The End of the Fxxxing World

Teenage angst collides with dark British humor in Netflix’s The End of the Fxxxing World, Jonathan Entwistle’s eight-part television series about a self-identified psychopath and a wily high school rebel who seek adventure outside their boring suburban town. Alyssa wants to escape her contentious home life. James wants to escape the voices in his head. She wants to find her estranged dad. He wants to see if he’s a serial killer—and Alyssa’s his first human target. Together they head off on a road trip across England that finds them grappling with the painful reality of their dysfunctional pasts and the pressures of encroaching adulthood. Based on a graphic novel by Charles Forsman, the British-American co-production features deeply funny and moving performances by Jessica Barden and Alex Lawther that capture the confusion of adolescence with intelligence and depth. A wonderfully unorthodox coming-of-age story for 21st century realists—and hopeless romantics—The End of the Fxxxing World wins a Peabody Award.