Is ‘Grand Army’ on Netflix Based on a Real Story?

From the start, Netflix’s new teen drama Grand Army embraces an unapologetically raw tone. We get uncensored looks into the girls’ locker room, glimpses of how teens express themselves on social media, and unflinching portraits of the pain stalking the show’s young characters. Everything about Grand Army purports to show the “real” side of being a teenager in 2020 New York City…but is Netflix’s Grand Army based on a true story?

Grand Army was created by playwright and educator Katie Cappiello. Based on her play, SLUT, and inspired by 18 years of conversations with students, the show weaves together issues of sexual assault, race politics, and class in its story. Grand Army is also set at Grand Army High School, a public school that purports to be located in Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn. But is Grand Army High School a real place? Did the events of Grand Army really happen?

Here’s what you need to know about the true story behind Netflix’s Grand Army…

IS GRAND ARMY BASED ON A TRUE STORY?

Uh, no, but sort of?

There was no bombing in Grand Army Plaza in early 2020, nor did anything else that occurs really happen. However, when Katie Cappiello and writing partner Meg McInerney wrote their original play, SLUT, they drew upon the real-life experiences of teen girls from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. That play tells the story of 16-year-old Joey Del Marco, who is sexually assaulted while out on the town with her three “nice guy” friends. In Grand Army, this becomes the basis for Joey’s storyline. Joey is played by Odessa A’zion in Grand Army (though Grand Army actress Amalia Yoo played the role in a touring version of SLUT).

Additionally, Grand Army star Odley Jean is a former student of Katie Cappiello and has shared that her character, Dom, “hits so close to home because she’s first generation, she’s Haitian, she’s fighting through school.” So it seems that Jean may have been one of the many former students whose stories inspired Cappiello’s work.

IS GRAND ARMY HIGH SCHOOL A REAL NYC SCHOOL?

Nope! Grand Army High School is a fictional school invented solely for the Netflix drama. The closest analogues might be BASE High School, located near Grand Army Plaza, but the vibe of that public school, which is focused on science and environmental studies, is very different from Grand Army‘s school.

Watch Grand Army on Netflix