|
The world of high school gets a treatment both glamorous and
terrifying in the TV series Popular. The show spins around two
characters: Blonde cheerleader Brooke (Leslie Bibb) and brunette alterna-girl
Sam (Carly Pope), each the center of their social groups. To their mutual
horror, Brooke's divorced father and Sam's widowed mother fall in love, turning
these cultural opposites into stepsisters. The large supporting cast includes
overweight but determined Carmen (Sara Rue), conniving
Lady-Macbeth-with-pom-poms Nicole (Tammy Lynn Michaels), earnest jock Josh
(Bryce Johnson), all-encompassing activist Lily (Tamara Mello), frustrated
sensitive boy Harrison (Christopher Gorham), and many others. The key to
Popular is how it merges melodramatic soap-opera stories with wrenchingly
blunt and honest portrayals of the cruelties of adolescence. |
