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How BET Sets To Replace Wednesday For Boarding School Tropes; EXPLAINED
Following the buzz around Netflix's Wednesday series, the upcoming show BET could be a solid dark comedy companion for young adults.
Netflix's Wednesday, a popular teen series, premiered in November 2022 and is currently developing its second season. The second season is expected to be released in 2025. The streaming service recently announced a new teen series that could be a perfect companion to the Tim Burton TV show, so fans should be on the lookout for other young adult dark comedies on Netflix to ease the wait.
Wednesday is known for its eponymous character and her family members, but it also features a spooky setting at Nevermore Academy. The unique student body adds more interest to Wednesday's cast of characters. These details, among others, are what help make other series stand out as strong Wednesday replacements, including Netflix's upcoming series, BET.
BET could be Netflix’s next Wednesday
Netflix is developing a television adaptation of the Japanese manga Kakegurui, titled BET, which could replace Wednesday. The show follows Yumeko, a young woman who transfers to an elite boarding school with an underground gambling ring. Despite the school's hierarchy, Yumeko has exceptional gambling skills and plans for revenge. The series, based on a popular manga and anime series, is part of Netflix's push to adapt anime to live-action television.
BET, a dark series targeting young adults, has the potential to replace Wednesday until season 2 comes out. Both BET and Wednesday are franchise-rooted and have high expectations due to their franchise roots. BET, as the second TV adaptation, has all the ingredients of Wednesday, but in a slightly different package. Audiences are likely to want the best from both shows.
BET and Wednesday share similarities in genre and audience, but also share commonalities. Both take place at boarding schools, with BET having unique problems and protagonists making alliances and spaces. Both schools contain threats, and Yumeko must face hers, similar to Wednesday's in season 1. Both schools present new and strange challenges for the protagonists.
Furthermore, Yumeko and Wednesday seem to be quite alike. Just as Wednesday entered Nevermore with the intention of getting kicked out, Yumeko seems to be attending her boarding school with a plan in mind. In this way, the protagonists' motives differ, yet they share a sly and secretive nature.
On top of that, both main characters are clearly talented in their own ways. Where Wednesday thrives at solving mysteries, Yumeko is a talented gambler. Each of these traits helps them succeed in their narratives.
Can BET be as big as Wednesday?
BET, while sharing similarities with Wednesday, may not be as successful due to Wednesday's star-studded cast and well-known franchise. However, BET's strong fan base and premise could attract anime lovers and newcomers, despite not being as mainstream as The Addams Family. Despite this, BET's success is undeniable.
Like 2023's One Piece, BET could be another example of an incredibly successful live-action anime adaptation and could even blow Wednesday out of the water. Following its release on Netflix, One Piece earned 541 million streaming hours between August 2023 and December 2023.
With that said, Wednesday garnered 341.2 million hours of viewership during its first week on Netflix and also earned 1.2 billion viewing hours within its first 28 days, becoming the second most-watched English-language show on the streamer. Still, anime audiences could surprise everyone if BET delivers like Wednesday did.
The story of BET follows a mysterious transfer student from Japan named Yumeko, who enters an elite boarding school with a penchant for gambling and a dark secret. On her quest for revenge, she soon finds herself a target of the school's powerful Student Council.
The original Kakegurui manga has been running since March 2014, and has inspired spinoff manga and multiple TV anime seasons, as well as live-action TV series and film adaptations. Yen Press publishes the manga in English and describes the first volume:
"Hyakkaou Private Academy. An institution for the privileged with a very peculiar curriculum. You see, when you're the sons and daughters of the wealthiest of the wealthy, it's not athletic prowess or book smarts that keep you ahead. It's reading your opponent-the art of the deal. What better way to hone those skills than with a rigorous curriculum of gambling? At Hyakkaou Private Academy, the winners live like kings, and the losers are put through the wringer. But when Yumeko Jabami enrolls, she's gonna teach these kids what a high roller really looks like!"
Barry is developing, writing and directing the series, production for which recently started in Toronto. BET stars Miku Martineau, Ayo Solanke, Eve Edwards, Clara Alexandrova, Hunter Cardinal, Anwen O’Driscoll, Aviva Mongillo and Ryan Sutherland.
ALSO READ: BET: New Live-Action Adaptation Of Kakegurui Announced: Here's All The Updates So Far
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