Insatiable

Patty Bladell is a teenager who’s been mocked for years, and when her appearance changes she decides to turn ridicule into leverage. Instead of quietly moving on, she signs up for beauty pageants as a way to change how people see her and to push back against those who hurt her. She teams up with Bob Armstrong, a once-respected coach whose career has nosedived, and their mismatched alliance leads to unexpected complications as ambitions and old wounds surface. The show follows their awkward, often darkly funny attempts to climb the pageant world without promising a neat payoff or tidy moral lesson.

Created by Lauren Gussis, Insatiable premiered on Netflix in 2018 and stars Debby Ryan as Patty, with Dallas Roberts, Alyssa Milano, and Christopher Gorham among the cast. The series was produced for streaming, running across multiple episodes per season.

Insatiable drew strong online reactions, sparking debates about body image, fatphobia, and satire in modern TV. Some viewers protested its tone, while others defended its intent to unsettle. That controversy amplified public interest, making the show a frequent topic on social media and entertainment commentary.

Critics and audiences were divided, with some praising the performances—especially Ryan’s—and the show’s willingness to mix dark comedy and drama, while others criticized the handling of sensitive topics and uneven tone. Major themes include revenge, identity, the performative nature of beauty, and how personal trauma can fuel risky choices.

The series didn’t become a major awards contender, but it generated significant discussion and a vocal fanbase online. Even without industry trophies, Insatiable left a mark by forcing conversations about representation, genre boundaries, and how far satire should go when it tackles real social issues.