Weekly Poll

13 01 2010

In the last Weekly Poll, a decent majority–60 percent–said they hope Rachel stays in Tree Hill. Only 22 percent said they disagreed and 18 percent didn’t care either way. The results were tight on the question of Lily and Keith and what may or may not have happened between them. Thirty-four percent of respondents said Lily wouldn’t cheat on Rufus but 30 percent admitted they weren’t sure and can’t wait to find out. Twenty-six percent are convinced cheating did occur while 10 percent also said they weren’t sure but they’re not looking forward to finding out. We had a tie in the third question, with 26 percent saying Dixon shouldn’t look for his birth mom but 26 percent also saying they don’t care. Another 35 percent said he should while 13 percent said they were torn.





Random Thought

13 01 2010

After doing the Random Thought where I speculated on reasons for The CW’s mid-season scheduling, I realized it would probably be helpful to examine each of the current teen dramas and their chances of renewal.

As you’ll see below, there’s pros and cons for each show–ones that I believe are enough to warrant either renewal or cancellation. I honestly believe it could go either way. The bottom line, then, is we really just have to wait til May, when The CW officially announces their 2010-2011 schedule.

ONE TREE HILL (Average number of viewers this season: 2.5 million viewers, rounded up)

For: Of the three teen dramas, One Tree Hill has the highest ratings almost every time there’s new episodes. Cast and crew say they feel reinvigorated and have contracts for an eighth season. The network feels confident enough about it to use it as a launching pad for Life Unexpected.

Against: Fans remain split on the quality of this season. There has been a marginal drop in ratings and the show is going on eight years. At some point, someone’s going to say enough’s enough. The network could say the show has run its course and/or they want new blood. They may be more willing to say that this year, if space on the schedule is limited and an old show needs to go so they can bring in more new shows and/or focus on their younger ones. The cast and crew could say the show has run its course and/or they want to try new things. Creator/executive producer Mark Schwahn is working on a new pilot, Nashville, as well as another project for The CW.


GOSSIP GIRL (2.2 million viewers)

For: Buzz is as high as ever, with countless publications willing and ready to report on the shows and its stars. Cast and crew reportedly have contracts for a fourth season. An additional season increases the likelihood of a syndication deal and, of course, a better deal at that. The show has become a “signature” for The CW, one that they still promote heavily, which is an indication of their investment in it.

Against: Fans and critics alike have complained of a drop in quality this year. Ratings are dropping as well. Several cast members have shown an increasing interest in focusing their careers on film and music.


90210 (2.2 million viewers, rounded up)

For: Critics are responding better to this season than the last one. Critics, cast and network have said having Rebecca Sinclair take over has helped. Matt Lanter (Liam) has said he’s pretty sure they’ll get another season–and more. The cast and crew likely have contracts through a fourth season. Canceling it after two seasons would be the equivalent of The CW admitting they were wrong about the viability of a Beverly Hills 90210 spin-off and/or that they weren’t the ones capable of making the idea work. After they bragged about it so much before and during the initial launch, it would be a big embarrassment. A third season would (arguably) allow them to say they successfully created the next installment in the 90210 franchise, one that lasted for a respectable three years.

Against: The show was among the lowest-rated of 2009 for any broadcast network and critics consider it to be largely unsuccessful compared to the original.


Since this is a teen drama site, you’ll notice I didn’t include Life Unexpected, The Vampire Diaries, Melrose Place, Smallville and Supernatural. But for the sake of completeness, here’s my take on those: for LUX, it all depends on the ratings the first 13 episodes get and whether critics love the later episodes as much as they did the first few. Even if the ratings are low and critics turn negative, however, they may still want to give the show a proper season in hopes people will come around if given more time. The Vampire Diaries is a surefire renewal, as it has ratings, buzz and critical acclaim. Melrose Place is in a similar position to 90210 but with two differences: worse ratings and only 1 season. The CW could say the ratings gave no choice but to cancel but they could also renew, citing strengths (as they usually do) by spinning some of the numbers. And like with 90210, giving up too soon would be a sign of a defeat, that their grand plan–especially after Heather Locklear’s involvement–didn’t work out. Some question whether Smallville and Supernatural will get renewals since they’ve been on for quite some time already, but the network has remained positive about both shows and their futures. In two interviews, both less than a week old, Dawn Ostroff maintains she’s very pleased with Smallville this year but the exact future remains to be seen. She made similar comments about Supernatural.

The network technically has 10 spots to fill: two shows per night, Monday-Friday. Renewing all the shows mentioned above, plus America’s Next Top Model, makes 9. Most networks want to bring in more than one pilot. If The CW feels that way, they’ll either have to give a show–either new or old–a limited season or they’ll have to cancel one (if not more) of their current shows.

Fans, bloggers and critics will spend the next several months speculating on which shows will get renewed. There might be stronger indications as time goes by as well as some early announcements, but sometimes a decision in the bottom of the ninth, so to speak, can change everything (as it did with The CW and 7th Heaven/Everwood in 2006). Nothing is 100 percent official until the upfront in May, when the network presents its new schedule to advertisers.

I hope it doesn’t seem like I’m hedging my bets so I’m not wrong. I truly won’t be surprised if any of the teen dramas are renewed or canceled. I wish I could give you a better indication of what will be. The truth is, if you told me Gossip Girl was canceled for the reasons I listed above, I’d say it makes perfect sense. Likewise, if you told me it was renewed for the reasons I listed above, that would make perfect sense to me, too. The same goes for One Tree Hill and 90210. These are the things countless executives at the network will be going back and forth on for the next few months. They’re also privy to information we’re not–such as the exact costs of making each show, the profits they’re making and the quality of the pilot options as well as the quality of the plans the current crews have pitched to them for next season.

In the meantime, if you want a show to get renewed, I encourage you to watch it when it airs–not online and not via DVR. You can also contact The CW via its Web site to let them know what you want to see next season. Many times a strong fan campaign has made all the difference.

Hang in there. We’ve still got a ways to go.





News Roundup: 90210, The O.C. and Dawson’s Creek

12 01 2010
  • 90210 is briefly mentioned at the end of this interview with Jessica Walter (Tabitha).
  • New York Magazine has an interview with Benjamin McKenzie (Ryan, The O.C.). Here’s another all about Southland and this one talks about Southland and its relation to the Jay Leno debacle.
  • Small Screen Scoop has a fantastic interview with Kerr Smith (Jack, Dawson’s Creek). They asked great questions!
  • In this interview with Life Unexpected creator Liz Tigelaar, she has many great things to say about Smith.




News Roundup: Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, 90210 and Dawson’s Creek

11 01 2010
  • There will be Valentine’s Day-themed editions of the Gossip Girl tour in New York City. And remember, you can get 10 percent off your ticket for the tour anytime when you use the promo code TEENDRAMA.
  • Hilarie Burton (Peyton, One Tree Hill) has a new vlog on the SoGoPro site.
  • The new One Tree Hill Connection podcast features an interview with Joe Manganiello (Owen, One Tree Hill). MTV summed up the True Blood portion of it.  Have you read my interview with Manganiello?
  • Examiner.com has an interview with Maria Menounos (Jules, One Tree Hill). Have you read my interview with Menounos?
  • Shenae Grimes (Annie, 90210) was on Jimmy Kimmel Live last week.
  • Totally adorable to see Michelle Williams (Jen, Dawson’s Creek) and Busy Philipps (Audrey, Dawson’s Creek) hanging out together with their daughters.




News Roundup: One Tree Hill, 90210, The O.C. and More

10 01 2010
  • TVByTheNumbers.com is speculating which CW shows will be renewed next year. Stay tuned for my own take in a few days.
  • Bethany Joy Galeotti (Haley, One Tree Hill) confirmed that she is now on Facebook.
  • Elisabeth Harnois (Shelley, One Tree Hill) is one of the stars of Miami Medical, a new show starting in April on CBS.
  • AnnaLynne McCord (Naomi, 90210) is starring in the film Gun, alongside 50 Cent.
  • Beverly Hills 90210 is mentioned in this article on The Simpsons celebrating their 450th episode.
  • Found this article about the Beverly Hills school district to be quite interesting, since on the show, Andrea had to keep it a secret that she wasn’t a BH resident.
  • Southland, starring Benjamin McKenzie (Ryan, The O.C.) and Michael Cudlitz (Tony, Beverly Hills 90210) has its TNT premiere Tuesday night.
  • Both Kerr Smith (Jack, Dawson’s Creek) and DC get cute mentions in this article on Life Unexpected.
  • James Van Der Beek (Dawson, Dawson’s Creek) will be on at least eight episodes of Mercy beginning January 27, which also stars Michelle Trachtenberg (Georgina, Gossip Girl).




News Roundup: Gossip Girl, 90210, One Tree Hill and Dawson’s Creek

9 01 2010
  • CNN has an interesting article on Gossip Girls’ effect on the Empire Hotel, which is used by the show.
  • Tristan Wilds (Dixon, 90210) got a formspring.me account so fans could ask him questions.
  • Last week’s issue of Soap Opera Digest (dated January 12) have a feature examining blonde vs. brunette scenarios on daytime and primetime, including 3 teen dramas. 1. Both Kelly vs. Brenda and Kelly vs. Valerie (Beverly Hills 90210), with points awarded to Kelly in both instances. 2. Dawson vs. Pacey (Dawson’s Creek) with a “win” for Pacey. It inaccurately says Joey and Pacey broke up after she lost her virginity to him. They also could’ve done Jen vs. Joey. 3. Peyton vs. Brooke (One Tree Hill), with a point for Peyton and a half-point for Brooke being mature about it. This last one, especially, was incredibly over-simplified, bordering on misleading and inaccurate. There were great pictures for all.
  • While thinking about the Beverly Hills 90210 anniversaries this year brings, I found this Star News article from two years ago that, in honor of Dawson’s Creek’s 10-year anniversary, revisits interacting factoids about the show.
  • This article on Life Unexpected suggests Kerr Smith (Jack, Dawson’s Creek) will be there for the long-haul, despite the vibe I got after watching the first three episodes.




Six Degrees of Teen Dramas

9 01 2010

New to Six Degrees of Teen Dramas? Here’s how to play!

Last Week: Harrison Ford

This Week:

Sandra Bullock

Go at it!

(I’ll tell you right now there’s a very easy connection!)





News Roundup: 90210, One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl and More

8 01 2010
  • Found this pretty cool take on recreating fashion styles as seen on Beverly Hills 90210 in the early 90s.
  • The CW sent out a press release about its schedule for the rest of the TV year: as previously reported, we’ve got One Tree Hill and Life Unexpected beginning January 18, but now we know repeats of LUX and Gossip Girl will air Wednesday nights until March. Also, as previously reported, LUX takes OTH’s spot on March 8 so new episodes of GG can air. 90210 returns with its new episodes the next night, March 9. Then on April 19, LUX is finished and we’ve got new episodes of OTH and GG through the end of the season.
  • PEOPLE.com has a poll asking whether Adam Lambert should guest-star on Gossip Girl or other shows.
  • Blake Lively (Serena, Gossip Girl) will star in Green Lantern, whose screenplay was written by Greg Berlanti (writer- producer, Dawson’s Creek).
  • Chace Crawford (Nate, Gossip Girl) will be among the presenters at the Golden Globes on January 17.
  • There are brief mentions of Gossip Girl and The O.C. in this fun interview with Josh Schwartz (creator of both).
  • You can see Rachel Bilson (Summer, The O.C.) on How I Met Your Mother this Monday.
  • Melinda Clarke (Julie, The O.C.) will appear on The Vampire Diaries, which only adds to the following…
  • How did I not know Kayla Ewell (Casey, The O.C.) was on The Vampire Diaries, which was created by Kevin Williamson (creator, Dawson’s Creek) and also stars Paul Wesley (Donnie, The O.C.)? Kellan Lutz (George, 90210) spoke very fondly of their (now long ago) relationship when I interviewed him in ’08. On The O.C., Ewell starred alongside Cam Gigandet (Volchok, The O.C), who was also in the Twilight films with Lutz and, of course, Nikki Reed (Sadie, The O.C.) and Jackson Rathbone (Justin, The O.C.). Six degrees…
  • There’s an interview with Kerr Smith (Jack, Dawson’s Creek) in the new issue of Soap Opera Digest.




News Roundup: 90210, Dawson’s Creek and The O.C.

7 01 2010
  • Ryan O’Neal has been cast as Spence Montgomery, father to Teddy (Trevor Donovan). We’ve known for a while that we’d see Spence in upcoming episodes but this is the first casting announcement.
  • Tori Spelling (Donna, Beverly Hills 90210) is working on a new book, tentatively titled uncharted terriTORI and scheduled for release in June.
  • While researching something earlier, I came across this New York Times article from 2000, which was published shortly before Beverly Hills 90210 ended. On May 17, it will be 10 years since the series finale. (In September, it will be 20 years since the series premiere!)
  • Finding the above article reminded me of this one, which quoted me when I was all of 12 years old!
  • Beginning Monday, The CW will allow people to watch the first ten minutes of Life Unexpected, starring Shiri Appleby (Rene, Beverly Hills 90210) and Kerr Smith (Jack, Dawson’s Creek), on their Facebook Fan page.
  • CNN has an interesting article on The Beautiful Life, starring Mischa Barton (Marissa, The O.C.) being on YouTube.




Weekly Poll

6 01 2010

In the last Weekly Poll, the majority of voters thought it was a happy medium for Haley to go on tour with Nathan and Jamie with her for part of the time. Many of you thought she deserved to go on tour regardless, while just two people said she should keep her family as the priority. Forty-seven percent said Blair and Chuck have had highs and lows this season but 31 percent say the luster is gone and 22 percent say their power is still just as strong. Only 3 votes separated the ays from the maybes on whether Kelly should be in more episodes. Just 10 percent, or 5 votes, were against it.