South of Nowhere

I didn't watch South of Nowhere from the very beginning, but while I was looking through channels I noticed South of Nowhere was on and it was the scene from Girls Guide to Dating when Ashley tells Spencer the girls guide to dating girls. I was very intrigued by both girls and thought they would be good in a relationship. South of Nowhere to me has gone further than the seven seasons of Degrassi with the story lines especially when it comes to sexual orientations, teen issues such as identity, homophobia, pregnancy, school shooting, etc. The-n canceling the show would be the biggest mistake on their part for letting Spashley fade when their story is far from over.

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.

My first impression with this series was that it was going to be angst ridden and full of stupid lines about how being a teen dealing with sexuality was difficult. The hardships of sexuality is dealt with but it really travels beyond that. It deals with trying to be accepted at a new school in a new world and trying to find yourself in the process. It deals with many different character trials and really gets to the point. There are many story lines going on at once and it gives a well-roundedness that is very much needed in television. To the untrained eye it is a boring soap that is just another drama for teens. But it's much more than that. It's true to life and how people react to situations.

Being a white straight girl I found I could still relate with every character and everything they went through. All in all, very good series.

"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...