5624 replies to this topic

[MegaJ]

You've seen the commericals on The N. Yeah, the ones with that one chick acting all flirty with the other chick and with Kenny from Hang Time. They're commericals for the new show on The N, South of Nowhere. Here's the press release from Viacom:

“South of Nowhere will explore those sensitive topics—sex, class, race, drugs, figuring out who you are and what you believe in—that are very much on teens’ minds today,” said Tom Lynch.  “I believe The N is the only network bold and daring enough to air this series, and I’m thrilled to be collaborating with them.”

No abortions though. The N doesn't play that.

Now before you go, "Degrassi rip-off!" Keep in mind a few things: This show doesn't seem to have a lot of characters like Degrassi does, and I think they'll keep things focused on the Carlin siblings. Second, whereas Degrassi deals with topical issues, this series seems to be more about self-identity. What will really set this show about from Degrassi is that, according to this link, if it is to belived, (spoiler warning) Spencer, the lead female character will discover that she is indeed a lesbian and may start a relationship with wild child Ashely, which would make SoN the first U.S. show aimed at a young audience to revolve around a lesbian teen. It'll be interesting to see how The-N's primary audience (teenage girls) react to this show.

I think this show has a shot at doing really well though. Tom Lynch has a good track record (Caitlin's Way, Alex Mack) and the cast is attractive and it does sound like it would be a fun show to watch after Degrassi goes off at 8:30pm.

Official site's here. The show premieres November the 4th. I think I'll actually be in town to see the premiere...

Edited by MegaJ, Oct 27, 2005 @ 4:35 PM.

[McKay]

This really makes me wish I had TiVo. I've seen the promos while Daria's on, and I'm still planning on trying to catch the premiere, but I don't really want to explain this one to my parents. God, I need to move out. Heh.
As a lesbian myself, I do hope that they go that direction with the character, or at least have it be a possibility, and deal with it realistically. Would've been nice to see when I was that age.

[MegaJ]

Two new articles:

One from AfterEllen.com, it gives away quite a lot so [spoiler warning].

One about Valerie Ortiz, one of the actresses.

ETA: The Donnas are doing the theme song.

Aww, look at the cute morons.

Edited by MegaJ, Nov 3, 2005 @ 2:19 PM.

[Invisible Green]

This show seems interesting. If I had any access to The-N, I'd watch it.

[McKay]

Hopefully it'll be downloadable somewhere. (I really, really hope so, 'cause I doubt I'll be able to catch it on TV.)

[emylou]

Ooh!! starts in just 1 hour!!!!!

[MegaJ]

Goddamit, I'm not going to be home on time to see the premiere. I guess I'll catch it when it repeats.

[Slade347]

Hmm....MegaJ, the N doesn't really repeat their shows very often, so you might be out of luck. ;)

The reviews I've seen on this are mixed, but I'm still very much looking forward to it.

[DownsideUp]

I've gotta say, it was quite the dissapointment. Maybe because the promos have been running for MONTHS now and highlighted more than just the premiere episode, so my expectations were shot down. I'll give it another week to try and win me over but there's just something missing that I can't put my finger on. Maybe I shouldn't have went in expecting to be "WOW'D". That was my first mistake.

I did almost think they were going to "go there" with the abortion, but nope, nipped in the bud! I guess "get rid of it" is The-N's new catchphrase for the big A.

I do like the show's production values though. Gotta give them credit there! Although, yet another teen show with nearly perfect cast members?

Edited by DownsideUp, Nov 4, 2005 @ 9:25 PM.

[Cassandra Lupos]

I actually really enjoyed it. Shows usually improve after their pilots (like my other the-N love, Instant Star--embarrassingly bad pilot, worked its way through the season to a killer season finale. not that I'm a total and complete loser or anything. no sir, not I), and again, I liked it. The blond brother needs to be slapped, and the show is trying way, way, way too hard--lesbianism, miscarriages, racial profiling, jockfighting, all in the first episode? Oookay.

The show made a big deal of its diversity (on the-N's website, the-Mary was like "OMG black people in Southern California?" mockingly, of course, and, well... it's a valid point), and while I do give it kudos for that... is it me, or is the black brother (yeah Spencer, Madison, and Aiden are the only characters whose names I've managed to pick up so far) only ever filmed in scenes with other black kids? Which on the social scene works but... does he go to a different school? Shouldn't there have been like, some white kids in his English class? Or was I just not paying attention?

Word on the production values.

[vickimaze]

Shouldn't there have been like, some white kids in his English class? Or was I just not paying attention?

I think that was the whole point black brother cant get into AP math and has to play with coloring books. 'Cause he is black they don't make the effort to get him in the best classes.

[OneWomanArmy04]

It repeats at 11:30 CST. I wasn't even sure I got this channel, so I missed it, but lo and behold, I do. Gotta get my queer fix, even if it is crappy.

[chrish84]

You might as well stick a fork in Degrassi after I saw this tonight. If you make me choose between preachiness and wackiness, I'll choose wackiness every time. Just a ridiculously over the top premiere. Lesbians! Abortions! Evil Racist Cops! The head cheerleader's boyfriend was really wooden in his acting but everyone else was pretty capable. I hope we get a slow burn with some of these storylines though. Lots of craziness works for a pilot, but I think they need to settle down a little in upcoming episodes.

[soccered]

I wonder if this show will be available somewhere on the net. The only time I ever get to see The-N is when they show a free preview special. Kinda sucks.

[JessicaLovejoy]

Pro - I adore Mandy Musgrave, and Mandy Musgrave in teeny outfits is muy bueno. Con - Spencer bears more than a passing resemblance to a girl I hated in high school.

But I already think this is mopping the floor with Degrassi, action wise.

I dug it.

[OneWomanArmy04]

Wow, I really enjoyed that! I was surprised at how well-written it was, for a "kids show". Cheesy and over the top, definitely, and some seriously terrible production values, but it was nice to just watch a cheesy show. I agree that they need to settle down a little bit; trying to juggle race, lesbians, abortion, and high school blah de blah, it got a little bit hectic. But, yeah, I dug it.

[MegaJ]

So I finally caught it at 12:30am. Great production values, and an interesting set-up pilot, though it was a bit hectic. I guess they wanted to introduce all the principal cast.

The Carlins are alright. Glen got on my nerves, Clay's storyline hit right home, and Spencer is a cool character. I haven't seen enough of Mom and Dad for me to judge.

Ashley...okay I'm guessing there's no dress code at King High. Seriously, if she went to my school, she would've been sent home, or forced to wear a big, ugly orange T-shirt. Her past with Aiden already opens up possibilites for future plotlines. I had to laugh, Aiden sure knows how to pick the ladies. Ashley goes bisexual and now he's eye-ing sexually confused Spencer.

I'll stick around for the episodes I CAN see, I'm stuck in college. I hope someone puts them on Limewire or somewhere. I think they're doing a marathon around Thanksgiving, so that's good.

Reviews from people who matter:
Good Article from (I think) TV Gal
Good(?) review from the Hollywood Reporter.
Tom Lynch created KIDS Incorporated? Awesome.
Mixed review from Variety.
Good review from NewsdayArticle on Mandy Musgrave and Valery OrtizSoN makes "8 to watch this weekend."

Edited by MegaJ, Nov 5, 2005 @ 1:57 AM.

[Slade347]

The first two episodes were a bit of a mess in terms of them trying to cram so much into it. The tweeking of sterotypes- the white brother is the baskeball hotshot, the black brother is the brain, the mother is the surgeon whose career forced the move, the father is the devoted social worker, was a little obvious and over the top, but it fit in with the rest of the show. That over the top cheesiness, though, is one of things that I like about the show. Actually that might be the biggest draw for me, at least right now. My favorite scene along those lines was the one girl saying "that's that white boy's problem, not yours." That line was a classic.

Mandy Musgrave plays Ashley, right? I thought she was the best of the actors on the show, although I also liked the actress who played Spencer, as well as the actor who played Clay's friend (Sean?).

I'll be there next week to catch it right after Degrassi.

[DylanMChadley]

I liked the premiere too. I'm pretty sure it was all handheld cameras, which usually drives me nuts with all the shaking, but I liked it in this case. I liked how the Carlans' individual storylines converged a few times. It bugs me when shows featuring siblings have separate plots for each character.

Word to those who said there was a little too much going on, but it always takes a few episodes for a show to settle in, and premieres tend to be intense. I thought Ashley and Spencer became friends a little too quickly to come off as realistic, but it is TV, and they only had so much time to get things moving. Did anyone else think it was weird that the lockers were outside? It'd be pretty easy for someone to break into them at night.

Glad to see this isn't yet another show that thinks it's soooo cool for being set in the L.A. area. (Yes, I'm talking to you, The O.C.) Looking forward to next week.

[prican58]

Slade and MegaJ, if you go to the N web site, the schedule does show when it repeats, and I think it's quite a few times.
I think the girl who lays Spencer looks a bit like Jessica Alba. Not quite so hot, but that's who she reminds me of.

[Rejoice]

I'm catching the premiere now and right away I'm noticing that the acting is a little... bad? And they don't seem to have the "teenspeak" down the way they do on Degrassi. Maybe that's why the acting is so lackluster, the lines are just too scripty.

[Tibby]

I caught the premiere tonight and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. It still needs a few episodes to settle in, but I think there is definite potential. The premise reminds me of 90210 but I like the way they are trying to twist the stereotypes (even if it is a little overkill.) No way would Brenda Walsh ever had been a lesbian. Imagine the first episode of 90210 if they had been setting up a romance between Brenda and Kelly!

I actually thought the girl playing Ashley was the weakest actress of them all but I absolutely love her voice. I don't think I've ever watched a show before and been so in love with a person's speaking voice but that my biggest observation from the pilot. I wish I talked like that.

Or looked like any of the girls on this show.

[McKay]

I missed it because I have a cousin visiting this weekend. Anyone know if it'll be repeated during the week, or if the pilot is downloadable anywhere?

[MegaJ]

I watched the premiere again. I'm guess The-N (and pretty every teen show) is against having some sort of adult supervisor on the cheerleading squad. It seems unthinkable that cheerleading squad wouldn't have a coach/supervisor, especially now that it's a competitive sport. We got both Paige and Madison bullying the other cheerleaders...

[mightymos]

I started watching late about 10 minutes in. Was it a surprise that the black guy from Hang Time was the other son? Or did we just assume he was a wealthy black guy from a black family until he showed up late for dinner?

[Knots Landing]

MegaJ, I don't think I've EVER seen a cheerleading show where they have supervisors. This has always bothered me because a cheerleading coach is just as important as a Football or Basketball one. No way they'd let catty teenage girls have full reign.

Anyway, I loved this show! I didn't think The N would ever get a show that's compelling to watch ala Degrassi, but they finally have. I thought this was edgy, well written and very well cast.

The lesbian angle almost made me not watch, but they (surprisingly) pulled it off VERY well! I thought it was going to be the usual ratings stunt where there is zero chemistry, it makes zero sense and it ends soon. Looks like they'll stick with it. I like that.

Mandy Musgrave, I think her name is Ashley, was very good. I hated her when she was on Days of Our Lives, but I think she's improved since then. She's also much hotter here, but I blame the Days waredrobe department for that. It was also nice seeing Bold and Beautiful star Maeve Quinlan as the Mom, but I had no idea she was old enough for that.

Can't wait to see more eppys of this show and I hope it takes off in the same way Degrassi has.

[Knots Landing]

The only real thing that bothered me was the outside lockers. Sooo impractical. Since it seems that they have all the lockers on wheels (since they used the same ones in the cheerleading room and the dream sequence), I wish they'd just scoot them into the hallway set and pretend that the outside lockers never happened.

I recall reading on The O.C. forum that outdoor lockers are very common in California. I've personally never seen them though, being from Texas.

[mightymos]

We had them in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

[cathy51]

We had outside lockers at my school, too - junior and senior high (SF Bay Area). They were in outdoor breezeways that were protected by pull down gates after school hours.