Those of us of a certain age will remember how often we heard about the infamous, influential 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment. I saw a documentary in elementary school about the horrifying test, which seemed to prove people will grievously abuse others when given even a modicum of power over them. But we now know, thanks to extensive research, the whole thing was garbage. Just total, unscientific, faked trash not worth taking seriously again. Yet somehow none of that matters to Netflix. The streamer is turning that infamous lie into a ill-advised reality show called The New Stanford Prison Experiment.
Variety reports Netflix’s newest unscripted show…..:the deepest sigh I am physically capable of:….will recreate psychologist Philip Zimbardo’s thoroughly debunked Stanford Prison Experiment. The six-episode season will consist of 45-minute installments. Two groups of people will either act as prison guards or prisoners. Here’s the official synopsis, which is new and not the premise of a show that aired 20 years ago on Spike TV:
Thirty willing participants enter a real prison and are randomly assigned as guards or prisoners. Thrust into a system of power, hierarchy, and control, they’ll discover whether ordinary people inevitably conform to the roles they’re given—or whether empathy, morality, and individuality can withstand the forces pushing them in the opposite direction. As the pressure builds and the balance of power begins to shift, the central question feels more urgent than ever: Does power corrupt?
Oh, finally! Someone is asking if power corrupts.
Forget the obvious moral questions raised by basing a show on a fraudulent experiment that tainted scientific research for decades. This is dumb purely as a TV show for the same reason the original test was useless. Zimbardo’s “guards” weren’t naturally cruel. They followed instructions on how they should behave. Just as reality contestants in the year 2026 know what’s expected of them when they go on a show. They will either behave so kindly the series is boring, or so intentionally cruel the show is detestable for all the reasons the original experiment scared multiple generations.
And if it sounds like our assessment is harsh, here’s what executive producer Jane Lipsitz said about why they think this is a good idea for a TV series. This is a real quote:
The Stanford Prison Experiment has always fascinated me. Despite its serious ethical flaws, it asked a fundamental question that feels even more relevant today: how does power affect ethical choices? Getting the opportunity to reimagine this social experiment was one of the most intense, exhilarating — and definitely nail-biting — experiences we’ve ever had. Netflix has always been an incredible supporter of ambitious projects that take risks, push boundaries and tell challenging stories, so we were incredibly grateful to have them as our partners on this one.
Nail-biting. It was nail-biting to see how a fake test would translate into a “reality” TV show that by its very nature can’t offer anything resembling genuine behavior. What makes this even grosser is that this makes light of actual prisoner abuse. There are unfortunately plenty of real stories about how those in power horribly abuse people.
We won’t be biting our nails because we won’t be watching when it debuts on October 21. A lot of us spent our whole lives hearing about the Stanford Prison Experiment. We now know there’s nothing to learn from it. And that’s why there’s nothing entertaining about it, either.