ABC Family's 10 Things I Hate About You, a half-hour comedy series based on the 1999 movie of the same name, premieres tonight. Greek's Carter Covington developed the series, which also shares a director and one star (Larry Miller, playing the girls' father) with the movie. You all have expressed some pretty split opinions on this idea, and now that it's here, will you be giving it a spot in your viewing lineup? I recently checked out the first episode, and swiping the format from my Pilot Watch series, here are some of the pros and cons.
What's it about? You know this story. Based on 10 Things I Hate About You — which itself is based on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew — this series focuses on two sisters who are newcomers to Padua High: the abrasive Kat and the status-seeking Bianca.
Who's in it? Lindsey Shaw, Meaghan Jette Martin, Ethan Peck, Larry Miller, Dana Davis
The good: The show is wittier than we've seen in the previews, with plenty of lines that would feel right at home on Greek ("We have chemistry together!" a flustered Bianca exclaims after being caught in a closet with the boyfriend of Padua's queen bee. ". . . The class! Not the other thing.") Shaw — while, granted, not being Julia Stiles — has a take on Kat that's smart without being too sullen. I got a kick out of the nerdy Cameron, who instantly falls for Bianca, and his even nerdier friend Michael.
The bad: The biggest question facing this show is, well, why make it at all? The movie came out a decade ago, helped launch several careers, and has ardent fans. I almost wish this version of 10 Things had used a different name, just to give it some distance from the movie. It'll have to come up with some good, unique stories and characters fast if it wants to seem like more than a knock-off. I also wish the show had taken some time developing Kat's love interest, because he seems to glean an awful lot of information from just one nasty stare.
Will I watch? I'll check out a few more episodes. I'm curious to see if it can develop its own identity beyond just a TV version of a beloved movie.
To check out a preview, just read more.
Photo copyright 2009 ABC Family, Inc.
Free People
I like the casting of the nerdy boys, but the rest of the casting seems really off. The lead girls don't really impress me
1I like the cast overall. I'm glad the. they have Larry Miller playing the dad. We'll have to see if its impressive or just another knock off like most of the other shows.
2i watched. i wasn't impressed.
3Not impressed. Cameron and the dad (of course) were the only ones that were like the movie characters.
4Also ten years ago seems like such a short time and such a long time all at once. It feels like just yesterday I was watching Heath for the first time but with his premature death it feels like his career had to start a long time ago. You know what I mean?
i loved the movie. Shame.
5I thought it was cute... Will try to catch a few more shows before I decide
6Are you serious? I loved the show last night! I thought Kat was perfect! I loved her edgy and sassy attitude. You didn't enjoy seeing Larry Miller back either? I thought he was hilarious! I am definitely going to be tuning in next week. I can't wait!
7Kat was decent, not as great as Julia Stiles in the movie version (only role I ever really was able to stand her, well, that and the Bourne movies). This TV series doesn't quite have the edge that the movie did. Thumbs down.
8Yeah from what previews ive seen, wasnt impressed... definitely agree that they should have just not taken the name.... ruined it for me since i loved the movie so much... not to mention that dude is nowhere near as awesome as Heath... its sad. but on its own... seperate from the movie, i thought it could be fun... but i donno if i could watch it...
9I don't think that the show will ever be as successful as the movie - the characters/ actors hired just aren't edgy enough. I feel that the charm with the movie was that Stiles and Ledger didn't look like your average leading cast. Yes, Ledger was attractive but he wasn't your male model bad boy - he and Stiles had a quirkiness that gelled. I think that the casting directors made a mistake in hiring actors that fit a conventional sterotype - the male lead for one is too dark and broody and doesn't seem to have the charm or cheekiness that Ledger did.
10I agree with the cons... I wished it had distanced itself a little bit more from the movie so that avid fans wouldn't immediately bash it. I watched the first episode and really liked it, well at least the interaction between Kat and Patrick. Both are really cute together (see the KSM music video). Not so sure about Bianca-I don't really like the actress. We'll see how it goes from here-I'll continue to watch.
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