Dare Me (TV series)


Dare Me is an American teen drama television series based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Megan Abbott. The series was picked up in late January 2019 and premiered on USA Network on December 29, 2019. In April 2020, USA Network canceled the series after one season.

Premise

Dare Me follows the lives of competitive high school cheerleaders in "a small Midwestern town".

Cast and characters

Main

Production

Development

On January 28, 2019, the production had been given a series order. The writer of the novel, Megan Abbott, is expected to executive produce alongside Gina Fattore, Peter Berg, Michael Lombardo, Sarah Condon, and Karen Rosenfelt. Production companies involved with the series were slated to include Universal Cable Productions and Film 44. On November 8, 2019, it was announced that the series would premiere on December 29, 2019. On April 30, 2020, the series was canceled after one season.

Casting

On July 25, 2018, Willa Fitzgerald, Herizen Guardiola, and Marlo Kelly were cast in starring roles in the pilot. On August 14, 2018, Rob Heaps, Zach Roerig, and Paul Fitzgerald joined the main cast, while Joyful Drake, Tammy Blanchard, Antonio J. Bell, Alison Thornton, and Tamberla Perry were set to recur. On May 29, 2019, Chris Zylka and Taveeta Syzmanowicz were cast in recurring roles. On August 7, 2019, Adrian Walters and Amanda Brugel joined the cast in recurring capacities. Alison Thornton was promoted to series regular in the second episode of the first season.

Filming

Principal photography for the first season began on April 22, 2019 and concluded on August 6, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 83% with an average rating of 7.32/10, based on 24 reviews from critics. The website's critical consensus reads, "Visceral, if at times vapid, Dare Me slow-burning thriller pairs nicely with its moody atmospherics to create a deft exploration of the interiority of teen life." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 73 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Ratings