The New Stanford Prison Experiment revives a notorious psychological study as reality TV, but the result is awkward, over produced and takes sensationalist streaming entertainment to a new low, says streaming columnist NICK OVERALL.

Reaching deeper and deeper for the most crazy and attention-grabbing reality show concept it can possibly find, Netflix has pulled out one of its boldest and most questionable ideas yet. 

The New Stanford Prison Experiment, now streaming on the platform, is inspired by one of the most notorious, real-life psychological experiments that had disastrous results.

Here it’s recreated for some good old entertainment though.

For those who aren’t familiar with the doomed study, the original Stanford Prison Experiment was carried out in 1971 when researchers wanted to investigate how quickly power dynamics emerge within institutional settings. 

Twenty-four participants were selected, with half given the role of “guards” and half given the role of “prisoners.”

Creating a simulation of a prison, the guards were expected to uphold order and their “duties” as realistically as possible.

Despite the scenario being entirely made up, it took just days before things descended into disturbing chaos.

Guards actually began abusing prisoners, which eventually led to an uprising in return.

The experiment was originally set to last 14 days but after just six the researchers had to cancel it after it became too dangerous.

How about we do that again, but for a TV show? Great idea.

This is one of those shows that tries to pretend it’s all about a “modern social experiment”, desperate to hide the fact it’s just sensationalist streaming bait.

Because of the history of the experiment and the fact this is a TV show, the whole thing falls apart so quickly that everyone realises what the show creators really want to see. 

The result is an awkwardly, over-produced show that tries to desperately milk out enough drama to justify its existence.

It doesn’t. 

If this is a “study” in anything, there are some surefire results showing reality TV has hit a new low.

GENERATING popularity in the thankfully more fictional realm of people being awful to each other this month is Apple TV Plus’ new series Nocturne, starring English actor Stephen Graham.

Graham showed just how refined his skills on screen are with last year’s excellent series, Adolescence, in which he played a father desperately trying to understand how his young son could murder a classmate. 

However, in this new show, his character is quite the opposite.

Graham plays Jurek Walter, a serial killer terrorising a small town in Pennsylvania.

Yeah, yeah, heard it all before, right? What’s the hook? 

The story kicks off when one of the victims, who was thought lost to the killer, actually turns up alive, causing a frenzy to find the answers and secrets they keep. 

Jonah Lynn (Liev Schreiber) plays an ex-soldier turned detective assigned to crack the case.

What makes Nocturne stand out is undeniably Graham.

Unpredictable and creepily charismatic, come for his performance and stay for the tightly written mystery that gets better and better as the story unfolds. 

ANOTHER month, another entry in the never-ending Marvel Cinematic Universe.

VisionQuest, now streaming on Disney Plus, is the new television show that’s launched just a few months before Avengers: Doomsday hits cinemas.

Doomsday is a film that once again brings together Marvel Comics’ most iconic superheroes and is set to dominate the December box office. Its predecessor, Avengers: Endgame is the second highest grossing film of all time.

However, VisionQuest focuses closely on one of these heroes: Vision, the artificial intelligence made by Tony Stark (Iron Man) to keep the world safe.

Paul Bettany charismatically plays this hero who must go into hiding as forces around the globe seek to weaponise his super intelligence. 

There’s plenty here to be explored about the power and pitfalls of artificial intelligence. 

While Visionquest dives into some of these, it all still feels rather stale in a franchise that is well past its prime more and more lacking any of its own vision. 

News all day, every day at CityNewsQBN.com.au.