A LITTLE HARDER A LITTLE HARDER
Push--A drama on.....or off......ABC
It's about the students of CSU (California Southern University), and the athletics programs there.
It's been cancelled twice, and unfortunately will not return.
So this what I have about the show:
Cast (in order of opening credits):
NOTE: Audrey Wasilewski is uncredited in most cast lists published by ABC
For more information on the actors/actresses and their characters, visit my Push Character Page.
Guest Stars:
Randy Becker as David Lee (Scott's swimming rival)
Bonnie Brewster as a photographer
Jonathan Brock as Todd
Rusty Burns as a Trainer
Reed Frerichs as Eric Galway (Erin's Brother)
Mitch Gaylord as himself
Cindy Hogan as Coach Brooks
Kimberely Huie as Melanie Johnson
Paul Kaye as Bryce Harlan (Cara's Writing Instructor) [Episode 3+]
Deborah Lacey
Dan Lauria as Coach Don Curtis (Western Arizona's head gymnastics coach)
Betty Okino as Ursula Wenden (one of the CSU gymnasts)
Dennis Pennis as Bryce Harlan (Cara's Writing Instructor) [Pilot and possibly episode 2]
James Read as Mr. Galway (Erin and Eric's Father)
Bethany Richards
David Rodriguez as a student worker
Lenny Rose as Jerry (one of the gymnastics judges)
Tim Ryan as Jeff Stansey
Kerri Strug as herself
Amy Van Horne as Dani
D. Elliot Woods as Jeff Douglas
If you have any further information on guest stars, please Sign My Guestbook.
Filmed entirely in the San Diego Area, some scenes at UCSD.
Executive Producers: Laura Gregory, Andy Morohan, Mark B. Perry
Music: Stephen W. Parsons, Francis Haines
Producer: Steve Ecclesne
Supervising Producer: Stu Segall
Consulting Producer: John T. Kretchmer
Director of Photography: Cary Fisher
Co-executive producer: Larry Mollin
Created By: Mark B. Perry, Andy Morahan, Laura Gregory, Nicholas Martin
Written By: Shelley Meals, Darin Goldberg
Directed by: James Contner, Eric Laneuville
Opening Credits: Adam Balcomb
Produced by: Starboard Home Productions, and Great Guns Productions, in association with Stu Seagull Productions.
Distributed by: Perry Pictures
Premise of the show:
"Every young athlete dreams of one day reaching the Olympics. For the students who are accepted into the prestigious athletic program at Cal Southern University, that dream is one step closer - if they can just sprint a little faster, jump a little higher, push a little harder.
ABC's new, one-hour drama, "Push," focuses on the lives of the young adults who are part of this program. They will endure brutal training sessions and intense competitions. They will also experience the joy, the confusion and the pain of love, gain and lose friendships and face the ethical issues that haunt college students everywhere.
"Push" captures the
sexy, stylized, high-energy excitement of the sports world
through the hope-filled eyes of these young American heroes on
the brink of greatness.
The series is executive produced by Emmy Award-winner Mark B.
Perry ("Party of Five,") and British duo Laura Gregory
("Different for Girls") and Andy Morahan
("Highlander III," music videos and commercials) .
"Push" is produced by Starboard Home Productions and
Great Guns Productions in association with Stu Seagull
Productions."
Taken from ABC
Descriptions taken from ABC.
Plot-line summary for 4th episode onward (thanks to Mae Aradov):
After the episode with the laxative, Dempsey stays away from Milo, until they have to run a relay together. Dempsey doesn't catch Milo's stick, and the coach wants to take Dempsey off the team, but he doesn't tell Dempsey just yet. Milo insists on Dempsey staying. The coach says he has two days to train Dempsey, or else. Dempsey eventually does it right, and Milo and him arrive on speaking terms. After a short re-kindling of their relationship, Victor breaks up with Nikki. She keeps trying to get him back, but she's also sleeping with Dempsey. He was blackmailed by Gwen. Eventually he gets tired and he tells Gwen he doesn't care anymore. She proposes one real date: if he still doesn't like her, she'll never see him again. But he has to give her a fair chance. He does, and he actually has fun, but he tells her he's involved with Nikki, and Gwen confesses that the autopsy said nothing about drugs, and that she lied. He tells her then that if she had been honest with him right from the start, they'd have had a real chance. Bryce takes an overdose, and is sent to the hospital. The university operators discover his drug usage, and his numerous affairs with students. He's fired, and Cara is a mess. Victor helps her to overcome this problem. Scott convinces Erin to have her heart examined and she's alright. Tyler asks her out and they become an item. They come to see one of Scott's competitions and they kiss. Scott sees them from the water, loses count and hits the wall. He bleeds all over, but doesn't let anyone near him. Erin realizes what this means, and they hug and cry. Scott takes the HIV test, and he's negative. He tells Erin this, and that he loves her and can finally be with her like he wanted all along. She gets mad and tells Scott that Tyler stood by her all this time and she's not a toy that they can just pass around, even though it's obvious she's not in love with Tyler.
Or, to be even more specific, individual episode plot summaries [thanks to Kien]
EPISODE FOUR starts with Victor rubbing
his shoulder (the one with the scar from the accident at the
Olympics) because it's hurting him. He bumps into Cara; she's
wearing only a towel because someone stole her clothes. She asks
Victor if he could help her train, but he feels awkward because
she's almost naked and asks to talk about it later. He then goes
to Nikki's room to tell her something but forgets because she is
trying on some dresses for the Alumni fundraising dance and is
almost naked. Nikki brings up the topic of what is he wearing to
the dance and he tells her he's not going with her: he wants to
go with someone else from outside the athletics program.
[Opening Credits]
Victor's date for the Alumni fundraising dance is named Dani, she
is also his masseuse. Next we see Milo and his girlfriend Darren:
they meet Melanie (a promoter of JETT clothing) who is also his
new trainer. We go back to Victor and Dani, and see Dani
massaging him, when she discovers the scar on his shoulder and
asks what happened. He explains.
Tyler sees Erin and catches up with her, she tells him that she
just quit the team. Tyler then asks Erin if she would like to go
to the coffee shop and they do.
Cara visits her boyfriend (her professor), who is a wreck because
he lost all his notes. Dempsey is told to go to Gwen's place
because she has something important to tell him, she tells him
that there is going to be a random drugs test. Dempsey had taken
mathelene (a performance enhancing drug) in a previous
episode and Gwen tells him that it stays in the system for up to
two months. Gwen however gives him some tablets to make the urine
sample come out clean, and he is safe (for now at least).
Milo and Darren go to Melanie's for training (she owns a condo
near the beach). Nikki walks into Victor's office and hears a
message left by Dani and asks Dempsey if he wants to go rock
climbing because Dani and Victor are going. Scott catches up with
Erin and she tries to avoid him; they have a little argument, and
Tyler ends up having a chat with Scott after Erin leaves.
Victor sees Nikki and Dempsey at the rock climbing place and is
surprised, he and Dani leave. Gwen blackmails Dempsey into
bringing her to the Alumni fundraising dance. Cara's test comes
back positive for marijuana.
Dempsey breaks the news to Nikki that he can't go to the Alumni
fundraising dance as her date because he's going with Gwen. Scott
discovers Erin swimming at another pool, he talks her into going
to see the doctor about her heart and she does. Victor confronts
Cara's professor and is unsuccessful in bringing his message
forward.
At the Alumni fundraising dance Nikki makes trouble for Victor by
making has date (Melanie) feel unwelcome and succeeds. Cara is
mad at Victor because he confronted the professor, he doesn't
suspend her for using drugs and makes a deal with her. Scott
finds out from Erin that she's in good health. They have a
private conversation only to be disturbed by Tyler. Scott is
upset by this. The camera focuses on the people without a dancing
partner (Gwen because Dempsey is dancing with Nikki, Victor,
Scott, Cara and Milo because he is speaking to the people of
JETT. Cara leaves and heads for Bryce's house but he won't open
the door because he has overdosed. The screen fades and turns
black. [closing credits]
EPISODE FIVE begins as Nikki is training
at the University gym for the Rock The World Championships, Victor
walks in and sees her training but knows that Nikki won't ask for
help so he volunteers.
[Opening Credits]
Cara is slaving away at the computer in her dorm for
Bryce, the scene changes to the gym where Milo, Melanie,
Scott and Tyler are working out; everyone in the room sees the
commercial for the Rock The World championships and congratulates
Nikki, The screen then changes to Milo and Darren, Darren is
worried that Milo is receiving more JETT clothing because he
could loose his scholarship if this leads to signing a contract
with JETT. Tyler runs past after Erin, he asks her to go to the
Rock The World Championships with him and Erin says
"yes". Scott has the flu, Erin runs into him while
trying to open a chocolate bar. He finds out from Erin that Tyler
is going with her to the Rock The World Championships and says
that he's not going because he doesn't want to spread the flu
around, although it's really only to avoid a confrontation with
Tyler. Tyler is in his dorm laying out his clothes on the bed,
and Scott tells him to ditch the checked shirt and lends him a
shirt of his own. The screen changes to Dempsey playing pool only
to be interrupted by Gwen, she wants a second chance with Dempsey
but he isn't sure of whether he should go along with it or not.
Nikki and Victor are training in the gym and are interrupted by
Cara: Nikki gets on Cara's back because she didn't show up for
practice. Victor leaves Nikki to train by herself, and Cara and
Victor have an argument about her going out with Bryce. Nikki is
waiting for Victor outside the gym but is disappointed when he
says that he doesn't want to go because the press will be there
and he's scared that they'll ask him about what happened at
Atlanta. Milo is meeting with an exec. from JETT: they're making
customized shoes for Milo, the screen changes to the pool party
for the competitors of the Rock The world Championship where
Nikki is asked to do an interview but the press is moreinterested
in Victor when he finally shows up. Cara goes to Bryce's place to
give him the finished work that she helped him with only to find
that he's been taken away in an ambulance, Cara waits at the
hospital but doesn't get to see him, so she returns to his place
to try and find out what happened. She has a look around and
finds the professor's drugs and pictures of other girls in his
drawer. As Cara is leaving, a police officer walks in.
Cara goes to see the Dean and is told that the professor won't be
returning to teach because he's been deported back to England.
Scott is very sick in his dorm, and Tyler walks in and wakes
Scott up, they talk about Erin. The gymnasts are now rehearsing
at the Rock The World Championship. Milo speaks to Melanie on the
track about how money is made in sports. Scott goes to get a
drink, sees Cara in the hallway, and can see that she's had a bad
day and is very tired. They talk for a bit about Cara's problem,
Scott then helps Cara to her dorm so she can get some sleep.
While Nikki is meeting with the judges at the Rock The World
Championship, Scott calls Victor to tell him that Cara has
returned to her dorm, and Victor leaves
to find out what's going on with Cara.
Dempsey shows up at Gwen's place but doesn't look happy. The Rock
The World Championship has officially started and Erin and Tyler
have a chat about Eric. Meanwhile back at Gwen's place Dempsey
and Gwen are quite drunk as Dempsey is actually enjoying himself,
and tells Gwen that they could've been friends if she hadn't
blackmailed him.
Nikki does her routine and succeeds in winning the competition.
Cara wakes up only to see Victor beside her bed, who talks her
into staying at school instead of going back home.
Nikki looks at the medal that she's won while on the bus back to
her dorm and says that she'll never underestimate her opponent
again because she lost the gold medal to her friend in the
Olympics. When the bus arrives at the University Erin and Tyler
are watched by Scott from his dorm and he looks disappointed.
[Closing Credits]
EPISODE SIX begins differently to the
rest. Cara, Erin, and Milo wake up from what seems to be a dream
and start training: Erin goes to the pool, Milo to the track and
Cara to the gym. Nikki walks in and gives Cara a bad time about
how drugs make you lazy instead of making you wake up early and
start training. Other people start to walk in the gym, Victor and
Nikki glare at each other.
[Opening Credits]
Nikki tries to get Cara to stop skipping but it doesn't work, and
other people join in with Cara skipping. On the track, Milo,
Dempsey and others race and Milo wins, and he meets more people
from the JETT company (Mr. and Mrs. Printis). Mrs. Printis asks
Milo to go to her house to help out with her son's birthday
party. Milo is unsure but agrees to go.
Cara is still skipping and the others are there are cheering her
on. Erin is on the phone with her father, she asks him to come
down to see her but he's too busy and lets her down. As the last
time they spent time together was when Eric died, Erin was quite
upset so Tyler tries to cheer her up. Darren and Milo are at a
coffee shop, Milo gives Darren a bracelet only because he can't
go with her to see some life drawings at an exhibition. Darren is
worried about what Milo is getting himself into but lightens up.
Back at the gym Cara is still skipping, and Nikki gets angry with
Cara because Cara is only doing it to make her angry. Nikki
leaves, and Cara stops. Dempsey, Nikki, Erin, Tyler, Milo, Darren
and Scott are at their hangout where Dempsey goes to shoot pool,
when Erin sees the bracelet that Milo gave Darren and asks who
gave it to her, Darren says Milo. Dempsey has looks at it and
asks Milo if it's "JETT money", they all have a
discussion about rights and wrongs of accepting money, and they
leave Cara to have lunch by herself. Milo turns up at Mrs.
Printis' mansion, and is escorted to her. She lied to Milo to get
him to go to her house but he is cool with it. What he doesn't
know about her is that she actually wants him naked in the pool.
Milo doesn't want to go there so he tells her and leaves. She
tells him to think about it and come back in a few days. Erin and
Tyler are on a bus, and Erin is talking about winning a gold
medal with her father there. She is trying to get her father to
come down to see her but he just doesn't want to come down. Cara
is in the gym practicing and is coached by Nikki and Victor.
Nikki is angry at Victor because he pays more attention to Cara
than any of the other athletes, and says "you know as much
about a floor routine as you know about kissing." This of
course gets to him and he proves his point by kissing her, and
Nikki gives him a crash course in kissing. Apparently that wasn't
enough, so Nikki leaves and has a make-out session with Dempsey.
Cara is rollerblading back to the University and sees Erin by
herself and catches up with her. They talk about their own
fathers and how they spent time together. Everyone is training,
Erin has a new personal best, Milo on the other hand isn't
concentrating so Dempsey wins the sprint. Scott is cheered on by
Erin and Tyler, he sees Tyler and Erin kiss and looses count and
hits the wall, and blood splatters in the water. When Scott sees
it he is worried that he might give the other swimmers HIV. Erin
is worried about Scott so she waits for him outside the trainers
office. Erin tells Tyler to spill the beans about Scott because
she knows that there's something going on. When Scott hit his
head Tyler held Erin back from going near Scott which gave her
the idea that something was going on. Scott walks out of the
office and Erin hugs him.
Scott and Erin are walking together and Scott tells her
everything; why he broke up with her. They're now on speaking
terms. Milo and Tyler are at their hangout. Milo asks Tyler about
when it's right to bend the rules. Erin rushes in and asks
him why he left like that. They talk about Scott and they make
up. Milo returns to Mrs Printis' mansion and tells her that he
won't be able to accept her invitation. She tries to blackmail
him but it's no good: he just walks out, then goes to the JETT
office to return the shoes. The People at JETT tell him that it's
not that easy to quit. It appears that the people from JETT are
planning something to end Milo's career or to get him back. Milo
and Darren talk about which pictures she entered in the
exhibition. Erin is in her dorm pretending to talk to her father
on the phone because it's as close to talking to her father as
she will get. She's on the verge of tears. Cara and Victor are
playing softball, when the team shows up.
Erin wins yet another race with both Scott and Tyler cheering for
her. After the race Scott buys 3 balloons, one for himself, one
for Tyler and one for Erin. Erin's balloon slips out of her hand,
when she sees an identical picture of a girl reaching out for a
balloon but can't reach it. The mural is close to her, and she
sees it only when looking for a way to get the balloon back.
[Closing Credits]
EPISODE SEVEN (part way through) continues
the saga with everyone at the pools where Erin and Scott train.
Erin is racing. Cara is late but doesn't miss anything. Scott is
filming this race and his phone rings just before the race. The
race starts. The call is about Scott's blood test, and it turns
out that it's negative, Scott doesn't have HIV. Erin stops in the
middle of the race to ask him what the results were, Scott
signals by putting two thumbs up, Erin then gets out of the pool
as fast as she could and gives him a hug. On the track Dempsey,
Milo and other team mates are about to run a relay. When it's
Dempsey's turn to run, he almost ruins it because the runner
before him fell and threw the baton in the air. Dempsey manages
to catch it and continues running, to eventually win the race.
Everyone in the team is overjoyed, especially Dempsey because he
didn't screw up or tamper with the result this time. Milo and
Dempsey congratulate each other.
Erin and Scott are on a small bridge, Scott tells Erin that he
loves her but she doesn't know what to think. She says that
Tyler's been there for her, that he knows what she's thinking.
Scott is heartbroken, he won't accept the fact that she loves
Tyler, Erin then says that she doesn't know who she loves
anymore. She leaves Scott on the bridge and goes to see Tyler,
who is reading an article about himself. Scott is in an editing
room, going through the video footage that he has of the
athletes, and sits and thinks for a moment but doesn't say
anything and switches off the camera.
[Closing credits]
And thus concluded Push as we know it. Nobody knows what would have become of these events, or even what went on in the minds of the writers, or why ABC cancelled it. The continuation, I suppose, is open to speculation. Go to the Push updates page to write your own ending.
Click here to download the main theme song from Push (.WAV, approx. 115KB)
Episode 1, Pilot
Lisa Loeb, "I Do"
Manbreak, "Ready or Not"
Def Boy, "Def Chick"
Morcheeba, "Trigger Hippie"
FAT, "Dog"
Come, "Middle of Nowhere"
Javelin Boot, "Radio Flyer"
Sacred Earth Drums, "Guardian Spirit"
Trulove, "Seven Moons"
Funnymen, "Tekno II"
Uzma, "Yab-Yum"
Manic Street Preachers, "La Tristesse"
Episode 2, The Rivals
Abra Moore, "Your Faithful Friend"
DJ Food, "Strange Taste"
Keoki, "Ego Trip"
Jon Ernst, "You"
Bob Mair, "The Sky is Gonna Fall"
Jon Ernst, "Techno Brother"
Abra Moore, "Strangest Places"
Jon Ernst, "Meroc"
Ingrid Schroeder, "Lemon Skin"
Ingrid Schroeder, "Grounded"
Longpigs, "On and On"
Jon Ernst, "Time to Die"
Reviews, Articles, and Interviews
Reviews
One of the main reasons cited for Push's cancellation was poor reviews. Below are a handful of reviews from the Internet. It is interesting to note that almost all of the comments made about Push (cancelled after two episodes) are quite similar to those made about Dawson's Creek (which lasted seven seasons).
Please note that these are critics' opinions, not mine, please don't be offended by anything they say. I've tried to include all the reviews I could find.
Also, if there are any spelling mistakes, or anything that the critics got totally wrong (which most of the negative ones did), sorry, these reviews are unedited, for the purpose of keeping them identical to the original. For correct actor/actress/character names' spellings etc, look on this page, not in the reviews. For some short reviews, check below these lists.
| Negative Reviews Review 1 (People Online) Review 2 (Source Unkown) Review 4 (whitworth.edu) Review 6 (The Journal Sentinel) Review 7 (The Seattle Times) Review 8 (The Brown Daily Herald) |
Positive
Reviews Review 3 (TV Guide) Review 5 (Ultimate TV) |
Smaller Reviews:
Internet Movie Database (April 6th, 1999):
TV REVIEWS DON'T COME WORSE THAN
THESE
Fox and ABC are each debuting new sitcoms tonight that are
generating damning reviews from critics. Today's (Monday)
Philadelphia Inquirer, for example, calls Fox's Getting Personal,
"the most disgusting piece of sitcom dross to reach network
air." Of ABC's Push, TV critic Robert Strauss writes,
"Push is a triple-threat: inane, inaccurate and offensive.
It is also maudlin, sophomoric, clichéd, racist and homophobic.
Run from it." Michele Greppi in the New York Post calls
Personal a "crass act" and Push "a loser from
overheated start to hyperventilating finish." Los Angeles
Times TV critic Howard Rosenberg calls Push "laughably
bad" but says of Getting Personal: "This is one of
those comedies that is somehow watchable despite the infantile,
petulant, jerky behavior of its characters."
Information Please:
"Fame for athletes. Young Olympic hopefuls share the guts and glory of training and competition. The fictional Cal Southern University campus, where these good-looking, ultrafashionable athletes work out, seems more like sports camp for the kids from Beverly Hills 90210"
Ultimate TV:
"Fame L.A." may not be doing so well in syndication, but audiences still seem to like to watch people "make it." This series centers on young athletes who attend the fictional Cal Southern University and train for the Olympics. Competitions highlight every fourth or fifth episode. Stars Jamie Pressly, Jacobi Wynne, Eddie Mills, Laurie Fortier, Maureen Flannigan, Jason Behr, Adam Trese and Scott Gurney
Articles and Interviews
ABC article on Eddie Mills, and Eddie Mills' article - Both on the TV Movie "Sabrina Goes To Rome"
ABC's interview with Jason Behr - from back during the days Push was still on air
Ultimate TV article about Maureen Flannigan - on making the transition from Out of This World to Push
E! Online article on Eddie, Maureen, Jason, and Jaime - their new shows and memories of Push
Write Fan Mail to the cast of Push
This address was given by the official site when the show was still running, I assume the address no longer exists:
Push
C/O Stu Seagull Productions
4075 Ruffin Rd.
San Diego, CA 92123
Also check out the guestbooks as some of the stars have left messages there.
THIS PICTURE, TAKEN FROM WWW.MICHELLE-WILLIAMS.COM, FEATURES (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT) MICHELLE WILLIAMS, EDDIE
MILLS, RACHEL LEIGH COOK, JAMES VAN DER BEEK, AND JASON
BEHR.
Trivia about Push, CSU, and the Vipers
SORRY, THE GREAT GUNS AND ABC OFFICIAL WEB SITES HAVE BEEN SHUT DOWN PERMANENTLY.
Show links
The Push Forum - An excellent site featuring amazing screen captures of later episodes [No longer in operation]
Push Stats from the Internet Movie Database; with links to information about the actors/actresses
Click here to download a RealVideo of the opening credits
Click here to download a WAV file of the Push theme song
A small tribute to Push which doesn't get updated, and has information taken from the official site
Jason Behr links
Jason Behr Fan Forum Message Board
'The 1st Jason Behr Site' [no longer in operation]
The Unofficial Jason Behr Shrine [no longer in operation]
Maureen Flannigan links
Jaime Pressly links
Adam Trese links
Cindy Hogan ("Coach Brooks")
Production/Guest Stars
Great Guns [production company]
If you are aware of any other sites out there about the actors, actresses, or the show, please sign my guestbook!
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Push A Little Harder last updated March 25, 2010.
This background picture was taken from the official ABC site.
Push A Little Harder is © Neal Jennings 1998-2007
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