Netflix's New True Crime Documentary Quickly Reaches No. 1, Shocking Viewers

Netflix's New True Crime Documentary Quickly Reaches No. 1, Shocking Viewers

Netflix is one of the top services for streaming true crime dramas, with a number of documentaries featuring true stories so shocking that you'd swear they must be fakes. And Netflix's latest true crime series is yet another addition to the ever-growing list.

"The Program": "The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnapping," which just debuted on Netflix on Tuesday, March 5, has already received a great deal of positive feedback, and has been joined by "Love is Blind" season 6 and "Avatar: The Last Airbender" live-action adaptation, and has already been ranked No. 1 on the most-watched programs list, ahead of such signature programs as "Love is Blind" Season 6 and "Avatar: The Last Airbender.

If you are a true crime fanatic, you definitely need to stream "The Program" as soon as possible.

"The Program" is a sobering exploration of the shocking events that took place at Ivy Ridge Academy, a closed school for troubled teenagers. The series is directed and narrated by Kathryn Kubler, a former student at Ivy Ridge who has spent years trying to deal with the trauma she experienced as a result of her treatment.

On the surface, Ivy Ridge, located in upstate New York, sounds like a valuable educational institution. Parents who feel that their children are on the wrong track and need stricter discipline send their children to the Behavior Modification Academy, but, as Kubler explains, "this is no ordinary school."

Ivy Ridge marketed itself as a discipline school that corrected students, but its methods were thoroughly medieval. Teens enrolled in the school were physically and psychologically abused, punished excessively for trivial matters, and even endured cult-like tactics to keep them from rebelling against authority figures.

Parents were charged exorbitantly high tuition fees and incited to continue enrolling their children even when they begged to be allowed to go home. The Program tells the stories of those who survived Ivy Ridge's brutal program and attempts to uncover who was responsible for and profited from the shocking crimes committed within the Academy's walls.

The exploitative "troubled teen industry" is also targeted, and Kübler presents a global web of interconnected institutions that expose young people to unimaginable cruelty and scarring.

As noted above, "The Program" has only been available on Netflix for a few days, so full reviews are a bit scarce. As of this writing, there are not enough reviews for aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes to give it a score. However, based on early buzz, this true crime documentary could eventually rank quite high.

Nick Shager of The Daily Beast said the Netflix doc "offers a terrifying insider's view of the lasting damage done to this institution and those who participated," and praised the series for shedding light on a terrible injustice that has been ignored by those in power that have been ignored by those in power.

CNN's Brian Lowry felt that the documentary was a bit unfocused, claiming that it was "almost drunken from topic to topic," but that it painted a "tragic picture of parents seeking ways to help their children, but instead inflicting pain and trauma on them. He noted that the film depicts "a tragic picture of what they are doing.

Joel Keller of Decider also gave a positive review. The Program does a good job of depicting the dire conditions at Ivy Ridge Academy and other disciplinary schools."

Anyone who has seen Netflix's previous true crime documentaries knows exactly what "The Program" is about: fraud, cults, and kidnapping." Each 60-minute episode is packed with shocking facts, harrowing personal testimony, and unexpected twists that keep viewers on their toes and subsequently compel them to hit the "play next episode" button.

"The Program" doesn't seem to be revamping the true crime genre, but with the immense popularity of this type of content among streaming viewers, it doesn't seem like it will be a deal breaker for many potential viewers.

The documentary will not cure those suffering from true crime burnout, but if you are craving another compelling documentary that is gripping and likely to make you despair of the cruel capacity of man, "The Program" is Netflix's new as a must-see. And this isn't the only new show to watch this week.

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