Before ‘Challengers,’ Mike Faist Was the Standout of This Twisty Prime Video Drama

He’s Hollywood’s new heartthrob, but he’s been breaking hearts for a long time now. Mike Faist is coming off the high of the highly anticipated sports drama, Challengers, starring as a tennis pro opposite Zendaya and Josh O’Connor. While the sexy new threesome might be some people’s introduction to the actor, Faist has been in show business for years. Beginning his career on Broadway, Faist became known for his work in the acclaimed show, Newsies. He followed that up with the award-winning musical, Dear Evan Hansen, originating the role of Connor Murphy for which he received a Tony Award nomination.

Faist got his first big break in film in the Steven Speilberg-directed remake of West Side Story. Portraying Jets gang leader, Riff, Faist received critical acclaim for his performance. Since then, he has steadily been making a name for himself in Hollywood, and the Luca Guadagnino romance has solidified him as one of the industry’s most exciting leading men. Prior to his movie stardom, Faist starred in the short-lived Prime Video thriller series, Panic, based on the best-selling thriller novel of the same name written by Lauren Oliver. A one-season adventure, Faist brought the intensity and physicality that has since become his trademark to a loner cowboy. For those who are thirsty for more Faist content, check out the actor’s early star-making performance as a teen trying to make it out of a dead-end town.

Panic

Drama

Adventure

Thriller

In a small Texas town, graduating seniors compete in a high-stakes game that promises enough money to escape their constrained lives. Each player must face increasingly perilous challenges that test their limits and reveal the community’s dark secrets.

Cast

Jessica Sula , Olivia Welch , Ray Nicholson , Enrique Murciano , Camron Jones , Mike Faist

Main Genre

Crime

Seasons

1

Network

Amazon Prime Video

What Is ‘Panic’ About?

Panic is a coming-of-age thriller set in a small, dying Texas town full of deviant teens. Olivia Scott Welch stars as 18-year-old high school grad, Heather Nill who dreams of getting out of Carp, Texas. A gifted writer, she lives in a trailer park alongside her little sister and alcohol-abusing mother. As the summer begins, all the high school seniors partake in a dangerous series of challenges in a competition called “Panic.” Every kid entering contributes money to a collective box before beginning the game, and the winner receives all the money. Extremely dangerous challenges like crossing the highway blindfolded or Russian roulette have led to death in previous years, but for the kids in town, anything is worth the risk if they can get enough money to leave. Mike Faist co-stars as the new kid, Dodge, and received praise for his stoic portrayal of an outsider vying to win Panic, while falling in love with the town’s beauty queen. Jessica Sula co-stars as his love interest, Natalie, and the two begin a passionate summer romance while teaming up to win the game.

Mike Faist Gives a Star-Making Performance as a Rebellious Teen

Faist does his best James Dean as a misunderstood teen with a secret agenda in Panic. Dodge may seem like a calm, collected guy, but as the series progresses, it’s revealed that Dodge has an ulterior motive that involves revenge. A former rodeo competitor and horse whisperer, Dodge is the kind of cowboy that doesn’t exist anymore and is the series’ most drastically changed character from the book, in which he was written as a nerdy magician. Faist has perfected characters who carry chips on their shoulders, and the simmering need to be great at something shines underneath every task Dodge does, whether it’s feeding his horse, or tending the bar at the local restaurant.

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The challenges the cast of teens goes through are dangerous and nail-biting. Faist tends to always be at the center of danger, including a scene in which he must walk on a narrow piece of wood on top of a tall building, and he whips out his dance training as he masterfully balances on it. Panic is full of impressive stunts and jump scares as the kids embark on dangerous challenges in woods and haunted houses, and Faist’s poise and grace are put on full display, making the case for being a great action star in the making.

Faist Has a Rivalry With Fellow a Bad Boy Played by Jack Nicholson’s Son

Besides his chemistry with Natalie, Faist’s best moments come with his nemesis, the popular bad boy Ray Hall, played by an equally fantastic Ray Nicholson, son of Hollywood legend Jack Nicholson. In addition to Faist, Nicholson gives the most riveting performance, and their various fights are a jolt of lightning to an at times slow-moving series. Ray is a lost, depressed youth who has been living in poverty all his life, and Nicholson carries the same mischievous charm his father has. Whenever the two share the screen together, their electric chemistry eclipses the rest of the young cast. Dodge and Ray have many showdowns, with lots of mind games and measuring of each other’s egos. They also have physical altercations, including an intense fistfight in the aftermath of Dodge surviving his plank-walking challenge. While it may seem like a predictable formula, it’s anything but. The two men bring nuances to their characters, instead of falling into caricature traps of being shallow, macho men who need to win. With little to compete over that’s worth anything, the boys find meaning in the mundane. Living for cheap thrills, they have another memorable showdown, dirt racing while wearing goggles and helmets that only they could pull off.

In ‘Panic’ Faist’s Character Has an Intense Summer Romance

For those who swooned at Faist in the romance sports drama Challengers, there are plenty of more swoon-worthy moments in Panic. As he aims to win the game, Dodge falls in love with Heather’s friend, Natalie, and the two have the most intense romance in the series. Different from the novel, in which it begins with Dodge already being enamored with Natalie, the series builds their love story differently. Coming from opposite sides of town, Natalie is a popular girl who dreams of becoming a famous actress, and the two fall for each other while playing Panic with slow-burning glances. Even in moments of chaos, Dodge is calm. Faist’s subtle touch to everything, even violence, is what makes his performance particularly moving, whether during a challenge or in intimate moments with Natalie. But his most compelling moments come when he’s vulnerable with Natalie, allowing us to see sides to his character that he has been intentionally hiding. These scenes are the best showcase of why he was perfect casting for the dark, angsty teen series full of repressed teens incapable of expressing their true dreams and desires.

‘Panic’ is an Underrated Coming-of-Age Action Thriller

Panic had all the ingredients to become a hit, but its marketing and lack of star power turned it into a flop instead. Author Lauren Oliver created the series, and wrote most episodes, which expertly encapsulate the atmosphere of her novel. A dark depiction of small-town America, the series combines teen angst, romance, and class struggles that make for an enthralling watch. Going on to get her starring breakout role in Netflix’s Fear Street trilogy, Welch is a fantastic action heroine. A cunning rebel, her nail-biting challenges include getting trapped inside a burning building, and herding a wild tiger in the Texas woods. Add on her chemistry with Nicholson as two outsiders raised in a trailer park who everyone has ruled out, and their story as forbidden lovers competing against each other is icing on top of the cake.

Canceled after one season, Panic came along at the perfect time for Faist, releasing right before his catapult to fame with West Side Story. It’s one of Prime Video’s most underrated shows and Faist’s most underappreciated role. With strong performances mixed with growing pains and action reminiscent of The Hunger Games, Panic makes for an exciting binge. Watch at your own risk…

Panic is available to watch on Prime Video in the U.S.

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