Netflix's Clickbait Is Shaping Up To Be Everyone's Next Big Obsession

Since the dawn of the world wide web, the concept of “clickbait” has been one that drives the internet. From car crash-like scenarios to online personas, the idea one could draw people in and then become famous for it has been part of the allure of virtual life. Clickbait, Netflix’s new series, explores how such things can play out in the current social media landscape.

First announced in August 2019, Clickbait comes from Australian producer and showrunner Tony Ayres, best known for series like The Slap. Production initially began back in December 2019, but like so many series, it ran into coronavirus pandemic-induced delays over the last year. But it’s finally coming to Netflix! Netflix bills Clickbait as as limited series and “a compelling, high-stakes thriller that explores the ways in which our most dangerous and uncontrolled impulses are fueled in the age of social media, revealing the ever-widening fractures we find between our virtual and real-life personas.”

Although the series has been slowly gestating for nearly two years, Netflix’s July 20, 2021, reveal of the teaser and release date was the first many had heard of the new show. Here’s everything to know about it before it hits the streamer:

Clickbait Trailer

Netflix dropped the first trailer for Clickbait on July 20, 2021. It introduces Adrian Grenier as Nick Brewer, the man with a perfect life, until the day he disappears. When he reappears in an internet video holding up a sign that declares “I abuse women,” his whole family must try and figure out what happened before it’s too late.

In the second trailer, released on Aug. 11, the story focuses not on Nick but the women in his family. His wife Sophie and sister Pia suddenly face questions they never thought to ask about Nick, as video after video drops on the internet. But are they really innocent? Or does at least one of them know the truth about where Nick is and what is going on?

Clickbait Cast

Netflix announced most of the main roster for Clickbait back in December 2019, with Zoe Kazan (The Deuce), Betty Gabriel (Get Out), Adrian Grenier (Entourage), and Phoenix Raei (In The Heights) cast as the series’ leads. Grenier plays Nick, the man who disappears, while Kazan plays his sister Pia and Gabriel plays his wife, Sophie. Raei is Roshan Amir, a detective with the Oakland police department assigned to the case.

In February 2020, Deadline reported seven more actors had joined the cast, including Abraham Lim (The Catch), Jessica Collins (Revolution), Ian Meadows (Dead Lucky), Daniel Henshall (Okja), Motell Foster (Foxhole), Jaylin Fletcher (Snowpiercer), and Camaron Engels (Malibu Rescue).

Clickbait Plot

Here is Netflix’s official synopsis for the new series:

Nick Brewer is a loving father, husband, and brother, who one day suddenly and mysteriously disappears. A video appears on the internet of the badly beaten Nick holding a card that says “I abuse women. At 5 million views, I die.” Is this a threat or confession? Or both? As his sister and wife rush to find and save him, they uncover a side of Nick they didn't know existed.

Clickbait Release Date

All eight episodes of Clickbait arrive on Netflix on Aug. 25, 2021.