I Saw the TV Glow

I Saw the TV Glow is set in the suburbs of the 1990s, where Owen, a shy teenager with few friends, is introduced by a classmate named Maddy to a late-night television series called The Pink Opaque. The show depicts a supernatural world existing just beneath everyday life, and it becomes a shared obsession for the two of them, giving shape to years that would otherwise be lonely. Over time, the boundary between the series and their own lives becomes harder to hold, and questions arise about why the show can feel more real than the world around them. Maddy eventually disappears, and Owen is left to reckon with what the program meant and what it may have been.

Jane Schoenbrun wrote and directed the film, following We're All Going to the World's Fair in 2022 and preceding Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma in 2026. Justice Smith plays Owen, with Brigette Lundy-Paine as Maddy and Ian Foreman as the younger Owen; Helena Howard, Lindsey Jordan and Danielle Deadwyler also appear. Emma Stone, Dave McCary and Sarah Winshall produced for A24 and associated companies, with a budget of 10 million USD and a worldwide box office of about 5 million.

On IMDb the film holds 5.8 from 44,000 votes and on TMDB 6.2 from 798 votes, while a film critics' rating stands at 7.6 from 236 reviews, so critics rated it considerably higher than audiences.