Second Look: Show You Should Be Watching This Summe

I'm calling this article "second look" because two months ago I would not have (and in a couple of cases didn't) recommend watching some of the following summer series. Luckily, because there is nothing else on, I have been patient with the following series and many have come to thoroughly surprise me. Television, especially during it's pilot season, is like a book...it may take a chapter or two to get into it, but once you find yourself in the middle you just can't put it down.

Summer hit: Royal Pains
USA has struck gold with this series. While the network is best known for Monk, Psych, and Burn Notice... I feel that the series most worth tuning in for started just over a month ago. The series follows a former surgeon who was fired after letting a billionaire hospital trustee die in favor of saving a kid's life. As a result, he and his brother move to the Hamptons where they start a concierge doctor service.
The series is like McGyver meets Desperate Housewives with a bit of House attached. You've got lots of character drama, but mostly great medical mysteries... and of course, a hot cast.
While this show draws from a number of previously successful series, it is entirely original. Mark Feurstein, or Dr. Hank Lawson, lights up the screen and steals every scene he's in.

Come From Behind Kid: Make it or Break It
I'll be the first to admit I royally bashed this show when it came out. The pilot episode was pathetic... then again so was the pilot episode of The Office, and we all know how that turned out. I thought this series would be a direct rip off of Stick It. The characters, the plot, it all seemed too eerily similar. BUT...and this is a big BUT...after four or five episodes (I know I'm shocked I gave it that long too) it really found its footing... and it's been on my 'must watch' list ever since.
There is now finally solid character development that has made the cookie-cutter elite gymnasts into people I actually care about. The cast is made up of entirely fresh faces (minus Candace Cameron Bure who is making a major post-Full House comeback), but they are showing they can hold their own. I'm impressed with the delicate mix of gymnastics and drama. You get enough of both that the scenario is believable. While the show may be stuck on ABC Family... I think it's one of the brightest stars in their lineup.

Hate to Admit I Like It: 10 Things I Hate About You
I wish they'd call this show something else. I like it, I really do. But the fact that it pretends to reflect one of my all time favorite movies is a royal slap in the face to what Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger were once able to accomplish on the big screen.
The characters names may be the same, but their purpose and attitudes are entirely different.
Kat is still your feminist misfit, but instead of Patrick going after her, she is going after HIM. Bianca is still the cheery blonde who's obsessed with her looks, but instead of already being popular, her character's mission is to BECOME popular. Chastity serves as the bitch in the TV version too, but Gabrielle Union the new version is not. And Mandella has gone from a Shakespearean crazed sidekick to a gothic girlfriend for Kat. The only solid cross-over has been Larry Miller who shines again as the girls dad and resident OBGYN. The fact that there's no "Ms. Perky" or awesome rapping English teacher makes me cry inside.
So as a stand alone series I am a fan. But as a spin-off of the film I am not impressed.

Inside the New "10 Things"

For the record I've given the new 10 Things I Hate About You a try. I have a rule that pilot's are a poor judge of a show's quality (e.g. the pilot of The Office really sucked), so it'll hold my attention for at least one more episode before I make the firm decision weather to become a fan or hold it forever in contempt.
As much as I've bitched about it in the past, I really WANT to like the new ABC Family series. Mostly, as a HUGE fan of the original film, I don't want it to ruin the franchise.
When I think 10 Things I'll always think Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles...but I have to come to terms with the fact that there is a new generation out there who will likely relate the franchise to its new stars: Meaghan Jette Martin and Ethan Peck.
TV Guide recently did an interview with Meaghan Jette Martin... I've included the "high lights" and my commentary below.

TVGuide.com: A lot of die-hard fans of the movie feel there shouldn't be a TV show, especially now that Heath has died. What do you think about that?
Martin: That's such an interesting thing because the movie is an adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew and Shakespeare passed away. Was the movie disrespecting Shakespeare? And Kiss Me Kate is a musical based off of Taming of the Shrew, [just like] 10 Things I Hate About You. Just because we're using the same title and character names doesn't mean we're trying to take away from the movie, because it's still an awesome movie. And obviously [director] Gil Junger and Larry Miller wouldn't be behind it if they didn't think it was worth it. And if people remember correctly, Heath Ledger actually wasn't so proud of the movie. He did not want to do a teen comedy.

I don't think Ledger ever said he wasn't proud of the MOVIE... I think he just wasn't a fan of sticking himself in the teen genre. That's why he turned down subsequent teen film roles to take on more adult characters. Also, as a fan the reason I don't want a remake is because I liked the original characters so much.

TVGuide.com: Larry Miller, who was in the 10 Things movie, is also on the TV show. Have you heard from any of the movie's other stars?
Meaghan Jette Martin: Unfortunately, I didn't get to go to the premiere party because I was working! [Laughs] But there were a lot of the original cast at the premiere party and all of our cast members who got to go said they were very encouraging. And a couple of them want to guest on the show, which I think would be super-cool. They could play our teachers or something.

It's probably a good sign that some of the movie's cast members showed up to the premiere and support the show. I doubt they would if it totally sucked. I'm just curious to see WHICH cast members attended. I would LOVE to see Allison Janney, Joseph Gordan Levvitt, or Daryl "the Chill" Mitchell back in the series. Better yet, there could be a NUMBERS-10 Things crossover episode where David Krumholtz reprises his role as the nerd and gives a math lecture to the 10 Things crowd (he plays a prof on the hit CBS show anyways!).

TVGuide.com: Kat goes to prom for Bianca in the movie. Are we going to see any of those sisterly favors?
Martin: There's going to be a dance in Episode 8. It's a true and honest relationship between Kat and Bianca. I have an older sister and we fight and bicker, but in the end we love each other and we make sacrifices for each other and help each other out.

If the dance scene features "Shout" or "Angels Fall" I may just have a heart attack. The dance scene from the film is one of my all-time favorite movie moments. Nothing beats the camera shot when Kat runs away from Patrick and down the stairs as the music in the background plays "God Knows Even Angels Fall". I get goosebumps just thinking about it.
And... on that note... if they dare have Kat recite a poem ANYWHERE in the TV serious I'll be uber-pissed off.

"Make it or Break it" Broke it.

While I didn't originally intend on watching the Make it or Break it premiere on ABC Family, I found myself pulled in for the simple fact that there was absolutely nothing else on (I already knew that Jon and Kate were getting divorced so I chose to forgo that misery).
I kept the following list of observations and decided to share them with you (just in case you missed it ;):

*Way to take advantage of the post-olympic ferver. If the show only would star cute little Shawn Johnson I might just watch it again. They did pick a great Nastia Luiken character.
*Could they have stolen anymore things from Stick It? The leotards look almost identical, the main star looks freakishly like Missy Peregrym, and the mother looks JUST like the mom in the movie too!
*How could a gymnastics show feature so little gymnastics? I know they require special effects and stunt people, but you'd think they'd show more routines rather than fancy/crappy camera work to cover up their actress' inability to do any of the things the show requires.
*How on Earth are they going to come up with a seasons worth of this show? The less-fortunate gymnast can only over-take her spoiled rich competitors so many times. This show is going to end up like Gilligan's Island where you know how each episode is going to end and you'll end up stop caring.
*At least the guy is really hott. That's it. He can't act but he's really good looking so I can ignore that.

P.S. I know I've bitched about this before...but having seen a couple new teaser trailers for 10 Things I Hate About You during the show I decided to bitch again. They had someone remake "I Want You To Want Me" and have been using that for their teasers. I'm sorry but it's bad enough to remake a great movie into a TV show you shouldn't ruin a good song by remaking it too.

10 Things I Hate About the New "10 Things I Hate About You"

While the ABC Family series 10 Things I Hate About You has yet to premiere, I'm ALREADY making a list of the reasons why I WON'T like the show based upon the extended preview I saw for the first time today.
1) These actors SUCK. You can't replace Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger (God rest his soul). The original cast was simply too good. I almost feel bad for these kids. I don't care if Gregory Peck is the grandfather of the guy who is playing Patrick Verona (Ledger's character in the film). You WILL not EVER be as good as Ledger was in the movie.

2) The plot elements aren't all the same. In the movie the Stratford sister's mom leaves them. In the preview it mentions she dies. I'm sure this is just one in a long list of changes the writer's of the series have made in order to provide more dramatic plot points. Instead they're just screwing with what WAS a cleverly designed film based on Shakespear's "Taming of the Shrew".

3) They are trying to bring back the best elements of the film in the worst way. Allison Janney was amazing as Ms. Perky in the film. Her character, while not the largest role, was certainly one of the best. In the preview her replacement seems to attempt to fill the void and I don't care how hard the writer's try...no other guidance councilor will be able to take her place (I doubt the characters will even be able to MAKE the same hilarious sexual references on ABC FAMILY).

4) I didn't see Mr. Morgan. Granted the preview was short so there is the potential they cast a character to fill the role left by Daryl "the Chill" Mitchell in the big screen version. But if they did a good job he should have made the extended preview. Mr. Morgan's character was pivotal in the film for a number of reasons (most importantly it provided the stage for Kat's poem in the end), it should be similar to Mr. Pheny's role in Boy Meets World if the show wants to succeed.

5) How many more Gyno jokes can Larry Miller make? I loved Larry Miller as Mr. Stratford in the film. I love that he's back in the show. I don't love that they are going to make me hate his character by using every sexual cliche possible and exploiting his role as a Gyno. The preview already gives an example of how they are bringing back his overly-concerned parenting style. It's as though they're trying to meld Mean Girls with the original film in order to make the sex jokes funny again. Well, they're not.

6) Did I mention I don't like the acting? Upon further review I feel the need to discuss this subject in more detail. Bianca's character in the film worked because you both loved her and hated her. Larissa Oleynik was able to make you feel for her and loathe her all at the same time. And you could genuinely sense the deeply rooted love between the sisters. I'm not feeling the love for Meaghan Martin here. Maybe it's because of her Disney roots (although I doubt it. Camp Rock was bad for all parties involved, not just her). I swear to God if they try to make her into a singing star in this series I'll vomit. ABC Family is not known for pumping out duel-threats. That's Disney's job. The minute the "talent show" episode comes around RUN.

7) Where's Andrew Keegan's character? The show needs a Joey. I'm not sure if he just didn't make it into the previews or what...but without the self-obsessed jock this show won't fly. Andrew Keegan was the antagonist and also served as the comic relief in many of the film's scenes. If you are really going to stay true to the foundation on which this idea was formed you must have a strong Joey presence.

8) What about the quirky sub-characters? Part of the movie's charm was the sub-characters like Boegy Loenstein who were both responsible for plot development AND comic relief. The show will need the same strong background characters in order to keep the framework together. I just doubt they'll be able to get the talent necessary to bring that to the table, especially considering you they have playing the leads.

9) It's on ABC Family. I mentioned this before, but I have to say it again. Part of the movie's appeal was it's sometimes crude sense of humor, drug and alcohol use, and sexual references. I'm not sure how strict ABC Family will be regarding these topics. I know you see a lot of that in Greek but will it be enough to keep 10 Things afloat?

10) It's premiering in the middle of the summer. When was the last GOOD TV show that made its debut in the middle of the summer? That's what I thought. If this were really that good they would have held it for a fall premiere. Maybe I'm just a pessimist. Maybe ABC Family programming works differently from other networks. Maybe the network is trying to follow in Disney's footsteps and steal the younger generation away during the summer months. If that's the case good luck. That will also mean you won't be going after the audience that fell in the love with the movie the first time around. I know this because they are all my age and will be out doing things this summer NOT watching ABC Family. This should be the type of show that ends up on the CW and competes with Gossip Girl, not ends up on ABC Family and competes with Hannah Montana.

It's Not a Nightmare...it's 10 Things I Hate About You!

I was really hoping that it was all a bad dream. I thought for sure I'd wake up one day to find that the rumors of a "10 Things I Hate About You" TV series were just that-rumors. Instead my nightmare became even more of a reality today when I saw, for the first time, the promo for the series on ABC Family. It may only be 11 seconds long...but already I'm NOT a fan.

HOW DO I LOATHE THEE? LET ME COUNT THE WAYS!

Here's what I've discovered about the aforementioned, ill conceived, 10 Things I Hate About You re-make. Gil Junger, the director of the movie, will direct the pilot of the series WHICH TOTALLY INTENDS TO RIP THE MOVIE OFF.
The cast list is up online and reads like this:

Cast

• Lindsey Shaw (Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide) as Kat Stratford
• Meaghan Jette Martin (Camp Rock) as Bianca Stratford
• Larry Miller (The movie) as Dr. Walter Stratford
• Nicholas Braun (Minutemen and Sky High) as Cameron James
• Kyle Kaplan (Hannah Montana) as Michael Bernstein
• Dana Davis (Prom Night) as Chastity Church
• Chris Zylka as Joey Donner

Here are my thoughts: Yeah for Larry Miller. That's it. Meaghan Jette Martin can't hold a candle to Larissa Oleynik. And don't get me started on Lindsey Shaw as Julia Stiles. I can tell this will not go well.

"10 Thing I Hate About You" TV Show Say What?

You can say that I'm a fan of 10 Things I Hate About You. What defines fan, you ask?
*I have basically the entire movie memorized.
*I can recite the poem that Julia Stiles reads at the end and cry at the appropriate time
*It's the only film I own in BOTH VHS and DVD

I'm not psychotic, just indebted. 10 Things was the perfect film at the perfect time for me. It came out when I was in junior high. It was a film about finding yourself during the time I was trying to, well, find myself. It put Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles on the map. It made singing sexy (thanks again Heath). It made Shakespear slightly cool. And it made everyone want Allison Janney to be their guidance councilor.
Now I see on Variety that ABC Family has given a ten episode order to a TV series of the same title! This is blasphemy! Heath Ledger is rolling over in his grave at the thought. I can't imagine a scenario in which this is ok.
And yet, as I write this, I realize I'm old and thus there is an entire generation who probably haven't even seen the movie which had such an impact on my existence. Even so, some things should just be left alone.