Netflix released Clickbait, a gripping new limited series starring Entourage star Adrian Grenier on Wednesday, which is available to viewers in all countries.
The thriller, inspired by the dark side of social media, sees devoted husband and father, Nick Brewer, suddenly and mysteriously vanish before appearing in an online video. He is ominously holding a placard that reads: “I abuse women. At 5 million views, I die.”
As they anxiously try to find out how this has happened, Brewer’s wife, sister and other loved ones discover a side of him they did not know existed.
Clickbait is fascinating to watch as it explores modern identities, allowing viewers to see how people can choose what they want to be online.
It also shows the gulf that technology has created between action and consequence, paying particular attention to how social media can allow people’s dark and hidden secrets to be exposed.
Moreover, since it is based on the current Internet era, Clickbait deals with some of the most complicated and controversial topics: likes, filters and friend requests.
Speaking to Forbes about the inspiration behind the streaming service’s new premiere, showrunner Tony Ayres said, “What appealed to me was doing a 360 on a crime.”
He explained that the series tells different stories, showing from many perspectives what crime truly means.
“Some of the people were inside the crime at the core, and others were secondary to the event but were still impacted by it,” Ayres went on.
“This is more than a whodunit. This story turns from a who-did-it to a why-did-they-do-it by the end,” the actor stated.
Clickbait, set in the United States, is about the world that Silicon Valley built but was filmed in Melbourne, Australia.
In addition to Entourage actor Grenier, its cast includes The Ballad of Buster Scruggs actress Zoe Kazan, Australian actor Phoenix Raei (Stateless), Elizabeth Alexander (The Secrets She Keeps), Abraham Lim (The Boys), and Jessie Collins (Zero Dark Thirty).
Its production began in December 2019. However, like dozens of projects for the film and television industry, it was suspended in March last year.
Clickbait’s production resumed in November 2020, and the show released this week worldwide via Netflix on Wednesday, August 25 with eight episodes.
