Netflix will premiere its new eight-episode horror series The Body on November 11, 2026, after releasing first-look images of the production.
Created by Quinn Shephard, who also directed the first episode, the coming-of-age drama moves adolescent personal discovery into dark, wild, and disturbing territory. Shephard described the show as a teen drama with a deliberately provocative aesthetic that mixes dark humor, psychodrama, and Catholic horror.
Cast and character details
Kristina Bogic, Sara Boustany, and Geena Meszaros lead the cast as Anya Butler, Elise Zakaria, and Lisbeth Anderson. Nnamdi Asomugha plays Father Franklin, while Louisa Krause portrays Catherine Anderson.
The series also features Shirley Chen, Jackson Kelly, and Sofia Wylie. The secondary cast includes Gabby Windey, Marcel Ruiz, and Ashley Madekwe.
Plot and mass hysteria
The plot begins when a dance-team initiation for a group of Catholic school girls goes wrong. Following the event, several of the young women start experiencing prophetic visions that set off mass hysteria in their local community.
What begins as a ritual among teenagers eventually affects the entire town. The story explores issues related to identity, religion, desire, and belief.
Creative references and themes
Shephard named Carrie, Jennifer's Body, Heavenly Creatures, and Mean Girls as primary references for the show, along with her own teenage years. She used her personal experiences during adolescence as the foundation for the project.
Shephard stated that the series does not use adolescence simply as a backdrop for a horror story. Instead, it examines doubts from that stage of life that do not disappear after high school, including discovering personal identity, accepting oneself, finding a place regarding beliefs, and searching for love.
