This has been an arguably excellent year for visual entertainment — not just in cinemas, but TV shows as well. Many new releases — like Off Campus and The Pitt — have received overwhelmingly positive reviews. After watching and loving both of those shows, I’ve been on the hunt for a new bingeworthy series and finally found it in Sterling Point.
Sterling Point is a coming-of-age series about identity, personal growth, and navigating all of life’s relationships, from friends to family to lovers. It follows 17-year-old Annie Jacobson as she leaves New York City for Sterling Point — a remote island in the lakes of Ontario’s cottage country — to uncover buried family secrets. Along the way, Annie learns about her late mother and where she grew up, makes new friends (and even gains some family), and gets to grow into herself away from her life in New York.
There are truly so many reasons for my love of Sterling Point. For one, I feel like it’s sometimes difficult in the media for adults to authentically replicate the experiences of teenagers and young adults, but Sterling Point gets it right.
The dialogue between characters feels so genuine and natural, and it doesn’t sound awkward or out of place when Gen Z slang is used. Conversations flow effortlessly and, often intimately. It certainly makes for a great watch when you’re not cringing or thrown off by bad writing.
Similarly, the characters are overwhelmingly likeable. Annie is so endearing, charming, funny, and intelligent. She is steadfast in her beliefs and always trying to do the right thing. She is considerate and particularly relatable to people-pleasers everywhere.
Oona is witty, charismatic, and impulsive. Her relationship with her little sister, Maple, is precious. Like all the characters, Oona and Maple have a complicated home life, which for them stems from a lifetime of being on the move in pursuit of their mother’s elusive dreams.
Ramona is sensitive and angsty, but when you get past her walls, she is fiercely loyal and loves hard. She struggles with grief and loneliness, but the relationships she has with the rest of the characters guide her through rough waters.
Connor and Sully provide comedic relief. Rory and Ellis are Annie’s dashing love interests. All the characters are complicated and flawed, but it makes them all the more realistic and likeable. Together, they form a tight-knit friend group that faces ups and downs with one another but always emerges closer.
It’s so easy to get completely absorbed in the show because you find yourself quickly attached to the characters. You find yourself rooting for them and deeply invested in their lives and stories. Between them, there is truly so much for audiences to relate to. From romance (both queer and not), to grief and loss, to identity and purpose, Sterling Point tackles a multiplicity of experiences with care, compassion, and attention that is truly laudable.
Sterling Point is also a beautiful show visually. It is shot incredibly well, and the setting is something out of a dream, especially if you’re big on nature, like I am. The rich, dense forests of Muskoka coupled with the sparkling blue lakes are truly breathtaking. Getting to see the island through the gang’s adventures made me itch to visit.
It’s rare that I find a show that so completely grips me, but Sterling Point did. I consumed it voraciously, watching the entire first season in the span of two or three days, which I don’t regret in the slightest.
It’s definitely one of those shows you watch that has you looking up related content on TikTok and Instagram after. I can certainly attest to having watched my fair share of Sterling Point edits when I finished. I’m so glad to have watched such a great show, and I’ll be waiting eagerly for the next season to come out. In the meantime, I’ll probably be continually rewatching the first season.
If you’re looking for a new watch, I can’t recommend Sterling Point enough!
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