ABC Family is famous for producing the typical, melodramatic teen show. To accompany the usual, uncomplicated plot, the channel often throws in “those little life lessons” to make everything more educational. And really, who wants to watch a TV show and then have that same TV show tell you what’s wrong with the show during commercials? Obviously, I don’t have ABC Family on my list of people to thank for repositioning my moral compass.
With that being said, I’ve never really gotten into any of the shows on that particular channel (and no, not even The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Molly Ringwald, I know you can do better). So, when I found out that ABC Family was making a TV show of one of my favorite movies, 10 Things I Hate About You, I was a little nervous. However, I was impressed by the pilot episode and soon found that the show is actually worth watching if you loved the movie.
Way back in 1999, Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles starred in 10 Things I Hate About You before either of them had ever become really famous. In my opinion, the movie is better than most typical teen movies because it had really clever dialogue and an original plot for once. Of course, Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles hardly look like they’re seventeen in the movie, but they made up for it with their excellent chemistry and perfect comic timing. Fast-forwarding ten years into the future, 10 Things I Hate About You aired on television with some noticeable differences, of course.
In the movie, the main character, Kat Stratford is the atypical feminist who has scared most of her high school into submission. She is also older sister to Bianca Stratford who is undoubtedly the prettiest and most popular girl in school, but can’t date until Kat does (and I’m sure we all know why that’s a problem). So of course, there’s a boy that likes Bianca and he ends up getting the “bad boy” of the school, Patrick Verona, to go out with Kat. In a strange way, all of the characters end up being connected without even knowing it.
In the TV show, the main character is played by Lindsey Shaw A.K.A. Mose from Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide or Claire from Aliens in America. I really enjoy her character, Kat, and she even looks a little bit like Julia Stiles. The other actors aren’t incredibly well-known, but the actress who plays Bianca was from the Disney Channel movie, Camp Rock. I was also very impressed by how similar the new cast is to the old cast. Plus, the character that plays Bianca and Kat’s dad also played the dad in the original movie.
Although I will probably always admit that the show can’t beat the actual movie, 10 Things I Hate About You is shaping up to have a great first season. I like how the story isn’t so incredibly drawn out that you have to wait until the finale to get anything done. For example, everything seemed so reluctantly dragged out in The Secret Life of the American Teenager that it was both unrealistic and redundant. A lot of the story was dialogue and the rest was the all-too-familiar teen pregnancy scenario. I was glad that 10 Things I Hate About You has enough storyline to go on for a long time without becoming monotonous.
Another thing that I like about the show is that the characters actually have some depth, or a real story behind them. They all had something happening in their lives, or something that has happened to them that makes them who they are in the show. It’s not like they just appear with a black-and-white personality that never changes no matter what happens. The individuality sets the show apart from the other shows. And the characters have some really funny moments, too.
Perhaps one of my few complaints is that the character Patrick Verona is a little too vague about everything. It’s nice that he’s mysterious or whatever, but I wish a little bit of his story would be explained instead of him just appearing and disappearing all the time. And, as the show is working towards its season finale, Kat’s friend, Mandella (who is, by far, one of the best characters) isn’t making as many appearances . . . which saddens me. However, I’m hoping the season finale will be exciting and also set the show up for the next season.
10 Things I Hate About You is a good show for the more cynical people of the TV viewing world. The humor is pretty dry most of the time, which is just perfect for me. The show can get a little bit serious without being overly dramatic and the comedy isn’t too over-the-top. I would definitely suggest checking out the show’s last couple episodes before the first season ends.