Another Review: 10 Things I Hate About You (TV Series)

Another review for another new thing I watched this week. Tonight the TV knockoff series of the movie 10 Thing I Hate About You premiered on ABC Family, known for previous suck-ass high-school-oriented shows such as 'Secret Life of the American Teenager aka Jesus Will Punish You For Having Sex" and "Greek aka Who-The-Fuck-Cares-About-A-Bunch-Of-Shallow-Frat-Kids?" But tonight, dare I suggest ABC actually produced an entertaining show with...ZOMG....CHARACTERS? 10 Things I Hate About You just might be that show.

Starring Lindsay Shaw as the Kat, the role previously held by Julia Stiles, the show is so ridonkulously high school stereotype that it's more quasi-satire. Shaw provides a realistically-feminist character that someone like me could relate to. She makes quite a few funny witticisms and world civics references that show that she is definitley a reason to keep tuned in. She keeps her femininity and her intelligence and still comes off as a realistic girl-power character, a rarity. She's also not your stereotypical never-had-a-fella kind of girl, as it is blatantly stated in the pilot episode that she is not a virgin. Plus the girl carries a fucking stun gun! That's BAMFish.

It's clear that Lindsay has grown up from her 'Ned's Declassified' days. Way to go, girl!

Another reason to watch the show another week is Nick Braun, who plays geekalicious Cameron, who develops a crush on bimbo-headed Bianca within ten minutes of the pilot. Cameron made several Harry Potter references AND dressed up as Darth Vader within the first half of the show. That's what I call promise. He seems like he's going to make an adorable nerd, and let's face it, who DOESNT love an adorable nerd?

Oh, and there's a fat chick. Lindsay's character's best friend is an artsy fat chick. As I am ALSO an artsy fat chick, I must say i approve of the fact that not EVERYONE isn't a model on this show. I hope to see more of the fat chick artist.

Now for the downsides, which I must admit there are several...I'm not too thrilled that the movie, a hit with the teens of my generation, has been remade into a TV show at all with come second-class writers. The actors really carry the show, and that's good, but the writing is very choppy, full of cliches, and moderatley *facepalm*-inducing. The school, including the staff, has blatantly mixed up the ideas of public-school and private-school, and only Kat seems to be the only one who gets that this is a public school and not everyone has to suck up to the most popular girl in school (i.e. the chick who looks like Gabrielle Union's clone). That's too much of a cliche by itself. Too passe.

Plus, in addition to the bad writing, the show obviously spent so much time converting the movie to the TV show that they forgot the MOVIE was a retelling of Taming of the Shrew. Other than names and the fact that the youngest sister can't go out before the older sister, there are NO similarities between the TV Show and the play. Disappointing.

Also, it's a shame that it looks like Lindsay's character has said three words to ex-Heath-Ledger character Patrick and she already might be in love with him. Damn. I didn't like that she seemed so taken by him so quickly. How anti-feminist.

My verdict: Worth watching another episode, keeping our fingers crossed that the writing improves and giving a thumb's up to the surprisingly-good acting. It's definitley better than 'Secret Life's' hoard of scardy-virgins or 'Greek's' unrelatisic The OC/Barbie hos.

My grade: B