Season 1 of Brand New Cherry Flavor will premiere on Netflix on Aug. 13.
Brand New Cherry Flavor has nothing at all to do with cherries, but it does offer an abundance of flavor in a sea of preachy teen dramas and staid supernatural romances. This limited Netflix series is one of the freshest shows to hit the streaming platform in some time, bringing an unparalleled amount of style and surrealism to the small screen with a dash of David Lynch-like magic to boot.
Created by Nick Antosca (The Act, Channel Zero) and Lenore Zion (Billions, Channel Zero) and based on the novel of the same name by Todd Grimson, Brand New Cherry Flavor stars a ferocious and fiercely independent Rosa Salazar (Alita: Battle Angel) as Lisa N. Nova, a young, cutting-edge filmmaker who just spent a stint in the woods working on a short horror film called “Lisa’s Eye.” Hotshot director Lou Burke (Eric Lange) invites her to LA, where he makes an offer to option her short as a feature length film. However, their uneasy mentor-protégé relationship turns sour, leading Nova on a bizarre journey through LA’s seedy underbelly where she meets Boro (Catherine Keener), a shadowy, supernatural figure who’s willing to help her get back at Lou — for a price.
Brand New Cherry Flavor is a revenge fantasy told through the lens of the early '90s and soundtracked by R.E.M., The Pixies, Primus, and other prominent artists of the era. From vine-covered ceilings to the trap-door encrusted floors, the series is an undeniable love letter to the decade, and each scene is practically soaked in nostalgic remembrance of days gone by. It helps, of course, that the tale of those in powerful positions taking advantage of young and vulnerable creators is unfortunately a timeless one. This is a story that resonates just as much in 2021, from Burke’s unwanted sexual advances to his endless lies and anger directed at Nova after she shuts him down.
Though Rosa Salazar brings some much-needed bite and venom to her role as Nova, Catherine Keener shines as Boro, the rust-haired elder with a Woodstock attitude and a Log Lady-esque affinity for cats…as well as the literal zombies she keeps in her rainforest-like dwelling as pets. She’s certainly the source of plenty of disturbing content, which I found enhanced each episode in several ways. The show is heavy on gross-out moments, such as Nova being forced to vomit up kittens at will for Boro's nefarious purposes. It goes even further than that later on in the show and, well, let’s just leave it at saying it has to be seen to be believed.There’s a decadent display of otherworldly sights and sounds, and these visuals ensure there’s never a dull moment, and continue to build until the very end.
But it's not all darkness, revenge, and an increasingly feral Lisa. There's plenty of room for humor, as Nova's revenge quest turns into a game of cat and mouse between Burke and all of their respective allies. It's like watching two cartoonishly evil villains one-up each other in a '90s action flick, and this occasional comedy will elicit a grin here and there.
Some of the most engaging moments emerge from Nova's interactions with Code (Manny Jacinto) and his girlfriend Christine (Hannah Levien). Despite an initially chilly reception upon Code welcoming Nova into the pair's apartment, Christine is a sympathetic ear for the jilted director. Brand New Cherry Flavor happily subverts the "jealous girlfriend" trope and instead sees Christine and Nova become initially uneasy but fast friends. Their interactions are whip-smart and realistic, and I was pleased to see a potentially tired and rote situation turned into a positive one between the two women. And for once, there's no romantic subplot about Nova trying to win her ex back — the spotlight remains firmly on Nova's well-deserved revenge.
There’s still time for romance, however, as self-destructive movie star Roy Hardaway (Jeff Ward) quickly realizes Nova could be the person who finally helps him overcome his lifelong death wish. The pair has definite onscreen chemistry, and their relationship is unexpectedly straightforward and sweet.
All of Brand New Cherry Flavor's out-there moving pieces could come across as messy. Fortunately, Antosca and Zion keep it moving at a rapid clip, with enough exposition and disturbing revelations to keep you from reaching for the remote even when things begin to slow down. Introspective moments about Nova's past are insightful and moving, and learning about movie star Hardaway's troubled past adds another layer to an action movie hero that I initially wanted to write off as just another pretty face. There’s a lot to love about every character, so much so that by the end you’re left feeling as though you just spent time getting to know a very dysfunctional — and violent — family.