When teenagers Erin, Mac, Tiffany and KJ, who are out on their paper route on the morning after Halloween in 1988, become unwittingly caught in a conflict between warring factions of time-travellers, they’re sent into an adventure through time that will save the world. As they travel between our present, the past, and the future – they encounter future versions of themselves and now must choose to embrace or reject their fate.

Adapted from the cult graphic novel series from noted creators Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang, Paper Girls is a throwback to the Amblin fun of the late 1980s with its focus on time travel, science fiction and coming-of-age drama. And audiences seeking some nostalgiac fun will be hooked. Developed for television by Stephany Folsom, Paper Girls offers something entirely unique to the science-fiction genre of the moment with the presence of its cast. On the verge of entering adolescence, the four main characters of Erin, Mac, Tiffany and KJ are all entirely unique in their own characterisation and actresses Riley Lai Nelet, Sofia Rosinsky, Camryn Jones and Fina Strazza all bring different quirks, nuances and characterisations to each of their respective characters making them critical to the narrative in their own individual way. Add in the concept of time travel, and crashing back and forth between the past, present and future, and things get interesting quickly.

The viewing experience of Paper Girls is also a different experience and this is driven by the series narrative and central plot device of time travel. Folsom gives the series its own slow-burn energy and this is a series where the audience experiences the events of the narrative at the same time as the characters, and it was a style I found refreshing. Normally with series such as these, it can feel that the cast is already expecting the surprises and actions of the series before they happened. Not so with Paper Girls. The series’ young cast really helps to sell the twists and turns that this series takes, and as an audience member you are easily packed into the unpredictability that this narrative offers.

Paper Girls also lends itself to a fresh approach to time travel and the broader science fiction genre, and this adds to the intrigue of the series. With its pulsing cinematography, unique action set pieces and funky retro-infused soundtrack, Paper Girls finds the right mix between nostalgic and contemporary storytelling, and there’s just difference and uniqueness that is applied to the genre in this story. The time travel subgenre opens up the concepts of science fiction up to very special narrative opportunities and we see these presented in Paper Girls. And the reaction of the main cast, who share a real unity between the four of them, will keep audiences on their toes.

Episode by episode, the action Paper Girls falls into further quirky and sophisticated turns. Throw in some compelling, and dare I say, surprising castings, plus plenty of unexpected twists which catch you off-guard, and you have a series that is guaranteed to entertain. A series such as Paper Girls was made for the weekend binge-watcher and many fans of the genre will get through this series in a single sitting. With its mix of science fiction, teen drama and laugh-out-loud comedic moments, Paper Girls makes for a fun watch, and genre fans will be in for a treat with this series.

Paper Girls gives audiences a fun, action-packed trip into the future, and there’s plenty of room in the existing narrative for this to grow in successive seasons. We’re only at the start of Paper Girls, and I’m intrigued to see where this series takes audiences next.

Paper Girls is now streaming on Prime Video.

Image: Prime Video

The post ‘Paper Girls’ – Review appeared first on SpicyPulp.

I was very fortunate enough to be able to sit down with Paper Girls stars Riley Lai Nelet, Camryn Jones and Fina Strazza who portray the key characters of Erin Tieng, Tiffany Quilkin and KJ Brandman. We discussed how they felt jumping back into another decade with the 1980s, what it was like working alongside Ali Wong, who portrays the grown-up Erin, and what they all learnt from her, what their favourite time travel films were, and what would make it onto their cosmic jumping playlists if they ever decided to leap into the future.

Watch the full interview below:

Here’s the official synopsis:

When teenagers Erin, Mac, Tiffany and KJ, who are out on their paper route on the morning after Halloween in 1988, become unwittingly caught in a conflict between warring factions of time-travellers, they’re sent into an adventure through time that will save the world. As they travel between our present, the past, and the future – they encounter future versions of themselves and now must choose to embrace or reject their fate.

Paper Girls is an incredibly exciting new series and with its unique mix of nostalgia, teenage angst, sci-fi action, laugh-out-loud humour and clever narrative storytelling. It’s a series that audiences are going to really get invested in. It’s a series and a concept that does something different with the time travel sub-genre, and sci-fi fans are going to be very impressed with what they see in this series.

Watch the full trailer here:

Riley, Camryn and Fina were fantastic to interview and their enthusiasm, passion and energy for this series were completely present during our interview. There was a genuine friendship and camaraderie amongst the three of them, and after being given a sneak peek of the series all I can say is bring on Season Two!

Paper Girls will arrive on Prime Video on July 29.

Image: Prime Video

The post ‘Paper Girls’ – An interview with Riley Lai Nelet, Camryn Jones and Fina Strazza appeared first on SpicyPulp.