New Hit Show “Sterling Point” Captures the Complexities of a Gen-Z Audience

The main characters of Sterling Point spend an evening at summer camp together. At this camp, they bond over the one thing that connects all girls to one another: getting your period. Photo Creds: The Hollywood Reporter

Carrie Bradbury, Senior Editor and Review Desk Lead for the Powderhorn

Sisterhood: the close bond, friendship, and mutual support shared among women. The classic sisterhood trope is frequently used by various young adult books, movies, and TV shows, often paired with some kind of family drama. These tropes are used so often that that can make a story feel repetitive and empty.

This is exactly where “Sterling Point” comes in. Different from other shows, “Sterling Point” is able to make something new out of the old tropes. The show is full of awkward teenage relationships, overbearing parents who can’t let their children go, and sisters who couldn’t be more different than each other, nothing that viewers haven’t seen before. So what makes this show different? It is Gen-Z.  

In 2027, Generation Z ranges from 14 to 29 years old, the most common age range that would be likely to watch a teenage-focused show. Feeding into their audience, “Sterling Point” feels like the first show in the past couple of years that understands their viewers. The creators were able to capture how Gen-Z people talk and think and create their characters in a way that is going to feel realistic and relatable to viewers.

The show is full of choppy dialogue that makes the viewer stop and question if the actor really meant to say that or if they just forgot their lines. Real life teenagers don’t speak in full sentences with perfect grammar and unwavering confidence, so why should the actors?

Gen-Z viewers can also connect to the characters. Whether it be main protagonist Annie Jacobson, Ella Rubin, or her avoidant sister Ramona, Amélie Hoeferle, there is someone in the show for everyone in the audience.

The creators of “Sterling Point” were not afraid to tackle the hard parts of growing up. From first periods to first kisses, the show is not just coming of age in the description, but truly embodies what it means to transition from girlhood to womanhood. Unlike other shows with a similar plot, such as “The Summer I Turned Pretty” or “My Life With the Walter Boys,” romantic interests are not the focal point of every female character's story, rather they are more of an afterthought.  

It is not to say that there are a lack of romantic scenes in the show, rather for the first time in a long time, it felt like just the right amount. Upon reaching the island of Sterling Point, Annie runs into heart throbs Rory (Daniel Quinn-Toye) and Ellis (Jacob Whiteduck-Lavoie), who both take an interest in her. While there is competition between the two boys, it is not immature, aggressive, or toxic, and most refreshingly, they are not brothers.

The boys compete with one another to get Annie's attention, but the writers of the show allow for both of the boys to be perfectly reasonable options. Viewers can take sides based on if they are Team Rory or Team Ellis. When it comes down to which boy Annie will choose, the decision is fully based on which one she feels a stronger connection with. It is not only enjoyable to see three mature characters navigating teenage love in a respectful manner, but it is also far more realistic than the overexaggerated competition that other shows portray.

With romance staying mainly on the sideline, the show is able to put more focus on friendship and family, two things that can at times be incredibly difficult to navigate. “Sterling Point” tells the story of two sisters separated at birth who are reunited by the death of their grandfather. Once the two sisters meet at the family cottage in Canada, they come to realize just how much they don’t know about their family.

The show then takes viewers through a dramatic and complex story where the characters are learning details about themselves at the same time the viewers are. The mysteries and unsolved secrets carry the plot forward enough to keep any viewer watching. Just when you start to think, when will we ever get to know what’s going on,  the show gives away a little bit more. 

It is no surprise that many viewers are waiting on the edge of their seats for season two to come out. The show has been officially renewed by Prime Video, but a specific date has not been released yet.