Netflix sparks outrage after recreating ‘unethical’ psychological experiment for new series
Back in 1971, 24 male college students entered a two-week psychological experiment at Stanford University – the notorious Stanford Prison Experiment.
It proved to be highly controversial and ended up being shut down after less than a week. And now creating further controversy, a series based on the experiment has been commissioned by Netflix.
Yep, the streamer is somewhat recreating it with its own reality TV twist, as 30 participants are taking part.
The unscripted series will see them randomly assigned to play either guards or prisoners as they enter a real prison over six episodes next month.
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Similar to the aim of the Stanford Prison Experiment, Netflix’s new show will see whether people ‘conform to the roles they’re given’ or if power corrupts as it begins to shift.
The Stanford Prison Experiment
The original experiment on the Stanford campus was led by Philip Zimbardo and sparked a number of ethical concerns.
The group was split in two, with the participants (recruited in a newspaper ad offering US$15 a day) randomly assigned to the role of prisoners or prison guards. The guards were instructed to prevent the prisoners from escaping.
But as time went on, the guards began abusing the prisoners and subjecting them to truly dehumanising treatment.
It ended up being terminated after only six days rather than the originally planned two weeks and Zimbardo said the study showed how ‘ordinary college students could do terrible things’.
So, with the experiment itself having proved controversial, Netflix’s announcement of The New Stanford Prison Experiment has raised a fair few eyebrows.
The New Stanford Prison Experiment
As initially reported by Variety, the official synopsis reads: “Thirty willing participants enter a real prison and are randomly assigned as guards or prisoners. Thrust into a system of power, hierarchy, and control, they’ll discover whether ordinary people inevitably conform to the roles they’re given—or whether empathy, morality, and individuality can withstand the forces pushing them in the opposite direction.
“As the pressure builds and the balance of power begins to shift, the central question feels more urgent than ever: Does power corrupt?”
Executive producer Jane Lipsitz said the experiment has ‘always fascinated’ her as she said: “Despite its serious ethical flaws, it asked a fundamental question that feels even more relevant today: how does power affect ethical choices? Getting the opportunity to reimagine this social experiment was one of the most intense, exhilarating — and definitely nail-biting — experiences we’ve ever had. Netflix has always been an incredible supporter of ambitious projects that take risks, push boundaries and tell challenging stories, so we were incredibly grateful to have them as our partners on this one.”
It's caused a divide online as some users on X say: "The idea was to learn FROM this failing the first time."
And another put: "the stanford prison experiment being one of the most infamous examples of unethical psychological research and netflix deciding the obvious next step is to recreate it for entertainment… alright then."
While one writes: "Everyone is b***hing about this in the comments, but I’m gonna watch the sh*t out of this.
The New Stanford Prison Experiment is set to land on Netflix on 21 October.
LADbible has contacted Netflix for comment.
Topics: Netflix, TV and Film
Jess Battison