By Alayna Putterman

On Sept. 17, Fox premiered a new TV series called “Red Band Society.” Viewers can watch “Red Band Society” on Fox at 9 p.m. on Wednesdays. The show, starring Octavia Spencer, Dave Annable, Ciarra Bravo, Astro and others, is a comedy and drama series that has released two episodes. The series follows the lives of a group of teenagers diagnosed with serious illnesses who live in the same hospital ward.

The six teens are all bound together by adapting to their surroundings and creating a family out of the patients and staff. Charlie, who is in a coma but can hear everything that happens around him, narrates the show. The concept of a character who is able to listen to and experience everything, but is never able to interact with the real world, is interesting and leaves viewers questioning if he will ever wake up.

The show is slightly cliche in that it is currently trendy for the entertainment industry to feed off plot lines in which a child or teenager has cancer. For instance, movies like A Walk to Remember, My Sister’s Keeper, and most recently, The Fault in Our Stars, employ cancer as a main storyline. “Red Band Society” seems to be targeted at a slightly younger audience of high school or middle school-aged viewers. However, these characters, although sick, face obstacles that many college students still face such as eating disorders, trying to find love and not feeling heard.

While the show on the surface may seem to be disturbing or upsetting, it is also very touching and heartwarming. “Red Band Society” teaches viewers that no human is perfect, and people need to value imperfections within friends and relationships.