Netflix has commissioned an unscripted series based on the notorious Stanford Prison Experiment, Variety has learned exclusively.
The series, titled “The New Stanford Prison Experiment,” will debut on Oct. 21. The first season will consist of six 45-minute episodes. A first-look photo from the series can be seen above. The official synopsis of the series states:
“Thirty willing participants enter a real prison and are randomly assigned as guards or prisoners. Thrust into a system of power, hierarchy, and control, they’ll discover whether ordinary people inevitably conform to the roles they’re given—or whether empathy, morality, and individuality can withstand the forces pushing them in the opposite direction. As the pressure builds and the balance of power begins to shift, the central question feels more urgent than ever: Does power corrupt?”
“The New Stanford Prison Experiment” is produced by Alfred Street Industries, with Jane Lipsitz, Dan Cutforth, Nan Strait, Dan Volpe, Jeff Grogan, and Mike Odair executive producing.
“The Stanford Prison Experiment has always fascinated me,” Lipsitz said. “Despite its serious ethical flaws, it asked a fundamental question that feels even more relevant today: how does power affect ethical choices? Getting the opportunity to reimagine this social experiment was one of the most intense, exhilarating — and definitely nail-biting — experiences we’ve ever had. Netflix has always been an incredible supporter of ambitious projects that take risks, push boundaries and tell challenging stories, so we were incredibly grateful to have them as our partners on this one.”
The Stanford Prison Experiment was conducted on the Stanford campus in 1971, led by psychology professor Philip Zimbardo. What was originally designed to be a two-week experiment was ended after less than a week when those assigned to be guards began abusing those assigned as prisoners, among other ethical concerns. This and other experiments around the same time period led to the adoption of stricter rules to prevent harm to human participants.
There have been multiple books, documentaries, docuseries, and scripted adaptations of the original experiment. Among those is the feature film “The Stanford Prison Experiment,” which was released in 2015 and starred Billy Crudup as Zimbardo.