Whether we like it or not, we have all become fluent in influencer culture and its idiosyncrasies.
We know our selfies from our collabs and our #sponcon from our Get Ready With Me chats, which is exactly why Netflix’s new series Team Kaylie hits all the notes of an all-too-familiar meme in our minds, but is Kaylie Konrad more than just a familiar archetype?
Team Kaylie stars former Voice contestant Bryana Salaz as the 19-year-old celebrity influencer Kaylie Konrad who, after a brush with the law, is mandated community service which lands her in an inner city middle school leading a student wilderness club. Now, she must discover who she really is off-camera and offline. We have seen many influencers and celebrities attempt to rebrand after controversy in a last ditch effort to save their public image and their career; however, in the case of Kaylie Konrad, the similarities stop there. Her influencer-makes-good journey doesn’t seem to be directly from the feeds of any particular social media star, but instead an amalgamation of familiar mentions.
Aside from its social media heavy premise, Team Kaylie has a familiar feel with its quintessential Disney Channel or Nickelodeon pacing and tone. It comes as no surprise that the creators of Team Kaylie, Tracy Bitterolf and Pamela Eells O’Connell, have been involved with numerous shows on both networks over the years including The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and Bunk’d.
Per a statement given to The Hollywood Reporter, Bitterolf believes that even though the show was definitely created with kids in mind, it resonates with a wider audience. “I set out to make a show that I would have wanted to watch when I was eight years old. I ended up with a show that I want to watch as an adult, too, which means Team Kaylie is for kids and adults alike, or that I haven’t matured at all.”