Popular Thursdays on the WB at 8pm
THE DEAL: What do you get when the mother of a slightly insecure (but totally gorgeous, hello) girl from the
fringe crowd hooks up with the father of a socially powerful cheerleader?
The premise of Popular, a show that takes a look at the intricate web of high school cliques. Sam (Carly Pope), a
semi-misfit obsessed with finding her individuality, constantly badmouths the "in" crowd, but secretly
wouldn't mind being a part of it. Her friends are an eccentric crew of freaks (even though they really don't
look all that freakish) who aren't cool enough to get
invited to the party of the year. Brooke (Leslie Bibb)
is a cheerleader who can make or break anyone's social
standing with the snap of her fingers. It seems like she's
got it made, but behind the perfect facade is a girl who
battled an eating disorder and isn't happy with her jock
boyfriend. The two girls' polar-opposite worlds are
turned upside down when Sam's single mom meets
Brooke's single dad and they decide to get married.
HIGH POINTS: A pretty cast of characters participating in high school antics is always entertaining.
The characters seem to have more depth than most shows in the same category.
LOW POINTS: It's not a very realistic view of the teen experience. The worst part of the show is the
appearance of a random girl who plays the guitar and
sings about what's going on with the characters
between segments. Enough with the Ally McBeal thing already.
....Seventeen Online
Comedy Roundup for 1999-2000
>By Andrew Wallenstein and Christine Champagne
Show: Popular
Timeslot: Thursdays, 8 to 9 p.m. ET
Description: 16-year-old Sam is an outsider. Her classmate Brooke is the queen of popularity. The two don't get along, but they're forced to put up with each other when Sam's mom gets engaged to Brooke's dad.
Cast: Carly Pope (Sam), Leslie Bibb (Brooke), Kip Pardue (Josh), Christopher Gorham (Harrison), Tamara Mello (Lilly), Sara Rue (Carmen).
Prognosis: Popular may find it tough to become popular since it's up against NBC's powerhouse hit Friends.
http://www.gist.com/tv/comedy/printart_ap.dpg?adf=com052799
TV Reviews By John Sellers
CONCEPT: Insecure high school sophomore Samantha McPherson (Carly Pope) hovers with her cynical pals on the fringe of the "in" crowd, epitomized by misunderstood cheerleader Brooke McQueen (Leslie Bibb). After one ignoble snub too many, a righteous Sam decides to give Brooke and her uppity clique a
taste of their own putrid-tasting medicine. Meanwhile, the sparring partners' single parents have decided to get hitched. Omigod!
CRITIQUE: The maddeningly chirpy Popular attempts to differentiate itself from the millions of other teen dramedies on the air by blending elements of There's Something About Mary, My So-Called Life, and Ally McBeal. Yet the hour-long series succeeds in being none of the three, and ends up being a distasteful melange of quirky and outlandish. Also, Sam is such an unbearable whiner that you actually root for her bitchy enemies. And what's up with her eyebrows?
http://mrshowbiz.go.com/features/tv_preview/popular.html