Back in May, I listed Privileged (then called Surviving the Filthy Rich) among the 5 new shows you could skip this television season. Having now seen the pilot episode, I would like to say that I was absolutely right. I love it when that happens.
To be fair to the show, it’s nowhere near as dreadful as I thought it would be. In fact, there’s an awful lot to like about it is quite charming in the role of Megan Smith, a character whose sole traits are “plucky” and “quirky,” and she manages to turn what is essentially a stereotype into someone the audience wants to relate to. In fact, the the cast overall is quite solid.
The problem is that the actors are given very little to work with. Stop me when this sounds familiar. We have the rebellious teenage girl who’s really just covering her pain, and the distant, successful grandmother who does not know how to express her love. There’s the working class local boy who’s sure to develop a crush on the lead, and the wealthy boy next door with hidden depths. The show is set in glamorous Palm Beach, where everyone seems to have more money than morals. This ringing any bells yet? Every teen show ever, you say? Exactly.
It’s not that the show is bad. It does make an effort to avoid the typical shallow plots of teen dramas and tries to establish some complex relationships, particularly between Megan and her sister. In the end, though, it’s just not enough. There is such a glut of teen fare currently on TV that any new show must do something fresh to stand out, and everything about this show feels like it’s been done before — and done better. If you haven’t had your fill of cheesy teen drama, by all means you should watch this series. It’s a familiar, fluffy bit of escapism, and it’s sure to become more heart-warming as the season progresses and Megan slowly but surely manages to win over her bratty charges.
If, however, you are reaching your teen soap threshold, this is one to skip. Really, you won’t be giving up anything you haven’t seen before.
Source
No comments:
Post a Comment