South of Nowhere

This show is so well written. South of Nowhere is by far one of the best I have ever seen because of not only great writing but the acting is stunning. The main characters Ashley (played by Mandy Musgrave) and Spencer (played by Gabrielle Christian) nail the parts. Through flawless dialogue, amazing chemistry, both physical and facial expressions you fall in love right along with both of them. The show deals not only with sexuality but race, fame, loss, divorce, drugs, so many issues and is so realistic you get totally engaged. It is so important to see a show that speaks realistically to the audience. Watching this show catch fire warms my heart. They are bringing so much needed understanding to not only their age group but to many others. I first became aware of this show because of the L Word boards where the girls were raving about it. From the first show I saw I was hooked. From what I have read of the second season it looks to be as cutting edge as the first. Another amazing thing to see is how well loved these actresses are outside of these roles by their fans. How kind they are to them, that surely makes watching the career of these talented ladies even more special. I would keep an eye out for these two and the rest of the cast you will be seeing a lot more of them in the future. Certainly this is entertainment with a message.

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.

"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...

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.

OK, first let me start by saying, I am a 17 year old teen in Los Angeles, California. Most public schools in CA are the same, over crowed, there's always one dumb kid in the AP classes, and there is always some 'hidden genius'. I love this show because it truly pushes the envelop and explores sexuality and racism. I attend a school that's 75 percent African American and about 24 percent hispanic, with 1 percent other. The divisions within the show between the black the black and white families, could easily be seen on TV with black and hispanic families.

I love the family completely because the mom and dad have built a home on love trust and faith, and even though each has been tested since moving to CA, they still remain sane, which isn't what I can say for my family. Also--props to the writer that wanted one of the adopted kids to be black, the show gets an extra point for that-there I said it! (it was brave, and they tackle the issue very nice, I might add) I love Ashley and Spencer because they place two characters on television that I have never seen before, Ashley an open lesbian, and Spencer, a girl questioning her sexuality. Adian is just there, he's okay.

CLay and his friend are truly moving characters. The show may me happy when they portrayed their geniuses in a positive light.

Madison! She's the best because I have the same type of cheerleaders at my show, only they're black.