is a story about familial ties, seeking identity, adoption, grief, and the question of nature versus nurture. That last is a theme co-showrunner, creator, and director Megan Park told Teen Vogue she’s been interested in exploring for a while. That and the authenticity of teen lives. Ultimately, “Sterling Point” questions the composition of family; are we bound by blood, love, or trust?
This marks Park’s first original series after her acclaimed films “The Fallout” and “My Old Ass,” and the bones of those predecessors are apparent here, but this series lands differently. It’s firmly a coming-of-age drama for teens, while the others, whether in comedy or tragedy, feel more aimed at adults. That might be due to an assist from “The O.C.” and “Gossip Girl” veterans Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage as executive producers.
“Sterling Point” is a hard one to nail down. Fans of the CW and 2000s teen dramas will be all in on this series: the situations build, the character arcs have real growth, and each episode gives you something to giggle about or gasp over. Frequently both. Oh, and there’s a smile-worthy atmospheric cover of “Teenage Dirtbag.” But the characters are frivolous without a true sense of wit or charm. The mysteries, while interesting, don’t have enough narrative pull to make them worthwhile. Instead, the show keeps you at a distance, fully aware you’re watching a story, rather than connecting to it.
It’s a middle-of-the-road series full of memeable moments. Fans of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” or “Outer Banks” might be ready to head out to “Sterling Point.” But if you’re not attuned to that particular brand of teen melodrama, best to decline with regrets.
Five episodes screened for review. Premieres August 5 on Prime Video.
