The CW has a lot of shows that feature young actresses or as we call them here starlets but that’s all really. It’s also their main demographic really, the teen market.
The CW actually has two new shows this year that feature young actresses; Privileged and of course the Beverly Hills 90210 spin off 90210. Though I have trouble with this kind of “teen” actresses. Privileged features Ashley Newbrough and Lucy Hale who play the sisters Sage and Rose. The thing is that Ashley is actually 20 and Lucy is 19 so about three or four years older than their actual characters. The same goes for 90210 with the main young female characters being played by Shenae Grimes, AnnaLynne McCord and Jessica Stroup who are 18, 21 and 21 respectively. They actually play 15 and 16 year olds.
I’m fully aware of why they’re doing this, it’s far cheaper to shoot shows with actors that are above the school going age. They can have longer shooting days and they don’t need on set tutoring. Another thing that is important is that they don’t grow anymore which makes it far easier to schedule shootings without having to wonder if their main stars will change. It also means that these girls usually have a little more acting experience and probably need a little less guidance which should move shootings along.
It also creates the problem of them not being really believable as school going teenagers. There are things that teenage girls go through in real life that the girls on these shows don’t go through. This as an age old debate though; portraying certain ideals for teenage girls that aren’t realistic. That’s something I’m not touching right now though, seen too much debate about that.
So will any of those five make it? To say it nicely; I have my doubts. They’re doing a good job on the shows but none of them really stand out. The main problem however is that they’re on the CW. The network has been struggling since it launched and isn’t really showing signs of improvement. Shows like Gossip Girl and 90210 are incredibly hyped but not that many people actually watch the shows. It’s more something that is created by the media; without the media people like Blake Lively or Taylor Momsen would get that much attention though that’s of course an already existing show.
The press coverage is even similar; was Taylor Momsen called to skinny before now they’re calling Shenae Grimes and co-stars too skinny. Though the most reports on Shenae are about her smoking. A young Hollywood actress smoking? Not exactly major news, she’s not exactly the only one. It’s just not a good thing that people only know someone from the press and not for the show they’re on.
The same thing is going on for 90210; the show is incredibly hyped because the original Beverly Hills 90210 was a major success. The thing is that 90210 doesn’t even come close in ratings. One reason for that being that the original aired on Fox and this airs on the CW. They tried grabbing the audience by forcing some old characters on the show with Jennie Garth and Shannen Doherty. Garth is only support cast while Doherty only makes guest appearances. The thing is that the people that used to watch Beverly Hills 90210 aren’t interested in shows like that anymore. They’ve grown up so the new show is aiming at a far younger demographic most of whom have never seen the original.
What I think is the main problem though is that the show itself just isn’t good enough; it somewhat feels like the whole thing was just rushed. There’s just too much drama on the show, as many problems the people on this show have in the first couple of episode is just far from realistic. It’s a TV show I get it, it’s not reality but don’t go overboard and make it this extreme. That’s besides sloppy mistakes like showing a Jumbo jet in flight while they just boarded a private jet. That might sound like nitpicking but it’s noticeable and could have been easily avoided.
Privileged as a concept might be more original than 90210 but the show isn’t a hit which is also understandable. The show concept is more original than that of 90210 but it’s being overshadowed by the hype around 90210. Truth is that neither show manages to do better than the old already existing shows on the CW. They’re not even getting good critical reviews, while shows that used to be on the CW like Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars were at least liked by critics. So either show will be lucky to make it to a second season. I actually think that the plug will be pulled on Privileged mid season, I would be surprised if I saw more episodes after the thirteen that have already been filmed.
If the CW wants to succeed in the long run they have to come up with something original at some point instead of recycling the same old teen drama stuff. Any network could make a show like that really. The question actually is whether the CW is that good a place to start for young actresses these days; most of their shows don’t actually get a lot of seasons and there are a lot of failed attempts. Though every network has shows that are canceled quickly, sometimes things just look better on paper than in reality.
I know that there are still plenty of people that love shows like 90210 and Privileged but I just don’t think they will last very long. Lets just hope for their stars that it won’t be the end of the road, they’re not exactly bad actresses. That’s just how I see the CW right now though, people are free to disagree and I wouldn’t be upset if the CW would prove me wrong.
Tags: AnnaLynne McCord, Ashley Newbrough, Blake Lively, Jessica Stroup, Lucy Hale, Shenae Grimes, Taylor Momsen
