Younger Royals spoilers observe.

There is a scene midway by Younger Royals the place Prince Wilhelm calls Simon up whereas drunk, telling him that every little thing’s faux, “However I such as you and that’s not faux.”

For a present that revolves round a teen prince looking for himself in boarding college, it is exceptional how actual Netflix’s newest providing feels, particularly in comparison with different teen exhibits of this ilk.

Given all of the privilege on show, you would be forgiven for assuming that Younger Royals is simply the Swedish model of Élite or Gossip Woman. However as a substitute, your new teen obsession shares much more in widespread with Skam, one other Scandinavian drama that portrays teenage life with some much-needed authenticity.

The casting is vital to this. Like Era, a criminally underrated present on HBO Max, Younger Royals has forged actors who really look the age they’re presupposed to be taking part in. Characters like Prince Wilhelm haven’t got clear pores and skin or excellent hair, and nobody within the forged is overly enticing in the best way that teenagers exhibits nearly completely wish to painting.

In truth, the ridiculous abs seen within the likes of Riverdale are nearly totally absent from Hillerska Boarding College. Wilhelm, Simon and all their friends seem like somebody you may really meet in actual life, even when they’re attending a fancy boarding college. And even when somebody is extra educated, like Malte Gårdinger (who performs August), he nonetheless sports activities a physique that’s really attainable – and it is sensible, given his character’s love of rowing.

Era co-creator Daniel Barnz advised us that by working together with his teenage daughter, he got here to grasp that casting older individuals in roles like this could “ship doubtlessly damaging messages to youngsters… As a result of their our bodies seem like our bodies that you can by no means have.” And provided that unrealistic casting continues to be the norm in teenage exhibits, it is no surprise that one in three UK youngsters are ashamed of their our bodies (in keeping with a Psychological Well being Basis survey reported on by The Guardian).