# Netflix's New Stanford Prison Experiment

> Netflix's reimagined Stanford Prison Experiment turns out to be reality TV, not psychological insight.
- Title: Netflix's New Stanford Prison Experiment · Slate Magazine
- Summary: Netflix's reimagined Stanford Prison Experiment turns out to be reality TV, not psychological insight. Netflix's six-episode adaptation of the Stanford…
- Keywords: netflix, stanford prison experiment, psychology, reality tv, power dynamics, prison experiment, canton georgia, philip zimbardo, alison wood brooks, trymaine lee, michael cantrell, Netflix's
- Source: Slate Magazine — https://slate.com/culture/2026/10/new-stanford-prison-experiment-netflix-show.html?via=rss
- Author: Nadira Goffe
- Published: 2026-10-21T20:02:12.142+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: netflix, stanford prison experiment, psychology, reality tv, power dynamics, prison experiment, canton georgia, philip zimbardo, alison wood brooks, trymaine lee, michael cantrell
## Original Stanford Prison Experiment
In August 1971, 24 male college students walked into stanford university's psychology building after answering a newspaper ad that promised they'd be paid $15 a day to participate in a psychological study.
## Study Design
Nine students were randomly assigned as prisoners, nine as guards, with the remaining participants waiting on standby for the study.
## Philip Zimbardo
The study was helmed by the divisive psychologist philip zimbardo, who died in 2024.
## Original Experiment Outcome
The study was shut down after six days due to psychological abuse and zimbardo becoming too involved as the mock prison's 'superintendent'.
## Netflix's Adaptation
Netflix created a six-episode adaptation of the 1971 experiment with 30 participants in a functioning detention center in canton, georgia.
## Participant Roles
Twenty-two participants were assigned as inmates, eight as guards, with three women among the guards.
## Experiment Structure
The study was divided into four phases: 'Transformation,' 'Hierarchy,' 'Role Reversal,' and 'Self-Governance.'
## Phase 1: Transformation
Participants were stripped of their identities, given uniforms, and told to enforce rules as guards or conform as inmates.
## Phase 2: Hierarchy
Guards chose a head guard and an exemplary prisoner as a 'trustee' who received special privileges.
## Phase 3: Role Reversal
Male guards were forced to switch places with male inmates, upsetting the power balance.
## Phase 4: Self-Governance
Guards were removed, leaving inmates to govern themselves and choose to leave together.
## Punishments and Rules
Inmates faced punishments like revoking phone privileges, early lockdown, or solitary confinement for the day.
## Early Departures
Some inmates left early due to negative experiences, including one who felt triggered by past incarceration.
## The New Experiment's Purpose
The adaptation aimed to test power dynamics but ended up being a reality TV show with no psychological insight.
## Key takeaway

Netflix's six-episode adaptation of the Stanford Prison Experiment is a reality TV show that doesn't reveal power dynamics but follows expected patterns.