Netflix Reboot of Stanford Prison Experiment Faces Criticism
Reviewers say the show is a patronising reality‑TV rehash of the 1971 study.
Key facts
- The series features 30 participants: 8 guards (3 women) and 22 male prisoners.
- Guards wear grey uniforms and stay in a hotel; prisoners wear yellow jumpsuits and stay in a Georgia county correctional facility.
- The six‑episode series includes a behavioural psychologist, a former federal correctional officer, and a journalist.
- Reviewers claim the show pretends to be a study but is reality TV.
- The show uses reality‑TV tactics such as splitting guards into night/day teams, electing a head guard, and swapping roles.
According to the New York Times, the show is unenlightening reality TV.
According to the Guardian, the show is a patronising reality‑TV rehash of the 1971 study.
The Guardian describes the cast as 8 guards (3 women) and 22 male prisoners, with guards wearing grey uniforms and staying in a hotel and prisoners wearing yellow jumpsuits and staying in a county correctional facility in Georgia.
The Guardian notes that the series includes experts—a behavioural psychologist, a former federal correctional officer, and a journalist—and that it employs reality‑TV tactics such as splitting guards into night and day teams, electing a head guard, and swapping roles, while participants remain aware of the show.
Context
The original Stanford Prison Experiment was a 1971 psychological study that examined power dynamics in a prison setting. Netflix’s reboot attempts to recreate the study but is criticized for being a reality‑TV show rather than a genuine study.
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