The grass always being greener on the other side is an age-old concept, but somehow Switched manages to repurpose it and build it anew in this fascinating drama.

What seems to be a straightforward body swapping story is anything but, as the show tackles heavy themes like the power of envy, the casual cruelty of people, and beauty vs. ugliness in surprisingly nuanced ways for a six episode series about highschoolers. I found myself at odds with my own feelings on more than one occasion, as the show made me question my knee jerk reactions to scenarios that are usually covered in a more shallow way in other dramas.

Typically shows try to teach us that it’s whats inside that counts by giving us the simple black and white image of a kind girl in an ugly, bullied body, alongside a cruel girl in a beautiful body. But in Switched, things are more complicated. Both girls are flawed in their own ways, and both must struggle and grow as they realize that each girl’s life is nothing like what the other had expected. What’s inside is still what counts, but there’s nothing simple about it.

All of the actors did a stellar job, and without giving anything away I’ll just say that I was amazed at how flexible some of them are in their acting, at such a young age.

Regarding both the story and the acting, the word I keep coming back to is “nuanced.” The final episode did have some pacing issues, but overall I definitely recommend this for anyone who is looking for a quick but fascinating and impactful story.