History Series / Maniac2018

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: While the ending seems pretty straightforward [[spoiler: the mid-credits scene implies that the four main characters may all be trapped in the GRTA system, having reached their promised catharsis.]]

* VillainousBreakdown: Jed has a small one in the lead up to his trial. [[spoiler: He has a much larger one when Owen reveals he lied under oath and declares his brother guilty during the trial. Jed has to be restrained from trying to murder Owen.]]

* Squick!: Owen's brother Jed is on trial because [[spoiler: he forced a female co-worker to urinate on him for his own sexual pleasure.]]

* Squick: Owen's brother Jed is on trial because [[spoiler: he forced a female co-worker to urinate on him for his own sexual pleasure.]]

* FreudianExcuse: Mantleray invented a mind-bending drug trial to try and cure mental illness without therapy, because his abusive mother is a famous therapist.

* CentralTheme: Loneliness and alienation. Owen is the black sheep of his family and has no friends because his mental illness sabotages his relationships and keeps him isolated. Annie is haunted by the deaths of her sister and mother, while her father has retreated into an isolation booth, leaving her no one to connect with. Fujita and Mantleray's relationship ended awkwardly, leading to Mantleray spending his time in virtual reality pornography. Society as a whole seems to be suffering from this, given the existence of Friend Proxy, a service in which actors will pretend to be clients' estranged friends so they can pretend to interact with them again.

* ShoutOut: Mantleray and Fujita refer to catatonic patients as "[=MacMurphys=], referring to the main character of ''Literature/OneFlewOverTheCuckoosNest'' and his ultimate fate.

* TheGhost: The scenario of the C trial revolves around Ernie, a late alien who is described in detail. Flashbacks do not show Ernie

* CentralTheme: Loneliness and alienation. Owen is the black sheep of his family and has no friends because his mental illness sabotages his relationships and keeps him isolated. Annie is haunted by the deaths of her sister and mother, while her father has retreated into an isolation booth, leaving her no one to connect with. Fujita and Mantleray's relationship ended awkwardly, leading to Mantleray spending his time in virtual reality pornography. Society as a whole seems to be suffering from this, given the existence of Friend Proxy, a service in which actors will pretend to be clients' estranged friends so they can pretend to interact with them again.

* ShoutOut: Mantleray and Fujita refer to catatonic patients as "[=MacMurphys=], referring to the main character of ''Literature/OneFlewOverTheCuckoosNest'' and his ultimate fate.

* CassetteFuturism: The setting is a modern-day alternate reality that appears to have branched off in the early 1980s. The Internet doesn't appear to have been invented and computing technology looks stagnant with small monochromatic displays running programming that looks like a Commodore 64 using old 5 & 1/4 floppy disks. However, what's achieved by these computers often far exceeds our current abilities. There is are sanitation robots collecting street on the trash, an ArtificialIntelligence computer and the ability to scan, download and manipulate the human brain. There's also a more immersive, yet graphically ancient form of VirtualReality.

* TattoodCrook: In drug scenarios where Owen is a gangster, he sports tattoos.

* CassetteFuturism: Setting is modern day, alternate reality that appears to have branched off in the early 1980's. The Internet doesn't appear to have been invented and computing technology looks stagnant with small monochromatic displays running programming that looks like a Commodore 64 using old 5 & 1/4 floppy disks.
** What has advanced is the ability to scan, download & manipulate the human brain as well as ArtificialIntelligence. A more immersive, yet graphically ancient form of VirtualReality also exists.

* FreezeFrameBonus: Dr. Fujita is seen drinking from a mug which bears the legend ‘I Can Read Your Mind And You Should Be Ashamed Of Yourself’.

* AmbiguousDisorder: Owen Milgrim is a diagnosed schizophrenic who struggles to figure out what is real and what isn't.

* DysfunctionalFamily: Both Owen and Annie has difficulty with theirs, due to different reasons.

''Maniac'' is a 2018 Creator/{{Netflix}} original series created by Creator/CaryFukunaga, based on the Norwegian series of the same name.

* AlternateUniverse: It's set in modern times, but it is not our reality. As said by a narrator [[spoiler: Mantleray]] over the first scenes, ''Hypothesis: All the worlds that almost were are just as important as the world we're in.''

* AlternateUniverse: It's set in modern times, but it is not our reality. As said by a narrator over the first scenes, ''Hypothesis: All the worlds that almost were are just as important as the world we're in.''

* AmbiguousDisorder: Owen Milgrim may or may not be schizophrenic.

Brought together by Dr. James K. Mantleray (Creator/JustinTheroux), who claims his new medical procedure can cure every sort of mental disorder, it soon becomes clear that they may be in over their heads. Creator/SallyField also stars.

* OneCharacterMultipleLives: The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6cDDmk-O5A&t=94s trailer]] suggests this quality plays some sort of role in the series.

* DysfunctionalFamily: Annie has difficulty with hers.

* CassetteFuturism: Setting is modern day, alternate reality that appears to have branched off in the early 1980's. The Internet doesn't appear to have been invented and computing technology looks stagnant with small monochromatic displays running programming that looks like a Commodore 64.
** What has advanced is the ability to scan, download & manipulate the human brain, as well as ArtificialIntelligence.