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TV Review: Life Unexpected
Almost sixteen-year-old Lux tires of bouncing from foster home to foster home and decides to seek emancipation. Before she can face the judge on her birthday, however, she needs to get signatures from her birth parents waiving their custody rights. She is shocked to find that her dad, Nate Bazile (Baze), is a 32-year-old living above the bar he owns, and her mom, Cate Cassidy, is the co-host of her favorite radio morning show and recently engaged. Her presence reunites the two, who haven’t talked since their fateful hookup during a high school formal, especially when the judge finds Lux unfit to live by herself and grants them joint custody.
The show explores family, growing up, and relationships with humor and a lot of heart. In the pilot alone, the writers have set up some fantastic relationship dynamics that will be interesting to watch unfold. Lux has to come to terms with a mom who gave her up at her own age, but who she’s been listening to on the radio for years, and a dad who never knew she existed that she bonds with over YouTube videos. Baze and Cate have to reconcile their long buried teenage passions with the fact that Cate’s engaged (if a bit reluctantly). And Cate’s fiance, Ryan, has to accept that his wife-to-be suddenly has a grown child. Luckily, the casting seems to be spot on and the actors can pull off these roles and relationships without making the show a schmaltzy drama-fest. I love Shiri Appleby (Cate) and Kerr Smith (Ryan), so I’m glad to see them here, and Brittany Robertson as Lux is a dream. She’s got the disaffected, but still a tiny bit hopeful teen thing down pat. We’ll see if Kristoffer Polaha (Baze) grows on me, but right now I don’t want him and Cate to get back together. Of course, as a CW family drama, there are bound to be some predictable storylines and the plot really is a bit of a stretch if you think about it too much. But, I’m willing to give it a shot and look forward to tuning in next week! Airs Mondays from 9-10 p.m. on the CW.
Interestingly, the show’s creator, Liz Tigelaar, has also written some YA novels. PrettyTOUGH
January 23rd, 2010 ♥ Television ♥ No Comments »
Winter/Spring TV Premieres for Teens
A new season brings new television. There aren’t very many brand-new series, but here are a few about and for teenagers.
Life Unexpected
CW
Jan. 18, Mondays 9-10 p.m.
Fifteen-year-old foster kid Lux seeks out her birth parents in order to become an emancipated minor. She reunites with her mother and father who had her as teenagers and are now leading separate lives in Portland, Oregon. Instead of emancipation, the two are granted temporary joint custody of Lux and must work to give her the family she never had. The show looks to be a classic CW family drama in the vein of Gilmore Girls and Everwood. I’m looking forward to Shiri Appleby, who got her start on the WB’s Roswell back in the late ’90s.
The Buried Life
MTV
Jan. 18, Mondays 10-10:30 p.m.
Four college-aged guys travel the country on a quest to complete the 100 things they want to do before they die. They also help strangers achieve their own life dreams along the way. This documentary is part of MTV’s effort away from superficial reality shows and toward more socially-conscious programming.
My Life as Liz
MTV
Jan. 18, Mondays 10:30-11 p.m.
This show follows Liz, a quirky and sarcastic high schooler, as she navigates the social strata of teenage life. While filmed to feel like a reality show, it’s actually a scripted satire of high school.
Caprica
SyFy
Jan. 22, two-hour premiere 9-11 p.m.
Fridays 9-10 p.m.
Set in Caprica City, a metropolis similar to any contemporary city, the story centers on two rival patriarchs dealing with the aftermath of a terrorist attack. Daniel Graystone, who lost his teenage daughter in the attack, attempts to bring her back using a digital clone of her personality and military robotics technology. Joseph Adama initially joins Graystone in order to bring back his own wife and daughter, but soon becomes uneasy with the methods. Though technically a prequel series to Battlestar Galactica, Caprica is more of a family drama that the network hopes will draw in more female viewers.
The Inbetweeners
BBC America
Jan. 25, two-episode premiere 9-10 p.m.
Wednesdays, 9:30-10 p.m.
This award-winning British comedy finally makes its way across the pond. Will, the eager, but sarcastic narrator of the series, ends up as the new kid at a public high school after years of private schooling. He soon falls in with three other “inbetweeners” — those that don’t really fit in with any social group — and finds himself caught up in a host of hilarious situations.
January 13th, 2010 ♥ Television ♥ 2 Comments »
Friday Night Lights
Season four of the critically acclaimed Friday Night Lights debuts tonight! The show centers on the coach, players, family, and community of a high school football team in small-town Dillon, TX. While on the surface, it’s a high-school drama about football, it’s much more than that. The football drives a lot of the storylines, but doesn’t take up much screen time. It’s the relationships between the characters that are the backbone of the show, and they are some of the deepest and most realistic you can find on TV. You will fall in love with the characters and their lives, despite their very real flaws.
Like many of the show’s current fans, I was a bit leery of the show when it first aired. I’d seen the movie and liked it, but didn’t think I’d want to tune in each week for a melodrama about football players. I am so glad I gave it a shot the summer after the first season — I ended up watching all 22 episodes in a few days and it’s become one of my all-time favorite TV shows. It’s struggled to find an audience, though, and only continues to air through an exclusive deal with DirectTV. If you’re like most Americans and don’t have DirectTV, you’ll have to wait until next year for the delayed broadcast on NBC. But if you haven’t seen the show yet, that gives you plenty of time to catch up on the 50 episodes of the first three seasons.
Need more? Read the non-fiction book about a real Texas football team on which the movie and TV series are based. You can also watch the movie, which was directed by Peter Berg, who created the TV series, and features some of the same actors and music as the show.
Plus, Adele from the blog Persnickety Snark has a great feature about Friday Night Lights this week. She’s gotten a host of YA authors to share their love of the series, including Sarah Dessen, Melissa Walker, and Meg Cabot.
October 28th, 2009 ♥ Books, Television ♥ 2 Comments »
Fall TV for Teens
Fall is upon us, and that means lots of brand new TV. We’ve got plenty of returning favorites, but there are a few new TV shows with teen appeal to check out.
New Shows
The Cleveland Show
Fox
Sept. 27, Sundays, 8:30-9pm
A spin-off Family Guy, The Cleveland Show follows the Griffin’s neighbor Cleveland Brown as he moves to Virginia to start a new life with his high school sweetheart and her two kids. This will definitely be on the radar of Family Guy fans.
The Beautiful Life
CW
Sept. 16, Wednesdays, 9-10pm
The CW already has a model-centric hit with America’s Next Top Model, so why not take a shot with a soapy drama about young models trying to make it big in NYC? Produced by Ashton Kutcher and featuring Corbin Bleu (High School Musical) and Mischa Barton (The OC), the show has some minor star power behind it, though the two stars (Sara Paxton and Ben Hollingsworth) are relatively unknown. The show seems tailor-made for the CW, so it might have some staying power.
The Vampire Diaries
CW
Sept. 10, Thursdays, 8-9pm
Producing a TV drama about vampires seems like a no-brainer right now. Based on the book series of the same name by LJ Smith, Vampire Diaries centers on the love triangle between high schooler Elena and two vampire brothers. With Kevin Williamson, the writer behind mega-hit Dawson’s Creek, and paired with Supernatural, this show should draw in big audiences.
Melrose Place
CW
Sept. 8, Tuesdays, 9-10pm
The CW did okay with a spin-off of ’90s classic Beverly Hills 90210, so a spin-off of Melrose Place was inevitable. Like its predecessor, it will focus on a group of beautiful young people living in an apartment complex. The season will center around a murder mystery involving characters from the original series. It will be interesting to see if Melrose Place will find an audience since its characters are slightly older than the CW’s usual demographic.
Glee
Fox
Sept. 9, Wednesdays, 9-10pm
Ok, technically Glee premiered in the spring, but it would be a crime not to mention it again as the series really gets going this week. The ratings look strong so far, but those don’t do justice to the buzz that’s building for a show that only has one episode and a few song previews to go on. It’ll certainly be popular among the musical theatre-loving crowd, especially the teens.
September 9th, 2009 ♥ Television ♥ 2 Comments »
TV Review: Glee
I’m a sucker for musical numbers and tv shows set in high school, so it didn’t take a massive marketing campaign to make me watch Fox’s new show Glee. Plus, creator Ryan Murphy was also behind the delightfully campy high school satire Popular. In other words, my expectations were high.
What I liked:
- Most of the characters, even though some weren’t more than caricatures. Matthew Morrison as Will Schuester, the glee club director, played his character with the right amount of eagerness and trepidation and Lea Michele (Rachel) is the perfect overachieving high school diva. I can’t wait to see more of the always amusing Jane Lynch as the cheer coach and Jamie Mays as an OCD teacher.
- The musical numbers were fabulous. C’mon, “Rehab” and “Don’t Stop Believin’”? Pure gold. And from the previews, it looks like we’re gonna see “Gold Digger” and lots more. I also loved the interstitial music played between scenes and when introducing Rachel.
- That they weren’t afraid to be a bit edgy, especially with the big American Idol lead-in. Waterboarding, drug dealing, wheelchair jokes, etc.
What I didn’t like:
- The pacing seemed a bit awkward, especially at the beginning.
- Some of the characters are one-sided so far. Cory Monteith as Finn, the jock-turned-singer is really boring. I really just wanted him to go back to the football team for good. The glee club director’s wife seems like the typical neurotic, demanding sitcom wife. And don’t get me started on the other glee clubbers or the football team. But, since all pilots struggle with needing to introduce a lot of characters in little time, I’ll wait to see how all the characters and relationships play out.
Bottom line:
I’ll definitely give the show a shot when it returns in the fall. The preview clips were really compelling and at the least, we’ll get a few entertaining musical numbers each week.
May 20th, 2009 ♥ Reviews, Television ♥ 1 Comment »
Summer TV Premieres for Teens
The summer television season used to be filled with endless hours of repeats, but networks and especially cable channels are using the low-rated months to experiment with programming. The OC famously launched in the summer of 2003, so there are many shows this summer marketed to teens. Thanks to The Futon Critic’s fantastic resources, I’ve pulled some information about what teens (and teens at heart) can look forward to in the next few months.
New Shows
The Fashion Show
Bravo
May 7, Thursdays, 10-11pm
Bravo’s new version of Project Runway hosted by designer Isaac Mizrahi and singer Kelly Rowland
Glee
Fox
May 19, Tuesdays 9-10pm (Special May premiere, full season should air in the fall)
“The one-hour series follows an optimistic high school teacher as he tries to transform the school’s Glee Club and inspire a group of ragtag performers to make it to the biggest competition of them all: Nationals.”
NYC Prep
Bravo
June 16, Tuesdays 10-11pm
Reality show following the lives of NYC prep school students. Being hailed as a real-life Gossip Girl.
Make It or Break It
ABC Family
June 22, Mondays 9-10pm
“Set in the world of competitive gymnastics, “Make It or Break It” follows a group of teen Olympic hopefuls as they train and prepare for their day in the spotlight.”
Blonde Charity Mafia
CW
July 7, Tuesdays 9-10pm
“Docu-series about the lives of Washington, D.C.’s most influential 20-something Alpha Girls.” Sounds like The Hills moves to DC.
10 Things I Hate About You
ABC Family
July 7, Tuesdays 8-8:30pm
Televisions adaptation of the 1999 movie, which is based on Shakespeare’s
Taming of the Shrew.
Ruby and the Rockits
ABC Family
July 21, Tuesdays 8:30-9pm
Ruby moves in with her uncle, a former teen idol, and his family, while her dad continues to pursue his rockstar dreams. Stars Alexa Vega of Spy Kids fame and actual former teen idols, David and Patrick Cassidy.
Returning Shows
So You Think You Can Dance
Fox
May 21, Wednesdays 8-10pm, Thursdays 9-10pm
Season 5
The summer dance competition and reality show hit returns for another search for America’s favorite dancer.
Secret Life of the American Teenager
ABC Family
Jun. 22, Mondays 8-9pm
Season 2
The show’s second season follows new teen mom Amy Juergens and her friends and family as they deal with the changes in all of their lives.
Lincoln Heights
ABC Family
Aug. 4, Tuesdays 9-10pm
Season 4
More of life’s ups and downs for the Sutton family in the tumultuous Lincoln Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Project Runway
Lifetime
Aug. 20, Thursdays 10-11pm
Season 6
The original fashion design reality show with Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn finally airs its sixth season on Lifetime after a year-long legal battle.
May 5th, 2009 ♥ Television ♥ 1 Comment »
Books based on “reality” TV
Harper Collins announced today that Lauren Conrad will write a three-book YA series loosely based on her own transformation from average Southern California high schooler to mega-celebrity. Clearly, she won’t actually be writing the books, but should still be interesting. First one set to release next summer.
September 11th, 2008 ♥ Books, Television ♥ 2 Comments »
TV Based on Books
I’ve been hunting down information on the fall tv schedule recently (it’s almost time for new episodes!) and was curious about the adaptation of books (particularly YA and children’s) into television series. Here’s what I rounded up.
1. Gossip Girl is the most recent and popular example that came to mind. Based on the wildly popular and controversial book series by Cecily von Ziegesar, the tv version has garnered a following of its own. Despite not doing well ratings-wise, it’s covered widely in the media and its stars have become paparazzi darlings. Season 2 debuts Monday, Sept. 1 at 8 pm.
2. The CW has another new show debuting this fall, Privileged, which is based on the book How To Teach Filthy Rich Girls by Zoey Dean. It follows the story of Yale grad Megan Smith, who is hired to tutor a pair of Palm Beach heiresses. It’s not a YA book, but they’re targeting the show to teens by pairing it with the new 90210. Zoey Dean also writes the A-List books. It premieres Tuesday, Sept. 9 at 9 pm.
3. In 1990, a series based on the The Baby Sitter’s Club books by Ann Martin aired on HBO, Disney and Nickelodeon. Some of the episodes were based on plots from the books, but others are original stories. It’s pretty cheesy, but I can’t help getting the theme song stuck in my head. “Say hello to your friends, Babysitter’s Club! Say hello to the people who care!” The clip above features a young Zach Braff, one of the only people who appeared on the show to have any sort of film career.
4. From the same era as the BSC, Francine Pascal’s Sweet Valley High books also enjoyed a stint as a TV series. Eighty-eight episodes aired in syndication in the mid-’90s featuring the drama-filled lives of the beautiful and popular Wakefield twins, Jessica and Elizabeth. Season 1 is out on DVD and season 3 is available for viewing on ABCFamily.com.
5. ABC and then CBS aired two seasons of Fudge, based on the books by Judy Blume. Though short-lived, TV Guide called it one of the best shows for children when it aired. Eve Plumb, famous for playing Jan Brady, starred as the mom in the series. Most of the episodes from season 1 are available to watch on Hulu.
6. Though not directly based on the Anne of Green Gables books by L.M. Montgomery, the series Road To Avonlea takes place in the same world and features many of the same characters. The show primarily follows the young Sara Stanley, a city girl transplanted to Avonlea to live with the relatives of her late mother, but it’s the lively cast of characters that truly round out the series. Its 91 episode run is highly regarded and featured many well-known actors including Christopher Lloyd, Sarah Polley and Stockard Channing. The series is available on DVD.
7. I came across this gem a few months ago: The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries! It aired in the late 1970s and the episodes alternated between featuring the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. The first two seasons (out of three) are available on DVD.
And more:
Wayside (based on the Wayside School books by Louis Sachar): Books, IMDB
August 19th, 2008 ♥ Books, Television ♥ No Comments »
2007 Favorites
Here are some things I enjoyed from the past year (in no particular order).
movies
2007 releases:
No Country for Old Men
Juno
Knocked Up
Superbad
Two Days in Paris
Darjeeling Limited
Stardust
Bourne Ultimatum
Harry Potter 5
Once
Waitress
Hot Fuzz
older:
Casablanca
Desk Set
If You Could Only Cook
Pan’s Labyrinth
Metropolitan
books
Devil in the White City
The Man of My Dreams
Prague
Middlesex
Kavalier and Clay
Confederacy of Dunces
YA:
Looking for Alaska
An Abundance of Katherines
Just Listen
This Lullaby
King Dork
Speak
Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist
Twilight
The Book Thief
Graphic Novels:
Fun Home
Persepolis
Maus
Carnet de Voyage
albums
Andrew Bird-Armchair Apocrypha
Animal Collective-Strawberry Jam
Arcade Fire-Neon Bible
The Ark-Prayer for the Weekend
Bishop Allen-Broken String
Beirut-Flying Club Cup and EPs
Feist-The Reminder
Georgie James-Places
Jukebox the Ghost-EP
Kate Nash-Foundations
New Pornographers-Challengers
Of Montreal-Hissing Fauna are you the Destroyer
Spoon-Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Ted Leo/Pharmacists-Living with the Living
Vampire Weekend-EP
Voxtrot-s/t
TV
Flight of the Conchords
30 Rock
Pushing Daisies
Friday Night Lights
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