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==Series overview==
==Series overview==
{{Main|List of Hellcats episodes}}
{{Main|List of Hellcats episodes}}
''Hellcats'' revolves around Marti, a pre-law college student at Lancer College in Memphis, Tennessee who comes from the wrong side of the tracks. When budget cutbacks and her mother's constant carelessness cause her to lose her scholarship, she looks for a new scholarship. She overhears that one of the cheerleaders has become injured and a place on the team is avaliable. She hates cheerleading but upon hearing that the new member would get a scholarship she uses her dancing skills from high school to try out. She makes the ''Hellcats'', the college's competitive cheerleading team.<ref name="the hollywood reporter">{{cite news |title=Ashley Tisdale to co-star in 'Hellcats' |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i3f537aa843496fbbb37109135b6963c3 |last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|date=March 18, 2010 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |accessdate=April 4, 2010}}</ref>
''Hellcats'' revolves around Marti, a pre-law college student at Lancer College in Memphis, Tennessee who comes from the wrong side of the tracks. When budget cutbacks and her mother's constant carelessness cause her to lose her scholarship, she looks for a new scholarship. She overhears that one of the cheerleaders has become injured and a place on the team is available. She hates cheerleading but upon hearing that the new member would get a scholarship she uses her dancing skills from high school to try out. She makes the ''Hellcats'', the college's competitive cheerleading team.<ref name="the hollywood reporter">{{cite news |title=Ashley Tisdale to co-star in 'Hellcats' |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i3f537aa843496fbbb37109135b6963c3 |last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|date=March 18, 2010 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |accessdate=April 4, 2010}}</ref>


==Cast==
==Cast==

Revision as of 15:01, 2 September 2010

For other uses, see Hellcat.
Hellcats
File:Helllcatslogo.PNG
Created byKevin Murphy
StarringAlyson Michalka
Ashley Tisdale
Matt Barr
Heather Hemmens
Robbie Jones
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes(list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersTom Welling
Kevin Murphy
A.J. Marcantonio
Allan Arkush
Production locationsVancouver, Canada
Production companiesCBS Television Studios
Warner Bros. Television
Tom Welling Productions[1]
Original release
NetworkThe CW
Releasedirector - Allan Arkush
Releasedirector - Allan Arkush
Releasedirector - Allan Arkush
Releasedirector - Allan Arkush
Releasedirector - Allan Arkush
Releasedirector - Allan Arkush
Releasedirector - Allan Arkush
Releasedirector - Allan Arkush

Hellcats is an American television cheerleading comedy-drama series[2] for The CW starring Alyson Michalka, Ashley Tisdale, Robbie Jones, and Matt Barr. The show is based on the book Cheer: Inside the Secret World of College Cheerleaders by journalist Kate Torgovnick.[3] The series is described as "Election meets Bring It On".[4][5]

On May 18, 2010, it was announced that Hellcats has been picked by The CW for the fall 2010-11 season.[6][7] On May 20, 2010, during its 2010-11 season schedule presentation, The CW announced their intention to air Hellcats after America's Next Top Model on Wednesday nights starting September 8, 2010 at 9/8c.[8][9][10]

Series overview

Main article: List of Hellcats episodes

Hellcats revolves around Marti, a pre-law college student at Lancer College in Memphis, Tennessee who comes from the wrong side of the tracks. When budget cutbacks and her mother's constant carelessness cause her to lose her scholarship, she looks for a new scholarship. She overhears that one of the cheerleaders has become injured and a place on the team is available. She hates cheerleading but upon hearing that the new member would get a scholarship she uses her dancing skills from high school to try out. She makes the Hellcats, the college's competitive cheerleading team.[11]

Cast

Regular

The cast of Hellcats. From left to right: Heather Hemmens, Matt Barr, Alyson Michalka, Robbie Jones and Ashley Tisdale
  • Alyson Michalka portrays Marti Perkins,[12][11][13] a townie from Memphis, Tennessee. Described as "wicked smart", she joins the Hellcats for a chance to continue her pre-law education after her mother "goofs up" and loses her scholarship.
  • Ashley Tisdale portrays Savannah Monroe,[11][14] the captain of the Hellcats. Described as "peppy and petite" with "fierce intensity", she initially clashes with Marti, but realizes she is the godsend the Hellcats need to win the championship.
  • Matt Barr portrays Dan Patch,[15] an unconventionally sexy townie described as a "shambling charmer" who is "hyper-articulate". He is the platonic pal to Marti, but, in reality, has an unspoken crush on her.
  • Heather Hemmens portrays Alice Verdura,[16][17] one of the Hellcat's flyers. She is described as dangerously narcissistic, and a "willowy beauty with a jaded New York cool." Alice is sidelined due to a wrist injury and does not warm up to the idea of Marti replacing her on the squad.
  • Robbie Jones portrays Lewis Flynn,[16][17] one of the Hellcat squad's bases. Described as easy-going, laid-back and has a love for action, he tried out for the Hellcats team on a dare by his frat brothers, but instantly became hooked. He dated Alice for a brief period of time and he has an instant attraction to Marti.

Recurring

  • Gail O'Grady portrays Wanda Perkins,[11][13] Marti's mother. She is a party girl who never grew up and her antics in the past have publicly humiliated her daughter. She works at a low-level job at a university pub.
  • Sharon Leal portrays Vanessa Lodge.[1][18] A 30-something former Hellcat, she is now the team's coach. She clashes with her one-time romance Red Raymond, the school's football coach. Her job is threatened if the Hellcats do not win a championship in its season.
  • Elena Esovolova portrays Patty 'The Wedge' Wedgerman, a lesbian cheerleader.[19] She is described as "ballsy, fearless and cheerfully profane" and is the "base" for the Hellcats. Patty is a rock of support when all around her are melting down.
  • D.B. Woodside portrays Derrick Altman,[20] a "handsome young physician who takes care of the Hellcats cheerleaders" and is also Vanessa's boyfriend.
  • Jeff Hephner portrays Red Raymond.[21] He is in his late 30's and is the Lancer's football coach. Described as a "handsome rogue who never lost the boyishness of youth", he banters on-and-off with his former romance Vanessa. He makes a pass on Alice while tending to her injury.

Production

Development

"Through that book we were able to understand that there was a whole world here that hadn't been tapped into and Kevin Murphy was able to go in and bring it to life and create this universe for these characters. I just think it's a great story. I think there's a lot of heart. I think there's a lot of struggle for all of our characters, especially our lead and her journey and her finding her identity and what she's going to do with her life. I just found that interesting."

Tom Welling[22]

The series has its script based on the book Cheer: Inside the Secret World of College Cheerleaders by journalist Kate Torgovnick and is described as "Election meets Bring It On".[4][5] Actor Tom Welling, best known for his portrayal of Clark Kent on Smallville, teamed with Kevin Murphy to executive produce Hellcats, a series formerly known as Cheer.[23][24][25] The pilot episode was written by Murphy[26] and directed by Allan Arkush. On May 18, 2010, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety and Entertainment Weekly reported The CW Television Network has picked the series for next season and confirmed Paul Becker will be the head choreographer for the series with Jeff Dimitriou as associate.[27][28][29][30] Tisdale's character, originally named Sierra Sloan, had also been renamed "Savannah Monroe" in the press release.[6]

Presenting its 2009–2010 season schedule on May 21, 2009, The CW officially confirmed the pick up of the series and announced its intention to air Hellcats after America's Next Top Model on Wednesday nights.[8][9] The channel ordered a total of thirteen episodes for the first season of the series.[31] Numerous promotional clips of Hellcats were released into internet and aired in The CW. TV Guide reports that Ashley Tisdale is the best paid of the cast, earning $30,000 per episode during the first season of the series.[32]

File:Hellcatsbillboard.jpg
Promotional billboard of Hellcats.

During the 2010 Television Critics Association in Los Angeles in July 29, 2010, producer Murphy said the series "was inspired by aspirational sports movies of the '80s like "Breaking Away," "Vision Quest" and Pittsburgh-set "Flashdance."" and also added Hellcats "is a show either for optimists or people who are interested in learning the trade".[13] Producer Welling said he was attracted to the series mainly because of the script and he also felt the cheerleaders' world had not yet been tapped into on TV.[33] Lead actress Michalka said she and Tisdale have plans to keep their music careers separate to the series, although she admitted she will sing in a future episode of the first season.[33] When asked why they picked up Hellcats, The CW replied saying the series is "one of the underdogs" and they liked the big production numbers.[34]

The filming of the pilot episode took place in Vancouver, between April 13 and 21, 2010.[35] The filming of the next episodes of the first season began on July 14 in Vancouver.[36] The cast had two weeks of rehearsal for the pilot episode but after the series' fall season pick up, they will only have a week to rehearse the dance numbers for each episode.[33]

Casting

On March 8, 2010, The Hollywood Reporter announced Aly Michalka and Gail O'Grady were the first actresses to be cast in the potential series, a drama set in the world of competitive college cheerleading.[13] Michalka would play the lead role as Marti Perkins, a college girl who decided to join the Hellcats and O'Grady is reported to portray Wanda Perkins, Marti's mother in the series.[11][13] The site later announced actress Ashley Tisdale was cast as Savannah Monroe (then known as Sierra Sloane), the fiercely intense captain of the Hellcats.[11][14] Actress Sofia Vassilieva was reported to have joined the cast[37] but she was replaced by Elena Esovolova, who was confirmed to portray Patty "The Wedge" Wedgerman.[1][38]

Matt Barr was cast as Dan Patch, a womanizer who quietly pines for Marti.[15] On April 5, 2010, The Hollywood Reporter and Variety reported actors Robbie Jones and Heather Hemmens were cast. Jones will portray the male lead, a cheerleading "base" who falls for Marti and Hemmens is reported to play a cheerleader sidelined with a wrist injury.[16][17] On April 8, 2010, The Hollywood Reporter reported actress Sharon Leal was cast as Vanessa Hodge, a former Hellcat star who now serves as the squad's coach.[1][18]

On April 14, 2010, it was announced Ben Browder was cast as Red Raymond, Lancer University's football coach.[39] On May 21, 2010, however, it was announced Browder is no longer portraying Raymond, although he had already shot scenes for the pilot episode, and his role is being recast and possibly retooled as well.[40] Raymond's role was later given to Jeff Hephner.[21] On July 13, one day before the beginning of the filming, D.B. Woodside was cast as Derrick Altman, a "handsome young physician who takes care of the Hellcats cheerleaders".[20]

Producer Kevin Murphy confirmed Gale Harold will guest star in the series as one of Marti's law professors.[33] Michalka added Harold is set to appear in the third episode of the first season and will have a multiple-episode arc.[41]

Broadcast

Presenting its 2010-11 season schedule on May 21, 2010, The CW announced their intention to air Hellcats in the United States after America's Next Top Model on Wednesday nights starting September 8, 2010 at 9/8c.[8][9] In Australia, Go! Channel has secured the rights to air Hellcats and will fast-track the series, starting in September 13 with the broadcast of the first episode.[42] In Canada, /A\ will be airing the series in the exact time of the US telecast.[43]

Reception

The Los Angeles Times first impression of the pilot episode was "OK", saying Hellcats has a predictable story but added Michalka and Tisdale seem perfect for their roles. The newspaper concluded by saying "competitive cheerleading is a fun and deep world to explore".[44] Mara Reinstein of US Weekly gave an early review of the first episode of the series, saying Hellcats has "plenty of winning elements abound" but added the series lacks of spirit.[45]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Development Update: Friday, April 9". The Futon Critic. April 9, 2010. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
  2. ^ Kissell, Rick (February 21, 2010). "New shows eye slots". Variety. Retrieved April 4, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  3. ^ Schneider, Michael (October 7, 2009) "Kevin Murphy joins 'Caprica'" [1], Variety. Retrieved May 13, 2010.
  4. ^ a b Ausiello, Michael (February 2, 2010). "Pilot intel: CW orders Tom Welling-produced drama". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 4, 2010.
  5. ^ a b Corbin, David (February 3, 2010). "CW Greenlights BETWIXT Pilot; Gives Presentation Orders to HMS and HELLCATS". Collider. Retrieved April 4, 2010.
  6. ^ a b Gorman, Bill (May 18, 2010). "Life Unexpected, One Tree Hill Renewed; Nikita, Hellcats Picked Up By CW". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
  7. ^ "The CW Announces 2010-2011 Schedule". TV by the Numbers. May 20, 2010. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
  8. ^ a b c Ausiello, Michael (May 20, 2010). "Breaking: The CW's new fall schedule". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
  9. ^ a b c "THE CW ANNOUNCES 2010-2011 SCHEDULE". The CW Television Network. The Futon Critic. April 14, 2010. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
  10. ^ "Fall 2010 Day-By-Day TV Schedule". TVGuide.com.
  11. ^ a b c d e f Andreeva, Nellie (March 18, 2010). "Ashley Tisdale to co-star in 'Hellcats'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 4, 2010.
  12. ^ Bettinger, Brendan (May 20, 2010). "New Images/Clips for The CW's HELLCATS and NIKITA". Collider. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  13. ^ a b c d e Own, Bob (July 29, 2010). "PRESS TOUR JOURNAL: CW cheers for 'Hellcats". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved July 29, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help) Cite error: The named reference "the hollywood reporter michalka" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  14. ^ a b Rice, Lynette (March 18, 2010). "Ashley Tisdale joins CW pilot about cheerleaders". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 4, 2010.
  15. ^ a b "Development Update: Monday, March 29". The Futon Critic. March 29, 2010. Retrieved April 4, 2010.
  16. ^ a b c Andreeva, Nellie (April 1, 2010). "Chad Lowe joins ABC Family series". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 4, 2010.
  17. ^ a b c Levine, Stuart (April 5, 2010). "CW adds Hemmens to 'Hellcats'". Variety. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
  18. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (April 8, 2010). "Mare Winningham joins HBO's 'Pierce'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
  19. ^ Kregloe, Karman (June 23, 2010). ""Hellcats" gets a lesbian cheerleader". AfterEllen. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
  20. ^ a b Adly MacKenzie, Carina (July 13, 2010). "'Hellcats': '24's' D.B. Woodside joins the squad". Zap2It. Retrieved July 14, 2010.
  21. ^ a b House, M.L. (July 20, 2010). "Jeff Hephner to Play Football Coach on Hellcats". TV Fanatic. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
  22. ^ Elena Fernandez, Maria (July 29, 2010). "TCA Press Tour: Superman takes on cheerleading in the CW's 'Hellcats'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 30, 2010.
  23. ^ "CW Renews One Tree Hill, Life Unexpected; Cancels "Melrose"; Picks Up Two Series". TVGuide.com.
  24. ^ Schneider, Michael (March 4, 2010). "CW renews 'Smallville' for 10th season". Variety. Retrieved April 4, 2010.
  25. ^ "Pilot Season: First look at CW's 2010 pilots". Los Angeles Times. February 24, 2010. Retrieved April 5, 2010.
  26. ^ Schneider, Michael (February 2, 2010). "U.S. networks turn to Israel". Variety. Retrieved April 4, 2010.
  27. ^ Hibberd, James (May 18, 2010). "CW picks up 'Nikita,' 'Hellcats,' 'Life,' 'OTH'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
  28. ^ Assiello, Michael (May 18, 2010). "Breaking: CW renews 'One Tree Hill' and 'Life Unexpected'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
  29. ^ ""LIFE UNEXPECTED," "ONE TREE HILL" MAKE THE CUT AT THE CW". Futon Critic. May 18, 2010. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
  30. ^ Schnieder, Michael (May 18, 2010). "CW renews 'Life,' 'One Tree Hill'". Variety. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
  31. ^ "Hellcats On The CW - TheFutonCritic.com". The Futon Critic. Retrieved June 17, 2010.
  32. ^ Battaglio, Stephen (August 11, 2010). "Who Are TV's Top Earners?". TV Guide. Retrieved August 11, 2010.
  33. ^ a b c d Prudom, Laura (July 30, 2010). "Ashley Tisdale and Aly Michalka Cheer on 'Hellcats' - TCA Report". TV Squad. Retrieved July 30, 2010.
  34. ^ Nguyen, Hanh (July 29, 2010). "The CW talks 'Vampire Diaries,' 'Nikita,' 'Hellcats': Live from TCA press tour". Zap2It. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
  35. ^ "Arkush Cheers On Welling's "Hellcats"". Vancouver Film. April 24, 2010. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
  36. ^ "FIRST LOOK - NEW HELLCATS STILLS". Warner Bros. Records. May 20, 2010. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
  37. ^ Byrne, Craig (March 21, 2010). "Sofia Vassilieva Joins The Hellcats Pilot Presentation?". KSiteTV. Retrieved April 4, 2010.
  38. ^ Byrne, Craig (April 8, 2010). "Elena Esovolova Joins The Hellcats Pilot Presentation". KSiteTV. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  39. ^ "Development Update: Wednesday, April 14". The Futon Critic. April 14, 2010. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
  40. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 21, 2010). "Recastings Come Fast & Furious This Year". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
  41. ^ Adly MacKenzie, Carina (July 31, 2010). "'Hellcats' taps 'DH's' Gale Harold as crime-solving law professor". Zap2It. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
  42. ^ "Love cheerleading?". Go! Channel. MSN. August 12, 2010. Retrieved August 26, 2010.
  43. ^ "/A\: Hellcats". Retrieved August 10, 2010.
  44. ^ Elena Fernandez, Maria (July 1, 2010). "Pilot View: The CW's new drama 'Hellcats'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 26, 2010.
  45. ^ Reinstein, Mara (August 24, 2010). "News - Review Hellcats". US Weekly. Retrieved August 26, 2010.
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