Netflix's New True Crime Docuseries Has Users Angrier Than Ever: 'My Blood Is Boiling'

Content warning: physical abuse

Netflix has seen great success within the true crime genre. Following "American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders" killing it on the platform, the streaming service released a new miniseries centered on an insidious aspect of many family's lives. "The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping" comes from filmmaker Katherine Kubler and is about many young people's experiences with The Academy at Ivy Ridge. It asserts itself as a boarding school to help students in regular school, but at its core rests allegations of physical abuse. After watching this series, many have been horrified that such a place could ever exist.

It's an eye-opening docuseries, as @Walling_B writes on X (formerly known as Twitter), "I'm only 10 minutes in and my blood is BOILING. How can these parents think that having their kids forcefully abducted and taken to a 'school intended to correct bad behavior'? ITS ABUSE." The things The Academy at Ivy Ridge is accused of doing are truly disturbing, but many took issue with the parents being okay with any such program in the first place. X user @bigantstyle took the parents to task: "How do you as a parent, send your child away to a 'school' and have no communication with them, don't know wtf going on... and you trust complete strangers!"

The Academy at Ivy Ridge closed years ago, but similar institutions persist. "The Program" has stirred up ample emotions, following in the footsteps of "American Nightmare," which similarly filled Netflix users with rage with its story of an abusive Utah therapy camp. 

"The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping" chronicles what would transpire at these institutions. For example, kids would be prevented from contacting the outside world and subjected to a strip search upon arrival. Filmmaker Katherine Kubler went to such a facility, and upon wanting to make a documentary about this practice, she found that many others were in her shoes. She told Tudum by Netflix, "There are so many incredible, important, powerful stories out there that people are finally ready to share with the world." 

On X, @naima provides this answer to someone asking if Netflix's "The Program" is triggering: "Some parts were hard to watch. I think ep 3 was the one where they had old security footage from one of the facilities." X user @TheSportsHernia also pointed to a moment that may be tough for certain viewers to handle: "'The Program' on Netflix is crazy from the start but about 7 minutes into episode 2 the level of f***** up psychological warfare reaches another level."

From the parents to the people working at these facilities, so many individuals failed to protect numerous children. It's completely understandable so many would be angry after watching "The Program," but hopefully, that anger can lead to positive change. Kubler encourages people to become familiar with the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act, a proposed piece of legislation to create better standards for residential treatment options for children. Several movies have actually changed the world, and maybe "The Program" will help prevent future generations from enduring such abuse.

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.