Based on Rebecca Starford’s memoir, *Bad Behaviour* is a four-part Australian miniseries that explores the violent intimacy of teenage girlhood. Set in an elite Sydney boarding school, the story traces the lingering trauma and manipulative power dynamics that unfold between two former friends, Portia and Jo, whose past resurfaces with brutal clarity.
Bad Behaviour Official Trailer
Bad Behaviour Summary |
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|---|---|
| Title: | Bad Behaviour |
| Series Info: | Austrila (2023) |
| Length: | 52 minutes |
| Total Episodes: | 4 episodes |
| Genre: | Romance, Girl's love |
Plot
High school senior Sayuri Hayama (played by Ito Sairi) is still grieving the recent death of her mother when her father suddenly remarries. With his new wife comes another teenage girl: the tall, composed, and enigmatic Yui Shida (played by Sakuma Yui), who becomes Sayuri’s new stepsister. Initially hostile and full of resentment, Sayuri finds herself confused and emotionally stirred when Yui unexpectedly kisses her.
As the two girls live under the same roof, what starts as tension slowly turns into a growing intimacy. Yui is openly affectionate and emotionally honest, while Sayuri struggles to define what she feels. Together, they navigate the clash of grief, identity, societal pressure, and desire, with both comedic misunderstandings and tearful confrontations. All under the watchful eyes of their surprisingly supportive parents and loyal friends.
Bad Behaviour Cast
Charactor
A withdrawn and introspective girl burdened by guilt and unresolved trauma. Jo is both a victim and a participant in the toxic dynamics at Silver Creek boarding school. Her fixation on Portia is as painful as it is relatable.
Jana McKinnon
Jana McKinnon is an Austrian-Australian actress known for her intense, emotional performances. She gained international recognition in The Trouble with Being Born (2020) and Amazon’s Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo (2021). In Bad Behaviour, she captures Jo’s quiet torment with subtlety and depth.
Portia is magnetic, manipulative, and emotionally unreadable. She dominates the social hierarchy at school with a mix of charm and cruelty, deeply affecting everyone around her—especially Jo.
Markella Kavenagh
Markella Kavenagh is an Australian actress best known for playing Nori Brandyfoot in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022). Her performance in Bad Behaviour offers a darker, more grounded role, portraying the fine line between vulnerability and psychological dominance.
Alice is one of Jo’s former classmates, entangled in the complicated social web of Silver Creek. She appears to navigate the school politics with more ease, but beneath the surface, she too bears scars.
Yerin Ha
Yerin Ha is an Australian-Korean actress who rose to international fame with her role as Kwan Ha in Halo (2022). Her grounded performance in Bad Behaviour adds quiet strength to a supporting but significant role.
Supporting Cast
Briohny
Melissa Kahraman
Miss Lacey
Tuuli Narkle
Ronnie
Erana James
Bad Behaviour Review
Review
Bad Behaviour is a rare gem in Australian queer storytelling—one of the few series to center WLW dynamics within a complex psychological framework. Directed by out queer filmmaker Corrie Chen, the show doesn’t sensationalize sapphic desire, but instead embeds it into themes of power, control, cruelty, and emotional vulnerability.
At times the narrative feels fragmented and the pacing uneven, but the performances are razor-sharp. The visual style is clean and evocative, and the soundtrack heightens the emotional chaos simmering beneath every interaction. It’s a brutal watch, especially for viewers who’ve experienced bullying, queer confusion, or girlhood’s covert hierarchies.
“Portia is toxic. Jo is weak. And yet, their relationship feels painfully real—because who hasn’t once mistaken intensity for intimacy?”
Some viewers feel Portia’s emotional hold on Jo isn’t fully justified, and her soft, almost girlish aesthetic undercuts the character’s supposed dominance. Others praise the portrayal of Jo’s spiral into obsession, arguing it captures the destructive pull of first queer desire like few shows dare to.
Despite (or because of) its flaws, Bad Behaviour resonates. It’s not a feel-good queer drama—it’s a cautionary tale, one many girls will find uncomfortably familiar.
Best Scenes of Bad Behaviour
Episode 1: In a dimly lit theatre during a school trip, Jo gazes at Portia under shifting stage lights. The camera slowly pushes in, blurring space and time, desire and memory. It’s a moment of queer longing distilled into one perfect, aching frame.