Social Studies (2024 TV series)

Social Studies

Company type	Documentary television series
Industry	Television
Founded	August 30, 2024 (2024-08-30)
Founder	Lauren Greenfield
Headquarters	Los Angeles , United States
Area served	United States
Key people	Lauren Greenfield (creator, director, producer)
Products	Documentary series

Social Studies is a documentary series from the United States, conceived, directed, and produced by Lauren Greenfield. It chronicles the lives of teenagers in Los Angeles over the course of an academic year, exploring how growing up in a digital era shapes their experiences.

The series had its initial screening at the 51st Telluride Film Festival on August 30, 2024, followed by its television premiere on FX on September 27, 2024.

Premise

This series tracks the journey of Generation Z students attending schools in Los Angeles during one school year as they confront issues such as bullying, racial discrimination, societal beauty norms, and sexual identity, with a strong focus on the influence of social media.

Development

The concept for the series was initiated by Greenfield amid the COVID-19 pandemic, inspired by the communication difficulties her teenage son encountered.

Filming

Filming commenced in August 2021 across multiple high schools in Los Angeles, including Archer School for Girls, Venice Skills Center, Palisades Charter High School, Los Angeles High School, and Hamilton High School. The production amassed approximately 1,200 hours of footage over 150 days and integrated screen captures from students’ mobile devices. Director Lauren Greenfield concentrated on examining social media’s role as educational institutions reopened following COVID-19 closures.

Critical reception

On Metacritic, the series has achieved a weighted average score of 81 out of 100 based on six critic reviews, signifying "universal acclaim."

Aramide Tinubu of Variety characterized it as "captivating and unsettling," portraying a vivid snapshot of contemporary youth with teenagers voicing their own stories. Richard Roeper from the Chicago Sun-Times described it as "an immediate historical record" that often feels "more alarming and distressing than optimistic." Joel Keller of Decider cautioned that the extensive portrayal of adolescent behavior is likely to concern parents more than typical scripted dramas.

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result
Template:Center	Gotham TV Awards	Breakthrough Nonfiction Series	Lauren Greenfield and Frank Evers	Template:Won
	Independent Spirit Awards	Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series	Lauren Greenfield, Frank Evers, Wallis Annenberg, Regina K. Scully, Andrea van Beuren, and Caryn Capotosto	Template:Nom
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series	Lauren Greenfield, Frank Evers, Wallis Annenberg, Regina K. Scully, Andrea van Beuren, Caryn Capotosto, Julie Frankel, and Jennifer Kobzik	Template:Nom
	19th_Cinema_Eye_Honors	Outstanding Nonfiction Series	Lauren Greenfield and Frank Evers	Template:Nom
	19th_Cinema_Eye_Honors	Outstanding Outstanding Broadcast Editing	Alyse Ardell Spiegel, Helen Kearns, Catherine Bull, and Charles Little II	Template:Nom
	19th_Cinema_Eye_Honors	Outstanding Outstanding Broadcast Cinematography	Bryan Donnell, Jenna Rosher, and Jerry Risius	Template:Nom