Netflix Tests "Does Power Corrupt?" in Tense Official Trailer for 'The New Stanford Prison Experiment'
30 volunteers enter an operational prison facility in a six-part unscripted psychological series.
Summary
Netflix has released the official first trailer for its unscripted series 'The New Stanford Prison Experiment'
The six-part experiment places 30 volunteers inside a real prison facility as assigned guards and inmates
The series explores power dynamics hierarchy and human behavior starting October 21
Netflix has released the official first trailer for The New Stanford Prison Experiment, an upcoming unscripted series exploring power dynamics and systemic control. The six-part production places 30 volunteers inside an operational prison setting, reviving the core premise of Philip Zimbardo’s famous 1971 study.
Produced by Alfred Street Industries, the series randomly divides its 30 participants into guards and prisoners within an active correctional environment. The trailer highlights escalating tension as the subjects adapt to their roles, examining whether moral endurance and empathy can withstand institutional power structures.
The project is executive produced by Jane Lipsitz, Dan Cutforth, Nan Strait, Dan Volpe, Jeff Grogan, and Mike Odair. Comprising six 45-minute episodes, the show offers a modern reality-based iteration of one of social psychology’s most famous experiments.
The New Stanford Prison Experiment premieres globally on October 21, 2026, exclusively on Netflix.
