The Midnight Club is one of the many new shows to hit Netflix this month. The miniseries is both written, produced, and directed by Mike Flanagan, whom many believed was the perfect choice to adapt the story, which was based on work by Christopher Pike. For Flanagan, the show follows his 2021 horror series Midnight Mass, which was arguably one of the best horror series of the year. Flanagan launched himself in the world of limited series with his adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House, which is based on a book by Shirley Jackson. To date, he has created four miniseries, all of which have debuted on Netflix.
One of the common features of Flanagan's limited series is the strong cast used to tell the story. In The Midnight Club, the majority of the main cast are teenagers to young adults, who are all suffering from a terminal illness. Each of the eight club members was brought to Briarcliffe Hospice to end their lives peacefully and among a supportive group. During the day, they attend therapy sessions, enjoy free time, etc., but at night, they secretly meet in the library to tell stories, forming the titular Midnight Club. Having a cast of young adults can be challenging, but in The Midnight Club, each member was valuable and loved by everyone. For The Wrap, the cast sat down to explain the emotional rollercoaster that was filming the show, which was equal parts scary as it was touching. While each character was important to the series, here is a ranking based on their personality, storytelling, and overall character.
8 Sandra
Sandra (Annarah Cymone) is a complicated character only because that is how she was written to be. She is very religious and outspoken about her faith, something the Midnight Club members struggle with, especially Spence. Towards the end of the Netflix series, it is revealed she played a prank on Spence by pretending to be a past club member who was able to break through the vale and talk to the club, as was their plan once someone died. She also was the only member whose terminal illness was revoked due to a misdiagnosis. While everyone was happy for her, it was a turning point for Sandra, who up until the reveal was an almost annoying character.
7 Cheri
Cheri (Adia) was a chronic liar who had the biggest heart of everyone at Briarcliffe. Yes, it was hard to figure out if what she was saying was the truth or not, but her insistence to help her friends made her a beautiful character. Her best moments in The Midnight Club are when she had a wig made for Ilonka after she said she missed her long hair, and when she went with Spence when he confronted his mom about not visiting him. Cheri's parents were absent, but by the end of the Netflix series, she was able to see that her real family was her friends at Briarcliffe.
6 Amesh
Amesh (Sauriyan Sapkota)is an overall great character. He is funny, sarcastic, strong, and caring. His only downfall is that he is up against a group of equally great characters. Amesh had the most emotional moments in The Midnight Club as he was shown burying the funeral suit he was supposed to have died in, connecting with Natsuki, and worrying about trying to stay alive in order to see his deported parents one more time. His character deserved more focus, which definitely would have helped propel him to the top of the list. His love story with Natsuki both during the Midnight Club storytime and in real life was a turning point that helped him push through his illness.
5 Natsuki
Natsuki (Aya Furukawa) and Amesh are two similar characters in terms of their heart and storytelling, but Natsuki has the edge for giving us the story with nine jump scares! She definitely opens up during her stories as that seems to be her dominant way to express her feelings. During a one-on-one moment with Amesh, she tells an emotional tale surrounding her suicide attempt, which showed her vulnerability and desire to stay alive. Her story was as spooky as her first one, which also had a deep emotional undertone. It's her relationship with Amesh throughout The Midnight Club that seemed to bring her out of her shell.
4 Ilonka
Ilonka (Iman Benson) was easily the main focus of The Midnight Club, and she dominated much of the screen time. Unfortunately, her stubbornness kept her from a top three spot. Yes, she did try to save Anya and her friends, but she was selfish and disobedient. Prior to her arrival, the library was never locked, and The Midnight Club was never denied its seemingly private meeting space. Again, it's notable that her intentions were good, but sometimes being nosy has consequences. On the other side, Ilonka was also deeply caring and a beautiful storyteller. Her story about the witch showed insight into how she wishes she could have saved Anya in real life as she did in the story. Overall, her heart and perseverance make her a notable character.
3 Anya
Anya (Ruth Codd) was insufferable most of the time in The Midnight Club, but she was also arguably the strongest one in the group. She fought hard to stay alive and mostly kept her personal life private, except for the bits and pieces of her previous life, which she used as backdrops in her story. Spoiler: her death is easily the saddest moment of the Netflix series, one that had fans wishing she could have survived the ritual and reunited with Rhett one last time. Her friendship with Ilonka was also a touching tribute to two very different girls. Ilonka grew up in a loving family while it seems Anya was mostly on her own. For the two to bond and Anya to at least pass on feeling loved and supported made it more worthwhile.
2 Kevin
Kevin (Igby Rigney) earns a high spot for two main reasons: his storytelling and his supportiveness of Ilonka especially. Kevin is kind-hearted and supportive of Ilonka's pursuits to find out more about the mysterious Paragon and Julia Jayne. You can tell there is chemistry between the two throughout The Midnight Club, but unfortunately, Kevin has a girlfriend outside Briarcliffe. It was a bittersweet moment when the two broke up. Similarly to Ilonka, Kevin was plagued with seeing the old man and woman ghosts. While we never fully learn about this old couple, fans who wish Kevin and Ilonka to end up together can find symmetry in the fact that the ghosts they are haunted by seem to also have ended up together.
1 Spence
Spence (William Chris Sumpter) is one of the few characters in The Midnight Club who is good at all things. He is caring, funny, a good friend and supporter, and a fantastic sci-fi storyteller. His first moments on-screen involve taking Ilonka on a tour of Briarcliffe Hospice. Immediately, he is friendly and welcoming, and definitely sets the stage for all the Midnight Club members. He has some differences with Sandra, who is overly religious, but by the end of the Netflix series, he is there supporting Sandra and her misdiagnosis, even going so far as to tell her multiple times that he loves her. When he comforts his mother about her feelings toward him and his illness, we were all cheering for him. Then, when she showed up, it seemed like the perfect character arc for the strongest character.