The Body: Netflix’s Raunchy, Campy Horror Is As Messy As It Is Fun

Netflix’s The Body leans into the raunchiness and camp that have defined the sapphic genre for decades, and its willingness to never take itself too seriously makes its flaws more forgivable. Quinn Shepherd is the brilliant mind behind underrated LGBTQ+ titles like Not Okay, The Miseducation of Cameron Post, and Under the Bridge. As such, folks quickly got on board when she announced that she’d make a Sapphic supernatural horror series centered on Catholic girls on a dance team performing an initiation ritual that goes horribly wrong. It seemed like a natural successor to Megan Fox’s Jennifer’s Body.

The Body’s concept was only made better by the cast, which is almost entirely up-and-coming actors. While it’s a risk to choose someone new to the business, I much prefer it over seeing the same cast recycled in different shows. For the most part, it paid off. A few performances from ensemble actors were shaky. The most notable example is Kristina Bogic, who plays Anya and didn’t seem fully confident in her role until the halfway point. However, actors like Geena Meszaros and Sarah Boustany, who play Lisbeth and Elise, respectively, really shine.

Much like the performances, which were a mixed bag, the rest of The Body is neither fantastic nor horrible. The LGBTQ+ teen show leans positive, but it has kinks it’ll need to work out if Netflix picks up The Body for season 2.

Netflix’s The Body Is An Entertaining Satire Of Faith & Religious Institutions

The Body is one of the most sacrilegious things I have seen in a long time, and that’s part of what makes it fun to watch. I don’t think very many religious people will enjoy the show, as it takes the piss out of a lot of religious institutions. Nothing like a deal with the devil to get things going. The story satirizes religious divination, visions from god, and confessions, to name a few examples that aren’t spoilers. Plus, the series dumps a hefty dose of Catholic guilt on its characters.

Netflix’s Sapphic TV show pokes fun at the stereotype of Catholic schools being a breeding ground for queerness. On top of that, the horror comes as much from human behavior as from the supernatural ritual gone wrong. The terrible actions of some characters are things that happen all the time in real life. Luckily, they don’t make every single religious person in this show completely unreasonable. They ground the story’s most fanatical characters in Father Franklin and Elise, two deeply rational religious folks.

Ultimately, The Body’s willingness to critique religion is part of what makes the Netflix show so enjoyable. If it shied away or tried to soften the message to get a wider viewership, the story wouldn’t be nearly as entertaining or half as impactful.

Inconsistent Pacing & Cliffhanger Ending Hurts Netflix’s The Body

Image via Netflix

Despite having good religious satire, the show is kind of a mess. Very few characters seem to react to situations in plausible ways. I kept thinking, “Who would do that?” or “How does this even make sense?” In a way, that ridiculousness is part of the entertainment. In another way, it’s absolutely maddening. Adding to that, very few parents seem to exist in this story, which is odd and unrealistic. There are virtually no restrictions on the drinking, drugs, or risqué dance outfits or choreography. None of the adults seem to intervene when a student has a severe eating disorder.

On top of that, one of the biggest problems with the TV show is inconsistent pacing. Netflix’s campy series has a strong opening episode that introduces the key characters, sets up the central conflict, and establishes the tone. It did everything a pilot should. However, the rest of the first half swung back and forth between too slow and too fast. They could’ve cut out at least half the scenes in episodes 2, 3, and 4, or at least sped them up. Luckily, it found its groove around episode 5, making it much more engaging.

That being said, the climax and end of The Body feel rushed. It felt like the Netflix show skips over parts of the story, forcing us to fill in the blanks. People start acting and speaking in irrational ways. For some characters, who are meant to be in a frenzy, this choice makes sense. The Body includes quite a few stable, easily influenced people. However, by the end, it feels like Elise is the only person making any sense.

The most frustrating part of the finale, though, is that The Body ends on a cliffhanger. If it were with a different streamer, I wouldn’t be so worried. If it had a two-season order, the ending would be great, as it sets up a ton of potential storylines. However, this is a Netflix show, and Netflix notoriously cancels fantastic shows after just a single season. Plus, they have a history of shortchanging sapphic series.

I have a really bad feeling The Body won’t continue, which would make the show virtually unwatchable. Unlike other shows, there’s no way to fill in the blanks about what’s happening. The unanswered questions aren’t small; they’re central to the plot. The Body tricks us into thinking we know the answers, only to indicate later that those answers were false. What’s more, the show’s final moments raise a massive new question that will completely reframe the first season, depending on the answer. I’m dreading the idea of not getting that answer.

The Body’s Campiness & Sapphic Scenes Mostly Make Up For The Weaknesses

The Body doesn’t even wait ten minutes to show us it’s going to be campy. The music is absolutely over-the-top. They contrast students receiving the Eucharist with close-ups of the dance team stretching in sexualized positions. Refreshingly, they focus on body parts that aren’t boobs or butts. The show’s title is made of bedazzled jewels, and the text shows up in bright pink. Everything is exaggerated.

If that wasn’t enough proof of what’s to come, the first episode of The Body includes party scenes that feel much more college frat than high school. Two people talk about “lady and the tramp-ing a joint.” Then, it ends with a random dance number that would only appear in a show that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The dance team coach feels like the mom from Mean Girls. The campiness increases as the show goes on, but any further discussion would require spoilers, so I’ll leave it there.

The second big strength of The Body is its unapologetic queerness. The fact that this show would be sapphic was public knowledge before the first trailer even dropped, so it’s no big spoiler. As a queer person, I find it pretty obvious when someone making a piece of media is LGBTQ+ because there’s a certain level of authenticity and relatability. Watching the horror TV show, it was clear that at least the creator, if not others involved in the show, had that lived experience.

The Body included a lot of in-jokes that might go over the heads of non-Sapphic people, but will land with folks in the community. The series struck a good balance between positive Sapphic moments and the confusion of growing up in a repressive environment, like Catholicism, which was one of Quinn Shephard’s goals (via Autostraddle). I cannot reveal which characters get it on, when, or the status of their relationships, but I can say that I deeply enjoyed the writing. For once, it felt like raunchy scenes were written for the enjoyment of Sapphic people, instead of catering to the male gaze.

Are these things enough to make The Body good? Not necessarily. Being campy and raunchy can only take a TV show so far. The Body is undeniably a hot mess, but it’s a campy, entertaining hot mess with plenty of steamy sapphic scenes. As such, I foresee this becoming a cult classic, similar to But I’m A Cheerleader or Jennifer’s Body.

All episodes of The Body drop November 11 on Netflix.

Release Date

November 11, 2026

Network

Netflix

Showrunner

Gina Gammell, Quinn Shephard

Directors

Quinn Shephard, Gina Gammell, Kevin Phillips

Writers

Quinn Shephard, Catherine Schetina, Julian Breece, Greta Heinemann, Lily Houghton

Cast

• 

  Kristina Bogic

  Anya Butler

• 

  Geena Carling Meszaros

  Lisbeth Anderson

Pros & Cons

• Great religious satire
• Raunchy Sapphic scenes
• Embraces the campiness

• Completely illogical character choices
• Wildly inconsistent pacing
• A cliffhanger that will ruin the show if season 2 doesn’t happen