The new teaser for Hulu's upcoming limited series Looking For Alaska says that "teenagers think they're invincible." However, this is an adaptation of a John Green novel, and if we learned anything from the ending of The Fault In Our Stars, it is that, in the most literal sense, they are not.
That could be the reason for the slightly melancholy vibes of the new limited series, which hails from Gossip Girl creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage. Those vibes are far more explainable if one read Green's 2005 novel, but if you haven't, to talk about it would be to give far too much away.
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In the show, Miles "Pudge" Heller (Charlie Plummer) heads to boarding school in search of a bigger life and finds himself falling in love with Alaska (Kristine Forsyth of The Society), as well as befriending a group of loyal new pals. However, when tragedy strikes the group, Pudge and his new friends have to pick up the pieces and find some way to cope with — and explain — their pain.
The teaser doesn't give much of the show's plot away, but it does introduce the characters we'll follow, along with a few lines to explain their world view. Pudge is seeking "the great perhaps." Alaska is the one who notes that invincibility of teens — and believes they are right. The teaser shows words appearing onscreen alongside the characters, perhaps a nod to Green's novel, in which Pudge memorizes the final words of as many dead famous people as he can.
Hulu's Looking For Alaska miniseries follows years of delayed film adaptations of Green's novel. Perhaps it was the better move. A TV version of the story allows a true deep dive into the ensemble cast that a film version may not have had time for. The closer we get to these characters, however, the more we'll feel for them. And, with an adaptation of Looking For Alaska, we should all be prepared to feel a lot.
Check out the teaser below. Looking For Alaska premieres on Hulu October 18.