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'Dare Me' brings back 'Friday Night Lights' except with a cheerleading squad and a lot more murders

From the obsession with a high school sport and local politics to a grimy insight of a small town, this is the new 2020 show

BY ANOUSH GOMES

PUBLISHED JAN 3, 2020

Teen dramas with mystery murders are all the hype, and USA Network's new thriller series 'Dare Me' is definitely worth the watch. The series is an adaptation of a novel of the same name by Megan Abbott and is executive produced by Gina Fattore and Peter Berg. Peter Berg also directed the acclaimed TV series 'Friday Night Lights', and 'Dare Me' promises to show remnants of the same themes, with added murderers running loose.

'Friday Night Lights' focused on a small town in Texas hosting a high school football team that is far too loyal to the sport. When their tailback Boobie Miles (Derek Luke) is injured at the start of their season, the town's dark side comes to light. Their new coach, Gary Gaines (Billy Bob Thornton) tries to instill inspiration in the team members.

Now, if you've watched 'Dare Me', you already know that the premise is quite similar except instead of a football team, we see a fierce cheerleading squad. If you like Berg's 'Friday Night Lights', you're sure to add this new thriller series to your binge-watch list. The small town of Sutton Grove is now depending on their girls to make a name, and Beth Cassidy (Marlo Kelly), the top girl and her best friend Addy Hanlon (Herizen Guardiola) are in for a dangerous ride.

Fans also noticed the directional and storyline similarities, with one tweeting, "#DareMe is kind of like the Euphoria version of Bring It On meets Friday Night Lights with some murder thrown in there. I *love* what I've seen so far — dark without being campy, it depicts high school women as complicated, real people instead of stereotypes. Watch this show!"

"Wow that show Dare Me is like if Pretty Little Liars met Euphoria and had a lovechild with Friday Night Lights. What I’m saying is that this is central to all my interests," tweeted a fan comparing the darker nature the trailer of 'Dare Me' to other coming-of-age teenage rebellion series.

With murders and thrilling twists, most could compare 'Dare Me' to films like 'Gone Girl' or shows like 'Euphoria' but you'll definitely notice the 'Friday Night Lights' vibe but with cheerleading. From the obsession with a high school sport and local politics to a grimy insight of a small town, this is the new 2020 show. It's safe to say that Peter Berg has done it again!