Lucy Hale Responds To Her My TV Award Nomination

"First off, let me say that this is my first time being nominated for something like this. I am so flattered! I feel very blessed to be able to do what I love and get recognition for it. This is extremely exciting! Thank you so much!"

-Lucy Hale
Multiple My TV Award Nominee:
Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy (Privileged)
Best Female Guest Star (Private Practice)

A Post Privileged Post

After you've recovered from the incredibly sad (read: ridiculous, wrong and simply unfair) cancellation of Privileged, don't despair that you may never see your favourite cast members again.

It seems that the adorable Joanna Garcia (Privileged's leading lady) will be heading to the upper east side to romance one Mr. Nate Archibald. Her 4 episode Gossip Girl arc will kick off in the season premiere, giving us all even more incentive to watch.

Not a guest stint to be missed.

Adieu to the Bakers and the Newlys

Amidst a storm of good news at the recent network upfronts, the sadness of harsh cancellations went unfelt.

Now, with our joy over the renewals of Dollhouse, Chuck, Better Off Ted and Scrubs fully felt, it is time to turn our attention to the heartbreaking cancellations of two of TV's most uplifting shows: Privileged and Samantha Who.

A CW freshman series that suffered from lack of shock factor, lack of network support and lack of an add campaign, Privileged was a critical darling, popular among those searching for something to fill the Gilmore void and a favourite of all of us here at My TV. The adorable antics of Megan, Rose, Sage, Marco, Will and Charlie will be greatly missed. I'm desperate for the season 1 DVD so I can relive all the great moments, whether they got a proper resolution or not.

As for the second hurtful cancellation, the innocent victims are Samantha Newly (Christina Applegate) and her hilarious comrades (Jennifer Esposito and Melissa McCarthy) from Samantha Who? Instead of renewing the Emmy-winning comedy for a third season and pairing it with renewed favourites Scrubs and Better off Ted to make a comedy night almost as strong as the renowned NBC Thursday or CBS Monday, ABC instead decided to axe the sweet little sitcom. So now, not only are some of television's best actors jobless (Applegate, Esposito, McCarthy, Barry Watson, Jean Smart, Kevin Dunn and Tim Russ are all flawless comedians), but now we'll never know how the epic romance between Sam and Todd turns out; we won't get to watch Sam get her memory back and we'll miss Andrea's arc into a brand new, good-ish Andrea.

Damn you upfronts! You're always such a roller coaster of emotions!

Rest in Peace sweet and optimistic television (that doesn't involve singing). It was great while it lasted.

Dear Dawn Ostroff,

I believe in you. 

True, you've made some hideous programming mistakes in the past and cancelled more than one beloved show, but I choose to believe in you anyway. 

I'm choosing to believe that, despite all appearances, you are more of a Gilmore girl than a Gossip girl at heart and that you can't possibly prefer 90210 to Privileged. I believe that you really do want The CW to do well by its honourable WB lineage and that you don't actually watch America's Next Top Model. 

So what I need from you now is for you to believe in Privileged; because if last night's wonderful installment was the last episode of the critical darling then I'm afraid I'll be giving up hope for the future of your network. Josh Schwartz and co. (Gossip Girl) can't save you forever and the 5 other shows you just renewed (Supernatural, Smallville, ANTM, 90210 and One Tree Hill) aren't exactly the stuff dreams are made of. It's time to take a leap of faith or give someone else the chance to fly. 

Goodbye Charlie, I'll Always Love You

...even if Megan can't. 

This week's Privileged was, despite being a wonderful episode, really really sad. This marked Michael Cassidy's last episode as the sweetest man alive, Megan's best friend Charlie. 

Before he left to go to school in California, Charlie finally confessed his love to Megan, and she promptly broke his heart. And while I wanted to yell at Megan for that, I actually found her completely sympathetic in this episode. Mandy calling her out on the selfish crap that's been bothering me all season finally alerted Megan to the fact that she may not be the fantastic person that she thinks she is. (By the way, I'm totally with Mandy, the worst kinds of people are the ones who are bad but think they're good). And with this realization Megan told Charlie how she really felt and apologized for hurting him. Charlie, in turn, told her she couldn't be a bad person if she tried. Yes he's in love with her but I really think that that was him loving his best friend- in a best friendly way. 

And when I gave it some thought I understood Megan too. Charlie is the most important person in her life and she does LOVE him, the fact that she can't be IN LOVE with him is beyond her control. She definitely wishes she could be in love with him, that is, after all, what stories are made of, but can't lie to him and herself when she just isn't. So she stays with Will, and loves Will, but when it comes to a fight between the two men she stands behind Charlie, because what she has with Charlie may be a different kind of love, but it's the strongest in her life. 

Rose and Sage were also lovely this week (Sage has REALLY grown on me, though I fear where this newest storyline may lead), Lily was used effectively and in moderation and for the first time I kind of liked her. And there were no extraneous adult characters bogging the episode down. So even though it made me sad to see Charlie go, I'm still happy that the show was so good. 

I'm just going to put it out there... Privileged, the best show of the week so far? 

Privileged=Happiness... but

Will is even more wonderful than I thought. I like that his family is allowed to function as a complete and loving family without any of the dysfunction that television convention would like to place on them because of their net worth. I love that he has his flaws and often gives Megan bad advice, but at least he's trying. I like that he can calculate things quickly in his head. 

...

but Megan is a complete spaz. Like Ugly Betty, Megan can't seem to determine what are the really important things she needs to be there for her family for and when are the times she should focus on herself and her happiness. But this week she did show some interesting in other people's lives that have nothing to do with her troubles and all her flaws seem to come from a very human place. So ultimately, I'm still pro-Megan. 

Rose and Sage had a lovely story this week. Sage has really grown on me and her relationship with Luis is very sweet. With my new found tolerance for Sage, the bond between the sister has really come out and they each had scenes this week that really brought that home. 

...

but Sage is going to need to find a new goal. This week she reached the conclusion that she doesn't want to be famous for fame's sake. But since she doesn't have the same Duke goal as Rose, if she doesn't find her own goal soon she will have left her future to spend more time with a boy- bad story. 

And Marco was sweet this week

...

but I think he's boring and shouldn't be a big character.

I really loved this episode. I thought it brought the sisterly bond to the forefront again, had some interesting stories and  showed humanity, flaws and nobility in all their characters regardless of economic status or past behaviour. 

...

but I miss Charlie. Don't get me wrong, I never want him to come between Megan and Will, I just want him there to be her best friend. 

What Bothers Me This Week

-Danny DeVito on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The gang is so funny on their own, why do they need a little fat man to make them more absurd?

- Mandy on Privileged. Seriously, where did that meltdown come from?

- TV online viewing area limitations. I can't watch anything on Hulu, NBC, ABC, FOX, CBS, The CW, The WB or BRAVO from Canada, that's just not cool. It's officially not my fault if you don't get to count my viewership for your advertisers, I tried it your way.

Why Rina Needs Help

Rina Mimoun has written for some of my favourite TV shows. She's given voice to Lorelai Gilmore, Ned the Piemaker, Ephram Brown and Dawson Leery, and what voices those were. But what Ms. Mimoun can't seem to do is run her own show. 

Privileged is so uneven that it sometimes makes me dizzy. The casting is a bizarre mix of perfection (Joanna Garcia, Lucy Hale, Michael Cassidy) and disaster (Ashley Newbrough, Kristina Apgar, Anne Archer); the plots range from fun (Rose and Sage plan a $10,000 a plate luncheon so Sage can flirt with her crush) to lovely (Rose struggles to follow her dreams without letting her sister down) to boring (Laurel decides to reconnect with her long lost lover) to stomach churning (anything involving Lily); and the characters flipflop between lovable and horrible on a regular basis (Megan makes an impassioned speech in which she quotes Spiderman then tries to get Will drunk so he'll sleep with her, Charlie gives Megan a shoulder to cry on then abandons and ignores her for a couple of weeks). 

Despite some rockiness in its first couple months, I though that Privileged had finally arrived on stable ground with their pre-Christmas finale. But after tonight's winter premiere it seems as those there's no shore in sight. Megan is still a time bomb, walking the thin line between sweetly quirky and sadistically selfish. Sage is involved in what could be a lovely romance if she weren't so heinous. Charlie's made a move towards self-improvement by applying to college but seems to be letting the women in his life pull him in whatever directions they want. Marco, out of nowhere, is getting some stories, but, sadly, not very interesting ones. Rose, of course, continues to be adorable, if a little two dimensional. 

The development that inspired this post, however, is Mandy's 180 on the Megan issue. Only weeks ago I praised Mandy for how freaking cool she was. She was coping with her boyfriend's female best friend far better than most women would (particularly TV women). Her understanding and self confidence not only made Mandy an engaging character but it also made her a real prospect for Charlie to stay with. But this week, one can only assume for the sake of drama, Ms. Mimoun threw poor Mandy to the wolves and brought the green-eyed monster to call. Mandy threw an unprovoked jealous fit to rival the best in TV history. Way to take the one thing about a character that I really loved and sacrifice it for an episode's worth of forced-plot. BOO. 

Privileged has enough elements that I genuinely like that I'll really be upset if it never finds stable footing. 

Good Guys vs. Bad Boys: the epic battle for the hearts of millions

While watching a recent episode of Privileged, in which the billionaire-playboy-next-door-turned-perfect-boyfriend won the heart of our heroine while her sweet and supportive best friend settled for the next best thing, I began to wonder: With so many shows serving up both the exemplary good guy and the brooding bad boy, is there some sort of pattern as to who comes out on top?

Now I’m not saying that Will is exactly a “bad boy” and lord knows Charlie has his share of flaws, but they serve as good examples of the dichotomy of male television characters. With a few notable exceptions (Wesley Wyndam-Pryce anyone?), Television history is made up of the men who broke hearts, the men who put them back together and the women who had to choose between the two.

The complicated Mr. Big won Carrie Bradshaw’s love while Aidan Shaw (the good guy against whom all TV good guys are measured) got his heart broken. 90210 bad boy Dylan McKay didn’t need any help with the ladies. Rory Gilmore may have moved on from uber bad boy Jess but she spent most of the series with the thrill-seeking rich boy whom she chose over her sweet friend Marty without a second thought. I find myself repeatedly cheering for Grey’s Anatomy’s McSteamy and Alex Karev over dopey sweet George O’Malley and let’s not even start on how much further dangerous vampires Spike and Angel got with Buffy than innocent nice guys Riley and Xander. Felicity never felt for lovely Noel what she felt for irresponsible Ben, there are very few Veronica Mars fans who prefer Duncan to Logan and there’s a reason those guys who broke out of Fox River have such a following.

But then again, on the other side of the coin, geeky sweet Seth Cohen ended The OC by marrying the hottest girl in school while his tortured and tough best friend’s love stories shone much less brightly. By the end of Popular, principled Harrison had both Brooke and Sam fighting over him. How I Met Your Mother’s awkward Marshall and sappy Ted attract a quality of woman out of the reach of their womanizing friend Barney. Kind and supportive Jim won Pam from her rough-around-the-edges fiancee Roy on The Office, Ugly Betty loved nerdy and sincere Henry far more than sarcastic and suave Gio and all 3 of those sweet and silly FRIENDS guys did pretty well.

 So I suppose the jury’s still out. Maybe the distinction isn’t even a fair one; after all, while McSteamy set his friend’s broken nose, George was completely ignoring his friend’s feelings and while Ted was flinging himself at the wrong girl, Barney was honest to God falling for the perfect one. Personally, I think the true winner of this epic duel will be revealed when Kate FINALLY chooses: Jack or Sawyer. 

Privileged Gets Its Groove Back

Though still plagued with problems of a frustrating nature, Privileged has somehow managed to find its way back to a place where it's one of my must-watches of the week. There was a period there in the middle when all it did was make me mad but after this week's episode I can proudly say that I am pro-Privileged once again. 

The main thing that got me back on board? The same thing that pushed me off: Charlie. Originally one of my favourite character, Charlie was everything I like in a supporting male character. So when he was relegated to jerk status I was very mad. I couldn't understand how a character with so much potential all of a sudden goes off the deep end of insufficiently motivated selfishness. After the revelation that he was in love with Megan, Charlie's actions were so far off the mark that he became my main reason for not liking the show. But in the past few weeks Charlie's gotten back on track and in this episode he proved that he was capable of being Megan's best friend again. 

What made this episode really interesting was the Megan/Charlie/Will/Mandy dynamic. How each of the other 3 characters reacted to Megan's parental predicament revealed a ton of character. Mandy was straight to the point, simple yet sympathetic. Charlie was sensitive and comforting, showing how well he really does know Megan. Will was problematically unfamiliar with how to deal with Megan and her problems. This, of course, led to some serious conflict between Will and Charlie. Charlie was in the right, let's just get that out there right away. But I love Will and completely understand where his jealousy came from; in fact, his reaction to really seeing how much Megan leans on Charlie felt very honest. But true props have to be given to Mandy, Charlie's girlfriend and a completely under-appreciated character. Mandy is consistently understanding while always calling Charlie on his crap. She speaks up when she's uncomfortable but is also truly gracious when it comes to letting Megan and Charlie be the friends they've always been. It would be so easy for her to step in and throw out an ultimatum on how close Charlie and Megan are but Mandy is secure enough to not only deal with their dynamic but actually support it and give it the space it needs. The girl is a God send and if Charlie screws that up I'll be pretty pissed at him again. 

And while I hated the storyline about Megan's family (could her mother BE more annoying? Talk about the complete opposite of her father), I loved both Rose AND Sage this week (obviously, particularly Rose). I was glad to see that hilariously deadpan butler get some screen time too. And a lack of Laurel is always a plus. 

The First of a 2 Part Privileged

So apparently Rina Mimoun has a fear that makes Megan's fear of lulls sound rational. Ms. Mimoun (Privileged's showrunner) is apparently deathly afraid of Sam&Diane-syndrome. Based on the idea that 'will they or won't they' tension is a lot more interesting than an actual relationship, the term refers to Cheers' infamous "opposites attract" couple and is the reason that so many shows work so hard to keep would-be lovers apart. 

On last night's Privileged, Mimoun and her writers jumped through hoops to keep our heroine Megan from being with her hot neighbour Will. First he wanted to date other people, then she dumped him because they "are cut from different cloths", then they got back together just in time for him to reveal that he's being sent to Brazil for 6 months on a photoshoot. So Megan got to be with her "opposites attract"/"will they or won't they" love interest for 1 episode. Awesome. Here is where I'd like to point out that the characters of Monica and Chandler only got better after they hooked up and that the world didn't fall in love with Logan Echolls until Logan Echolls fell in love with Veronica Mars. 

That criticism aside, I really enjoyed last night's Privileged. It's nice to see Charlie (a character with tons of potential and an annoying track record) back to being a good friend to Megan. While a good "I'm secretly and unrequitedly in love with my best friend" storyline is generally enjoyable (see Jim & Pam, Ross & Rachel, Barney & Robin), Charlie's just didn't work for me in the first part of the season. A good Eponine story requires putting your friend's happiness above your own, even it hurts to be around them. What Charlie did was moan and complain then ignore Megan without an explanation. As far as Megan knew, her best friend had turned his back on her when she hadn't done anything wrong. That's not love (friendly, romantic or otherwise), it's mean. But now Charlie's figured it out. He may still be secretly in love with Megan and he may be making a mistake by moving too fast with his new girlfriend but at least he's back to being a good guy. 

In other news, I don't care about Rose's schoolwork or Laurel's love affair though they're not irritating to watch, to say the least. At this point I really just care about Will, Megan and sometimes Charlie, so here's hoping that something stands in the way of Will being flown off the Brazil and the Megan/Will relationship is given enough time to make the audience care about keeping them together. 

Privileged recovers some lost ground

Last night's Privileged was the best it's been in awhile. Rose got to shine brighter than Sage, Megan relapsed into "good person" territory, Will's character was expanded to reveal more depth, we were given a break from the underwhelming character of Charlie, Everwood's Sara Drew guest starred and the audience finally got to see the hookup we've all been waiting for. 

Good save Rina. 

Privileged Defies The TV Rules

First let me say that this week's episode of Privileged ("All About the Haves and Have Nots") was oodles better than the last. 

Now on to my point. 

TV has rules by which most shows play. Rules about archetypes and morality and edginess and socio-economic statements and what couplings work best. Privileged, since it began, has been dancing on the edge of many of those lines, but it wasn't until this episode that it became clear just how against the grain this show really is playing (like my beautifully mixed metaphors?). Now I'm not saying that breaking the rules is a bad thing in this case, it's just curious for a show that is by no means a groundbreaking piece. 

The most notable of these convention defiances? Many characters are the opposite of who you would assume they would be. 

Let's start with Megan. She's the star, the lead, the cute, sweet, ambitious and smart quirk ball whose story we're following, but she's certainly no Rory Gilmore. She's judgemental and selfish and can't appreciate what she has while preaching to others that they are being ungrateful. And Charlie; he's the super sweet, reliable best friend right? but Jim Halpert would be ashamed. Charlie is, in many ways, just as selfish as Megan. He's secretive and grumpy and self-pitying. At first the reality that these 2 characters aren't as wonderful as the TV rules would have dictated made me sad, but then I realized that the writers of Privileged were giving me unexpected characters to love in their place. 

You're not supposed to love the alcoholic and irresponsible father, but he was charming and polite and honest. The slutty playboy next door should not be the love interest you're cheering for but Will has all the makings of, as Gossip Girl would say, a "knight in shining Armani". And the spoiled little rich girls aren't supposed to be better people than the deserving poor girl who's thrown into their world. It's the rules; Dan has to be morally superior to Chuck and Nate, Rory has to be more well adjusted than Paris, Brandon has to be more responsible than Steve and Betty, of course, has to have better family values than Daniel and Alexis. But Rose and Sage proved in this episode that Megan's got nothing on them. They were gracious hostesses, not showing an ounce of classist judgement, even when the Smiths descended into yet another inappropriate bickering match. And their quest to help with prom dresses for underprivileged teens and earn volunteer hours? Perfect. Not to mention their brilliant sisterly dynamic. Now that Sage has toned down a bit I'm really coming round on her (though I would prefer a different actress). 

So, like when Joss Whedon got me to like murderous vampires and Josh Schwartz got me to like a moody loner with a penchant for punching people and Shonda Rhimes got me to like 2 brutally honest man-whores and Tina Fey got me to like a Republican corporate sell-out, kudos to Rina Mimoun for daring to break the rules and challenge my assumptions. 

UnderPrivileged

UNDERACHIEVEMENT, UNDERACHIEVEMENT!!!!!!!!

Boo I say, Boo. 

Such promising characters, none of whom I like after the most recent episode. 

BOOOOOOOOO

Please Improve Ms. Mimoun. 

Privileged: my unexpected love

Privileged is my unexpected new favourite show. I enjoy every single minute of it. And here's why:

1) Megan. 

Despite being beautiful and charming, Megan is a type of protagonist one doesn't see every day. Let me amend that, she is a protagonist one sees every day, just not on TV. Megan (played by Joanna Garcia) is awkward, but she's not TV awkward. 

Megan is more like someone you might actually know. She is incredibly smart but often doesn't sound it, she's nosy and superior and idealistic. She makes references that people usually don't get and oftentimes fails in her attempts at wit (a very un-tv-like trait). She's defensive and cautious but also pretty brave, but not in a particularly heroic way. She's always trying to save people. She's not very trusting. She's not conventionally social. She's not fashionable or fashion challenged, just somewhere in between. She's only had 1 boyfriend, ever, and that doesn't make her a loser. She can read her best friend's mind and calls her sister when she wants to talk, even though they don't usually get along. She's cool without being cool. She's not the loner or the nerd or the jock or the princess or the freak or the drama queen- she's just a person, and that is SO COOL. 

2) Rose. 

She's adorable. Lucy Hale brings so much to the character. Especially next to the horrid Ashley Newbrough's Sage, Rose shines as a sweet reminder that not all spoiled kids are in fact spoiled rotten. 

3) Charlie.

I love him. I even love the fact that he is secretly in love with Megan (a plot line I usually hate). Their chemistry is flawless and the way that the writers and Michael Cassidy have established the story makes it much more organic than other versions of a similar thing. First of all, like Joey and Dawson (a "I'm in love with my best friend but he doesn't see me" story I didn't mind)

his feelings have been established really early on in the show and subtly enough that it is believable that Megan hasn't noticed, or even that he's only just caught on himself. Better than Joey and Dawson, however, Charlie has a real Eponine-esque vibe going on. He loves her, really loves her. Not just in a "can't eat, can't sleep because of the thought of her" kind of way but in a "this is my best friend and her happiness means the world to me" kind of way. Charlie is there for Megan no matter what. He listens and encourages her in her new relationship with Jacob, though he's sacrificing his own happiness to do it. The only true TV comparison I can make is early Jim/Pam. When Pam wanted to be with Roy, Jim sat back and was her friend, knowing that the only way he could be happy with her was if he knew she were happy too. That is love. The real, unshakable kind and that's a story I can get behind. 

4) Marco. 

He's excellent comic relief and exposition without slipping into stock character or caricature territory. He's sassy without being cold, balancing sarcasm with support perfectly.  

5) Will. 

It's been used before, but I am a sucker for the story of the guy striving to become the guy who's worthy of the girl. When Marco told Will that he

needs to become the guy at the end of the movie before he can be with Megan, I knew I would like Will's journey. Right up there with Charlie's Eponine-esque plight, Will's story promises to make that inevitable love triangle the first since Dawson-Joey-Pacey that I've actually been torn over. After all, there are few things more lovely than the idea that, as Jack Nicholson said in As Good As it Gets, "[she] makes [him] want to be a better man]". 

and...

6) It's not afraid of being preachy. 

Just like Megan said, self respect was big in the '90s but is in need of a comeback. It used to be that a topic like sex deserved entire episodes of conversation (remember the buildup to Brenda's first time on the original 90210? The new 90210 had oral sex on screen within the first 10 minutes). In a time (and on a network) that values a good sex scandal above a complex character arc, this week's episode of Privileged crossed the preaching line and felt no need to look back. Megan's warnings against Rose having sex 

might have been called judgemental and nosy by the characters but they were also true to the character. In this past week's episode, Privileged found a way to actually deal with the topic of sex (not just feature it). While most shows these days shy away from featuring such wholesome points of view, Privileged chose to stay true to the character of Megan and her arc by having her be so protective of Rose and still sexually nervous herself. To a character like Megan, sex would be a big deal and, without fear of 7th Heaven comparisons, the showrunners behind Privileged allowed it to be. 

Obsessions: Sept 24- Oct 1

Taylor Townsend 

As played by the wonderful Autumn Reeser, this beautiful, controlling, caring and at times delusional spitfire is the best thing about The OC's 4th and final season and is in many ways the saviour of the show. 

Privileged

There is so much more to this show than the typical CW rich teenagers bit. The show isn't actually about the rich teenagers, which I think is the key. It's actually about their tutor- the rich teenagers are just what allows the show to air on The CW. Joanna Garcia is immeasurably endearing in the lead role of Megan and Michael Cassidy as her best friend Charlie couldn't be more charming. 

Big Brother season 2 on YouTube

I jumped on the Big Brother bandwagon just in time for season 3, and it's too bad because I'm just watching season 2 now (all episodes available on YouTube- I love that site!) and am absolutely loving it. After having talked to Bunky personally and gotten his views on the house and the season 2 houseguests, I wasn't sure I would be as on board with the season as I am. Despite a rocky beginning, my love of Will and Chilltown (developed entirely during season 7 All Stars) has managed to stay in tact so far during season 2. The verdict is that Mike was actually more charming in season 2, though he clearly perfected his manipulation skills in time for season 7, and Will was better in season 7. Though still pretty awesome in season 2, his tanner/buffer image made him a little more threatening and his relationship with Shannon made him seem like a bully in relation to the other houseguests. In season 7, and the later part of season 2, Will killed with charm, something he certainly did not exude during his hostile first 3 weeks in season 2. I'm about 16 episodes in and, even if I ignored Will altogether, I actually like these houseguests. I particularly like Nicole and the ones I don't like as much (Krista, Hardy, Kent and Autumn) I still like more than the average houseguest in recent seasons. Though I do have to say that the veto was an extremely necessary twist, it's boring without it. 

The CW's unimaginative fall

Spot the differences- I dare you. 

After the buzz that last year's premiere of Gossip Girl created, its home network, The CW, is doing all they can to replicate the effect (note that I didn't use the word "success" because on a revenue, ratings, business level Gossip Girl didn't deliver). 

Gossip Girl's second season is off to yet another luxurious, naughty and scandalous start while the new 90210 tries desperately hard to make us care about their uninteresting, bratty characters (even the characters who aren't spoiled are brats). Privileged is making a run at the same demographic too, though the charm of its heroine Megan (Joanna Garcia), her friend Charlie (The OC's Zach) and a handful of likable rich folk may may actually keep  Privileged interesting. 

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that a show or two about the entertaining elite is a bad thing. I actually really liked the original 90210 and watch Gossip Girl faithfully. What I'm annoyed by is The CW's approach to new programming. The positive response to Gossip Girl should not have spawned a full season of look-alikes, it should have given the network the confidence to go out and find new and original programming in hopes of finding the next thing that will have such an impact. 

The CW's predecessors (The WB and UPN) were responsible for some of the best shows of the past couple decades, and each one was a unique enterprise. Buffy, Dawson's Creek, Roswell, Everwood, Charmed, Felicity, Gilmore Girls, Smallville, Veronica Mars, even 7th Heaven; each was a hit in it's own right, it wasn't a bland copy of last year's fare. 

I complain, but I'll still be watching 2 of these 3 carbon copied shows. Gossip Girl snagged me last year (and I honestly think that it's a well produced show- for what it is) and Privileged convinced me to come back next week in the Pilot episode when Megan undercut her rousing speech about responsibility, with the line "uncle Ben is Spiderman's uncle, not mine. I just wanted to make that clear". 

And as for Dawn Ostroff and her team over at the CW, all I have to say to them about next year is "be brave, little Piglett, be brave".