Summerland (TV series)
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| Summerland | |
|---|---|
The first season cast of Summerland |
|
| Format | Drama |
| Created by | Stephen Tolkin Lori Loughlin |
| Starring | Lori Loughlin Shawn Christian Merrin Dungey Ryan Kwanten Jesse McCartney Taylor Cole Kay Panabaker Nick Benson Zac Efron |
| Country of origin | |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Stephen Tolkin Remi Aubuchon Aaron Spelling E. Duke Vincent |
| Running time | 42 mins. (approx) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | The WB |
| Original run | June 1, 2004 – July 18, 2005 |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Summerland is an American television series which aired on the now defunct The WB. The series ran from June 1, 2004 to July 18, 2005.
Contents |
Ava Gregory is the main character in the TV series Summerland. She is believed to be in her mid 30s and is raising her sister's three children Bradin, Nikki, and Derrick Westerly after their parents' tragic death. She lives in an old beach house with the three children, her on again off again boyfriend Johnny, her best friend Suzannah, and another close friend, Jay. They reside in a small town in California. Ava has her difficulties in life with a stressful job as a fashion designer and with her niece and nephews. 17 year old Bradin has had many troubles during his late teenage years with girls (sarah, callie, faith, and erica), sex(being caught in bed with a girl, having the safe sex talk with Ava, Johnny, and Jay), drugs (an overdose of steroids putting him in hospital), alcohol (getting drunk and punching jay), and school (being kicked off the surf team due to grades, drugs, and his involvement with his coach Erica). Fourteen year old Nikki needs help getting through her parents' death and her snoopy behavior (says stuff before she thinks and is very nosy). Ten year old Derrick has had the most trouble dealing with his parents' death.
- Shawn Christian as Johnny Durant
- Merrin Dungey as Susannah Rexford
- Ryan Kwanten as Jay Robertson
- Jesse McCartney as Bradin Westerly
In Season 1, Bradin, his brother Derrick, and his sister Nikki, lose their parents to a flood. When they move out to Playa Linda, California, Bradin gets into a lot of trouble. He comes home drunk and beats up one of Ava's roommates, Jay Robertson (Ryan Kwanten) because Bradin saw Jay kissing his surf teacher, Erika Spalding (Taylor Cole) on the date Bradin and Erika had planned. He gets in a fight with a boy, Tanner (Riley Smith) that was harassing Erika. He then meets a deceptive girl named Sarah Borden (Sara Paxton) who pushes him into stealing a jet-ski with her, causing him to be arrested by the police.
- Kay Panabaker as Nikki Westerly
- Nick Benson as Derrick Westerly
- Taylor Cole as Erika Spalding
- Zac Efron as Cameron Bale
Cameron Bale was born in Playa Linda, he was best friends with Nikki Westerly. Later throughout the season the two became boyfriend and girlfriend. They break up throughout the season due to problems they have in their lives. In the episode "Safe House", Cameron mentions that his father Kyle abuses him, and makes Nikki promise not to tell anyone. Nikki ends up telling Ava, who then talks to Kyle about his drinking problem. Taylor Lautner (Cheaper By The Dozen 2), Sara Paxton (Return To Halloweentown), and Danielle Panabaker (Read it and Weep) appeared as guests.
1/3 of the way though the first season Ava discovers that there is some marijuana in Bradin's jeans. Nikki becomes a little jealous that Cameron isn't spending his time with her and instead with Derrick.
- Creators: Lori Loughlin & Stephen Tolkin
- Producer: Lori Loughlin
- Executive producers: Remi Aubuchon & Stephen Tolkin and E. Duke Vincent and Aaron Spelling
Summerland was part of the wave of summer programming that rose after Fox's 2003 success with The O.C.. The first season - of 13 episodes - aired from June - August 2004, and was a reasonable success.
The series benefited largely from the star appeal: Loughlin's return to television, and Dungey - who had become well-known on J.J. Abrams's cult series Alias. Teen star and hearthrob McCartney also launched his major singing career during this time, which helped the show appeal to a younger demographic. Australian soap star Kwanten also helped ratings on the show.
However, when the second season began in February 2005, ratings were significantly lower - due possibly in part to the midseason return. In April, after eight episodes had aired, the series was put on hiatus and The WB eventually announced the show's cancellation. The remaining episodes of the season aired in June and July 2005. There were last-ditch fan efforts to save the show, with online petitions and letter writing campaigns focusing on The WB.
Categories: Cleanup from July 2007 | All pages needing cleanup | 2000s American television series | 2004 television program debuts | 2005 television program series endings | The N channel shows | Teen dramas | Television series by CBS Paramount Television | Television shows set in California | TV shows by Aaron Spelling | WB network shows