Privileged

This is the best new CW show of this season and I LOVE it. I am a fan of Gossip Girl so when I saw the preview for a story of 2 rich girls, I immediately thought of that. I thought, "great, another show about rich kids" as if reality TV isn't enough. I decided to watch the first episode because I love Joanna since watching her on Reba. This is a show that I could easily watch with my parents or whoever and I don't have to worry about someone having sex in the next minute or so. It's more than the lives of the rich, rather it deals with real-life issues that any high school student faces. I wish there was more shows like this that had substance. Every episode of the show has a theme, a moral to the story. The other great thing about this TV show is the music! This is the only show that I actually dig around trying to find out what music played during the episode. Here's hoping for another fantastic season.

I see a pattern with those short lived CW series. They start out great, with an interesting premise, and a light tone. Then it becomes overly dramatic, with plots straight out of a telenovela. Hellcats had the same issue. As for Privileged, it was a nice girly show you could watch between episodes of Gossip Girl and 90210. With characters that aren't too annoying at first, and the infamous hip music selection to broadcast new hot artists/CDs. It was made out to be a win for the network. Only, like I said, the story strayed too much from the light tone of the first episodes, and became a glorified soap opera, by the end of its only season. It's a shame it never got a second one, though...

Megan Smith (JoAnna Garcia) is a Yale-educated journalism major who was hoping for much more when she had a chance to see Palm Beach cosmetics business magnate Laurel Limoges (Anne Archer). Instead, she is offered a live-in tutoring job for her two spoiled grand-daughters Rose Baker (Lucy Hale) and Sage Baker (Ashley Newbrough).

The girls start off as spoiled, but it's obvious where this is going. Megan is going to teach them lessons, and they're going to grow on her. So any bickering or mean girl act is all simply just on the surface. I think everybody did a good job playing these standard characters. The series lasted only 1 season. It was probably good for 2 but not much more.

"Privileged" is based on the book by Zoey Dean by the name "How to teach filthy rich girls" and though the premise is the same, the characters don't have the same depth. What's alluring about the book is not just Megan's struggles to teach the girls but bond with them. After watching the pilot just days after finishing the book I was let down. I won't spoil the book for those who are thinking of reading it, but the back stories it provides are far more interesting then what the pilot provided us with. Yes, its ultimately a story of the wealthy and their drama... but the book is something more... If you were less then impressed with the series I still recommend the book. Seeing the promos prompted me to read it, and it was one of my favorite reads of the year.

But without any likable characters, quality writing, or anything remotely resembling wit, meaning this is not like Gilmore Girls at all.

I'm three shows in so far and the only thing I can say about the main character is she reminds me of every blonde joke I've ever heard. Yale graduate, huh? Right.

And the two rich, spoiled, and bitchy teenage girls? I'm sorry, but we did rich, spoiled, and bitchy teenage girls the right way on Gilmore Girls and these two girls just come off as lame.

If I appear to be using Gilmore Girls as a standard by which I measure the quality of a show like this, it's because I am. Gilmore Girls had just the right blend of wit, humor, quality storytelling, and an entire cast of likable characters. This show doesn't.

I'm not saying this show is bad. I'm saying it's barely average, mildly entertaining, and you'd probably be better off spending your television time on something else.