How To Have A Hit TV Series for Teens

Published by simon on December 3, 2006

How to have a hit teenage TV series ala the O.C., Dawson’s Creek and One Tree Hill:

1. Get this group of good-looking, moody actors and actresses. Also ensure they look even better in swimsuits / trunks.
2. Age downgrading is encourage, i.e. get 21-year-olds to play 18-year-olds, and similarly 18-year-olds to play 16-year-olds.
3. Adults are limited to roles of exasperated parents and caring teachers. They too must be good-looking, or else cast them as janitors or gardeners.
4. The teenagers must act like 30-year olds, speak like adults, have complicated love-lives, have emotional crises every 4th episode, etc.
5. Always have another good-looking character to play your lead’s nemesis. Usually very popular and bitchy, surrounded by a posse. If girl, head cheerleader. If guy, star ball player.
6. They may be playing characters from a poor background, wear new and trendy clothes everyday and with make-up like Eva Longoria.
7. Some time in mid-season, to keep the interest going, get a rock star to guest star. And preferably sing a not-too-mouldy hit song.
8. Don’t forget nail-biting cliff hangers like finding out some of the main characters may turn out to be actually siblings, parents suffering from a life threatening disease or accident. And next season, take at least 5 to 6 episodes to sort it out.
9. After the first season, get one of your ‘stars’ to release an album / appear in movies.

Technorati Tags: O.C., Dawson’s Creek, One Tree Hill

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