South of Nowhere

i started watching SON when it aired its 5th episode. i found out about the show through afterellen.com i was looking for an article to prove Angelina Jolie was bi and found an interview of Gabrielle Christian (Spencer) i read it and was instantly hooked. then i read recaps for every episode i missed and got all caught up. i think the show is absolutely amazing. its a great teen show and has something in it for every viewer. the relationship between Spencer and Ashley is handled very tastefully. its good that the show has story lines involving race, drugs, and sexual identity. the actresses and actors are really good and the story lines are written perfectly. Spencer and Ashley start as friends but viewers can tell right away from the first episode that they have great chemistry and will end up having a relationship as they did. the first season ended leaving viewers with the question, did they or didn't they have sex with each other that night. it was a great way to end and keep viewers hooked and next season will have to deal with the answer to that question and the next question, will the relationship last. Ashley has difficulties with relationships and has admitted to hooking up with random girls for no reason. on the flip side shes in love with Spencer and has never felt that before for any girl and is worried Spencer might be the one to brake her heart. Spencer has also never had these feelings before. Ashley is the first girl that Spencer has cared for that way and has been that close to and is ready to try the relationship out. these two both have strong feelings for each other and i hope it all works out in the next season and their love gets as strong as ever, they make a great couple and the chemistry is undeniable!

Caveat--I'm gay, and I immensely enjoy watching a show where coming out is about going on dates with hot girls, not contemplating slitting your wrists. Really, because that's what it should be about. It's just as exciting/nervewracking for queer girls to discover girls as it is for straight girls to discover boys.

That said, it's not exactly the best writing on TV. The acting's not bad--especially from the female lead and her will-they-won't-they best friend--but all the actors are done in the by the over-the-top dialog and unrealistic plot lines. Unlike Degrassi, I don't think I'd tune in without the gay plot line to keep me interested.

On the other hand, the entire cast is made up of pretty/handsome young things a la the OC. And there's nothing wrong with a little eye candy.

"South of Nowhere" airs on The-N, a fairly new channel that from 6am to 6pm is mainly aimed at small children. Who would think they would ever pick this kind of show, right? Let me inform you that even though SON is not perfect in any way.. it makes up for in storyline and content. Never before a TV show has featured its main character, especially a teenage girl, coming to terms with her sexuality and that being one of the main points of the show. It's more than just a kiss between 2 girls for ratings... rather than just showing the physical stuff... the focus is on the story itself and Spencer's journey in finding out who she really is...more about character development... especially with the two main characters... I'm so excited to have this show, I see myself in Spencer 3 years ago... her struggle to find out who she is and accepting it, but still afraid of rejection from her family as well as everyone else... all this while falling in love for the first time. Gabrielle Christian (Spencer) and Mandy Musgrave (Ashley) have made these characters their own... and they both share an amazing chemistry together, which makes the story more believable. Just to have this kind of show on TV is an amazing thing... I just wish more people knew about it... but slowly the show is getting more and more attention... already about to premiere its second season, Sept. 29th and we just found out it has been renewed for a third season... so more Spashley!!! I would highly recommend this show to anyone... very cute story, real, groundbreaking...

The-N has developed a reputation for being a network aimed toward Teens that is not afraid to push the envelope in telling their stories the way life is. Degrassi, the network's most popular show, is another example of this type of truth in storytelling. It has never sugar coated the truths that some teens live, no matter what the subject may be. And because of that, it has won awards.

Following in this tradition, we now have South of Nowhere. It is a story of a family uprooted to Los Angeles. The three brothers and sisters now have to deal with a life that is far different from what they were used to.

So far, the show has dealt with racism, questioning sexuality, and fitting in. And no, it is not afraid to deal with these subjects honestly.

So far it has been very careful to offer both sides of a story where two opinions exist. The sibling's parents come from both sides of the spectrum, one being very liberal, the other conservative.

I don't believe it is the producer's intent to push a specific agenda for teens, as much as it is to provide them with an honest look at the typical teenage existence, which from what I remember, is not as cut and dry as some would like it to be.

This show is at its heart a series about the relationship between two girls: Ashley and Spencer. The actresses who play the roles have a strong chemistry and that holds the show together. It doesn't hurt that they are surrounded by other engaging characters. The show is very well written, and a realistic example of high school in LA.

All the characters interact with one another and build believable relationships. Ashley and Spencer meet and instantly click, we can believe they're best friends. We can also believe the dorky Clay can become friends with cool smart guy Sean. Though Glen and Aiden are both big, dumb jocks we can accept that they don't like each other very much because certain girls coming between them: Glen's sister Spencer and Aiden's ex, Madison.

At the focus, Aiden's other ex, Ashley, is drawn to Spencer, the new girl questioning her sexuality. Ashley is openly gay. It's interesting to see where the stories go each week.