I said brr! It’s cold in here! There must be some Hellcats in the atmosphere!
Had to do it. After watching the pilot episode of the CW’s new drama series Hellcats, It would be impossible to ignore the similarities between this new show and the popular cheerleading movie Bring it On. At the very least, I’d say that it’s safe to say that if you liked Bring it On, you’ll probably enjoy Hellcats.
Hellcats stars Alyson Michalka (Easy A) as Marti, a college girl with a gymnastic background who has to swallow her pride and her too-cool-to-be-a-cheerleader attitude when she loses her scholarship and must try out for the school cheerleading squad in order to stay in school. Part of the challenge of becoming a “football groupie” for her is befriending the squad-members, among which is the determined Savannah (Ashley Tisdale of High School Musical) and the catty Alice (Heather Hemmens). Despite her initial disdain for the sport, Marti turns out to be fairly awesome as a cheerleader, what with her masterful tumbling skills, Shakira-like hip-action, and ability to improvise. Though cheer-captain Savannah sees the value in Marti, Alice is instantly threatened by her. And so, drama naturally ensues.
While these characters are in college as opposed to high school and as far as we can tell, not trying to repair their shattered reputation following a scandal involving stolen routines, the Bring It On similarities are obvious enough that the show actually acknowledges it at one very amusing point in the first episode. I wont spoil that for you with further detail. Hellcats does share Bring It On’s abundance of cheer-drama, exciting and impressive cheer routines, fun soundtrack, and of course, some potential romantic sub-plots. We’re given a pretty hefty taste of what’s to come in the first episode, including the stress and anticipation of the competitions ahead, and the conflicts Marti could have with her fellow squad members and with her mother.
Is it worth watching? Honestly, if you’ve seen the promos and think it looks good, you won’t be disappointed. This is a show that delivers on exactly what it promises in the promos, which in a way, makes it fairly predictable and not at all subtle in its execution but then again, cheerleaders aren’t very subtle, are they? (You can view those promos here.) Hellcats is peppy, fun and though its not entirely original in premise, it’s drama-packed, which should help it to fit in well with The CW’s other programming.
Random side-note: Fans of Battlestar Galactica who might somehow also take an interest in this show (I did, so there have to be a few others out there), will recognize Aaron Douglas (Chief Tryol in BSG) as Bill. And for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and/or 24 fans, D.B. Woodside (Principal Wood/Wayne Palmer) is also among Hellcats’ cast. Spoiler alert: Neither of them cheer (at least not in the first episode).
Hellcats premieres Wednesday, September 8, 2010 at 9/8c on The CW.
CLICK HERE to view the 2010 Fall TV Premiere Schedule.
