Dhruv Sharma
Despite all the stigma surrounding coming-of-age shows, there has been a surge in teenage-centric content lately, especially on Netflix. After the success of teen thrillers like ‘Elite‘ and ‘Baby,’ even Spanish producers are now keeping up with the trend and creating some surprisingly good teen dramas.
‘Control Z’ is another appreciable addition to the genre. While the thrilling cybernetic mysteries in its overarching plot win you over, its raw portrayal of high school dynamics and teenage emotions make it even more entertaining. And because of this, throughout its runtime, you can’t help but wonder if it draws it is actually based on a true story or not. If you’ve been wondering the same, here’s everything you need to know about the real-life inspirations behind ‘Control Z.’
Is Control Z a True Story?
‘Control Z’ is not based on a true story but like most well-written teen dramas, many viewers might be able to relate to all the ups and downs of one’s teenage years that it portrays. Moreover, the show’s primary narrative revolves around a cybercrime mystery which holds a lot of relevance in today’s world. Carlos Quintanilla, who is one of the creators of the show, also explained his inspiration behind creating the show. “That is what I do at Lemon: have the machinery of fresh stories to offer in the market. By chance, a long time ago I accepted to be the director of a high school for two years in Mexico City. An experience I thought would be fun, and it was, but it was also a blow due to the reality of how Mexican teenagers think and live,” he said. So clearly, Quintanilla plotted the relatable characters of the show based on his own experiences as a high school director.
Adding to this, he also claimed that generation z literally devours everything that is available on the internet these days, which suggests that the demand for shows and movies from their demographic is relatively much higher. Moreover, with the ease-of-availability of information these days, there’s also a growing threat of cybersecurity. One can easily hack into someone’s social media and uncover some extremely private secrets. The show harps on this very idea and shows how the revelation of even one of these secrets can destroy several lives.
For obvious reasons, the whole teen melodrama of ‘Control Z’ is often exaggerated. Even so, the show never judges its characters and treats them with veneration. For instance, a character named Gerry is portrayed as a typical bully in the initial moments. But after antagonizing his character, the show unravels new layers to his character and shows how he struggles to accept his own sexuality. In a similar fashion, other characters are initially portrayed with stereotypical one-dimensional personalities. But the show later makes all of them feel more realistic by portraying their relatable backstories and snags of adolescence.
Read More: Control Z Season 2
