Being a series for teenagers has its positive side: if the work connects with the public, the level of audience commitment is enviable, even without leaving the niche. The cross, however, is the difficulties in penetrating other audiences, due to prejudices that lead viewers to discard the content when finding it in the catalog. But Young Highnesses is simply a very good series, regardless of the youthful cast. So, if you are one of those who overlooked the proposal, you have seven weeks to catch up before it is said goodbye forever.
The first episode led me to think it would be stupid. Wilhelm (Edvin Ryding), a fictional prince of Sweden, was out partying. The pressure of his popularity led him to get into a fight at the nightclub and his mother, the queen, sent him to an elite boarding school to reshape his public image. There he realized that, if he did not fit the expectations, it was because of his homosexuality: he became interested in Simon (Omar Rudberg), a scholarship student.
Sounds like some kind of Swedish version of Elite, right? Well, unlike the playful and adolescent fantasy created by Carlos Montero and Darío Madrona, the trio of creators formed by Lisa Ambjörn, Lars Beckung and Camilla Holter took the story to the intimate, emotional, realistic and credible.
Young Highnesses was not betting on eccentricity but on imagining the internal conflict of a boy in his circumstances. Sweden may be a progressive country in terms of LGBT rights: de facto couples were approved in 1995 and marriage has been legal since 2009. But a conservative family model is expected from a prince.
In parallel, the series explores the conflicts of his companions. Simon’s challenges, from a broken family, and the need to fit in of his sister Sara (Frida Argento), who is on the autism spectrum. The way August (Malte Gårdinger), Wilhelm’s second cousin, hides his parents’ financial problems thanks to his popularity, or how Felice (Nikita Uggla), daughter of millionaires, feels the pressure of being perfect.
In the two seasons, instead of stagnating or falling into the adolescent soap opera, the creators have been able to develop five relatable characters who, far from being perfect, represent from their personality the eternal drama of being a teenager: the search for identity, the mistakes made due to insecurity, that love that is difficult to manage, the need to forge friendships that can be safe spaces to be without pretensions.
After a second season that had a simple, well-planned, challenging and iconic final scene, Young Highnesses will premiere its third and final season on March 11. Netflix, for the record, will treat it like a gem: the six-episode season will premiere all at once except for the ending, which can be seen in the platform’s catalog on March 18. They want to create an event. And, taking into account that it is one of the best series they have on air, it is appreciated.
