Toni Collette and Mae Martin headline this unsettling mystery series, premiering September 25 on Netflix.
Netflix has revealed the official trailer and poster for Wayward, its new eight-episode limited series created by and starring Mae Martin. The series will make its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival before arriving on Netflix globally on September 25, 2025.
Set in the picture-perfect town of Tall Pines, Wayward blends psychological mystery with generational drama, pulling back the curtain on a community where nothing is as it seems and no one leaves without consequences.
Watch the Trailer
Behind This Door, Nothing Is What It Seems
The series begins when police officer Alex Dempsey (Mae Martin) moves to Tall Pines with their pregnant wife, Laura (Sarah Gadon). At first glance, the town appears welcoming, but cracks quickly appear when Alex encounters two students from a nearby academy for “troubled teens.”
Abbie (Sydney Topliffe) and Leila (Alyvia Alyn Lind) are desperate to escape. When Alex learns more about the school’s enigmatic director, Evelyn (Toni Collette), they uncover disturbing truths that suggest Tall Pines has spent decades protecting sinister secrets.
Netflix’s official logline sums it up: “Nothing is what it seems in Tall Pines. After an escape attempt from an academy for troubled teens, two students join forces with a newly local police officer, unearthing the town’s dark and deeply rooted secrets.”
About the Series
Created by Mae Martin, Wayward is described as a thrilling and genre-bending limited series about the eternal struggle between one generation and the next, the fragile line between friendship and loyalty, and the buried truths that always find their way back to the surface.
The show balances its unsettling mystery with sharp character work. Collette’s Evelyn promises to be the kind of morally complex antagonist that lingers long after the finale. If you’re a fan of series like Sharp Objects, The OA, or The Society, Wayward will likely be on your radar.
Creative Team and Format
- Format: 8-episode limited series
- Creator / Co-Showrunner / Executive Producer: Mae Martin
- Co-Showrunner / Executive Producer: Ryan Scott
- Directed by:
- Euros Lyn (Episodes 101, 102, 107, 108)
- Renuka Jeyapalan (Episodes 103, 104)
- John Fawcett (Episodes 105, 106)
- Written by:
- Mae Martin (101)
- Ryan Scott (102)
- Evangeline Ordaz (103)
- Mohamad El Masri (104)
- Kim Steele (105)
- Kayla Lorette (106)
- Alex Eldridge & Ryan Scott (107)
- Mae Martin & Misha Osherovich (108)
- Executive Producers: Mae Martin, Ryan Scott, Jennifer Kawaja (Sphere Media), Bruno Dubé (Sphere Media), Ben Farrell (Objective Fiction), Hannah Mackay (Objective Fiction), Euros Lyn
Full Cast
Starring:
- Mae Martin
- Toni Collette
- Sarah Gadon
- Sydney Topliffe
- Alyvia Alyn Lind
- Brandon Jay McLaren
Recurring Cast:
- Tattiawna Jones
- Isolde Ardies
- Joshua Close
Guest Stars:
- Patrick J. Adams
- Patrick Gallagher
- Gage Munroe
- Byron Mann
- Mark McKinney
Release Date
Wayward will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival before arriving worldwide on Netflix September 25, 2025.
The Posters
