netflix tiny pretty things© Photo: Netflix

Viewers are saying the same thing about Netflix's Tiny Pretty Things

The new teen drama follows a group of elite ballet dancers

TV & Film Writer
December 15, 2020

Netflix's new teen drama Tiny Pretty Things has certainly got viewers talking. The new show, which is set in the cutthroat world of elite ballet dancing, debuted on the streaming platform on Monday and was met with initial excitement but now many viewers have called out the series for a number of reasons.

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The ten-episode series, which has been described as Black Swan meets Gossip Girl, follows a young ballerina named Neveah (Kylie Jefferson) who is offered the chance to attend an elite ballet school after one of its star students mysteriously falls to her death. As the story unfolds, Neveah begins to learn some unsettling truths about her new school and classmates.

WATCH: Netflix's Tiny Pretty Things is set in the cutthroat world of elite ballet dancing - watch the trailer

The show has been adapted from young adult novel Tiny Pretty Things and its sequel Shiny Broken Pieces by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton. And it seems readers of the books are not happy with Netflix's adaptation.

© Photo: Netflix

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Many took to Twitter to point out how explicit the series is compared to the books, with one viewer commenting: "Why are there so many sex scenes in Tiny Pretty Things? They are teenagers and the book doesn't feature any sex scenes, it's a YA book."

Another wrote: "Some of the scenes make me uncomfortable as a 20-something-year-old. Why are there explicit sex scenes of the main characters? Aren't they supposed to be teenagers? Am I the only one that thinks this?"

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A third added: "I didn't expect Tiny Pretty Things to be so explicit."

Others were left disappointed at how other plotpoints fell to the wayside in favour of racier scenes, as one viewer pointed out: "Tiny Pretty Things by Netflix had so much potential for a story about a Black woman striving to succeed in a white, privileged sport. But instead, it's just a show about sex," another tweeted.

The official synopsis for the series reads: "Tiny Pretty Things is set in the world of an elite ballet academy and charts the rise and fall of young adults who live far from their homes, each standing on the verge of greatness or ruin.

© Photo: Netflix

The new teen drama has been criticised for its risque content

"As Chicago's only elite dance school, the Archer School of Ballet serves as the company school for the city's renowned professional company: City Works Ballet.

"The Archer School is an oasis for an array of dancers: rich and poor, from north and south, and a range of backgrounds. Yet they all share a rare talent and passion for dance, a loyal sense of community… and when it comes to their dreams, no Plan B."

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