Netflix to launch unscripted series revisiting the Stanford Prison Experiment in October
Netflix announced a six-episode unscripted series called “The New Stanford Prison Experiment,” debuting on Oct. 21, that will place volunteers in a real-world prison setting.
Netflix is set to premiere “The New Stanford Prison Experiment,” a six-episode unscripted series launching on Oct. 21. The program will bring together thirty volunteers who will be assigned at random to act as guards or prisoners inside a functioning correctional facility, testing how power dynamics influence behavior. Executive producers Jane Lipsitz, Dan Cutforth, Nan Strait, Dan Volpe, Jeff Grogan and Mike Odair are steering the project for Alfred Street Industries.
The series draws on the infamous 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment conducted by psychologist Philip Zimbardo, which was stopped after less than a week because of ethical violations. The original study spurred stricter research safeguards and has inspired numerous books, documentaries and a 2015 movie featuring Billy Crudup as Zimbardo. Lipsitz described the new venture as an intense, boundary-pushing effort to examine whether empathy and individuality can survive systemic pressure.
Why it matters
The series revives a landmark psychological study, prompting public debate on power, ethics and human behavior.
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