Hellcats
Encyclopedia
Hellcats is an American
cheerleading
comedy-drama
television series that originally aired on The CW
in the United States from September 8, 2010 to May 17, 2011. Based on the book Cheer: Inside the Secret World of College Cheerleaders by journalist Kate Torgovnick, the series focuses in the lives of college cheerleaders, mainly Marti Perkins (Aly Michalka), a pre-law college student who has to join the cheerleading team, the Hellcats, in order to get the athletic scholarship she needs. The main cast also includes Ashley Tisdale
, Robbie Jones
, Heather Hemmens
, Matt Barr
, Gail O'Grady
and Sharon Leal
.
In May 2010, Hellcats had been picked by The CW for the fall 2010–11 season. Initially with a 13-episode order, The CW aired the series after America's Next Top Model
on Wednesday nights. The pilot episode aired on September 8, 2010, and became the first premiere to ever match or build on an America's Next Top Model lead-in since The CW began in 2006. The CW later gave a full season order for the series, with executives saying they were "thrilled that [it] paid off for us". On May 17, 2011, The CW announced that Hellcats would not be renewed for the 2011 fall schedule.
Hellcats has been described as "Election
meets Bring It On
" by critics. It received generally mixed reviews during its first season, obtaining a Metacritic weighted average of 51 percent, based on the impression of 22 critics. The series also earned a nomination in the 2011 People's Choice Awards
.
Savannah Monroe (Ashley Tisdale), the captain of the Hellcats, is described as "peppy and petite" with a "fierce intensity". She initially clashes with Marti, but realizes she is the godsend that the Hellcats need to win the championship. She votes for Marti when the team has auditions for a new flyer. Savannah is from a very religious southern family. After a fight with her family, she left the university she was attending, Memphis Christian, and transferred to secular Lancer. Her sister Charlotte, a supporting role played by Emma Lahana
, is the captain of the Cyclones, the cheerleading team at Savannah's old school and a Hellcats' rival.
Alice (Heather Hemmens) is dangerously narcissistic and after she injures her wrist, she dislikes the idea of Marti replacing her on the squad, or the attention Marti receives from Alice's ex-boyfriend, Lewis Flynn. Lewis (Robbie Jones) is one of the Hellcats' bases and is an easy-going guy who has a love for action. He was once a star on the Lancer football team but quit when he discovered a scandal of players being paid by the college. He tried out for the Hellcats team when his then-girlfriend Alice encouraged him to do so in order to gain scholarship money after the football scandal, and instantly became hooked. He has an instant attraction to Marti. They later start dating. Dan Patch (Matt Barr) is a townie who is Marti's friend. He had an unspoken crush on her but now is dating Savannah, Marti's new friend on the team. Sharon Leal plays Vanessa Lodge, a former Hellcat cheerleader who is now the team's coach. Her job is threatened if the Hellcats do not place at the national competition.
Supporting cast includes Red Raymond (Jeff Hephner
), the Lancer's football coach who shares a romantic past with Vanessa, and Derrick Altman (D. B. Woodside
), a doctor who works at Lancer University and is now Vanessa's boyfriend. Bill Marsh (Aaron Douglas
) is the college's athletic director who is still involved in a "pay for play" scandal with players that could get the school's programs (including the Hellcats) suspended. Morgan Pepper (Craig Anderson) is a pre-law student and Marti's classmate. He later befriends Marti and joins her to solve a legal case introduced by their teacher Julian (Gale Harold
). Other Hellcats members include Darwin (Jeremy Wong), a gay cheerleader, and Frankie (Alana Randall). Kathy (Magda Apanowicz), usually called "Nasty Kathy", is a member of the Cyclones.
meets Bring It On
". Actor Tom Welling
teamed with Kevin Murphy
to executive produce the series, which was initially given the name Cheer. The pilot episode
was written by Murphy and directed by Allan Arkush
. On May 18, 2010, The Hollywood Reporter
, Variety
and Entertainment Weekly
reported that The CW Television Network
had picked up the series for the 2010–2011 television season and confirmed that Paul Becker
would be the head choreographer for the series. Tisdale's character was originally named Sierra Sloan but was renamed Savannah Monroe in the press release.
While presenting its 2010–11 season schedule on May 21, 2010, 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. TV Guide
reported that Ashley Tisdale is the best paid of the cast, earning $30,000 per episode during the first season of the series.
During the 2010 Television Critics Association
press tour in Los Angeles on July 29, 2010, producer Murphy said the series "was inspired by aspirational sports movies of the 1980s like Breaking Away
, Vision Quest
, and Pittsburgh-set Flashdance
", and also added that "Hellcats is a show either for optimists or for people who are interested in learning the trade". 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 television. When asked why it picked up Hellcats, The CW replied saying the series is "one of the underdogs" and it liked the big production numbers.
The filming of the pilot episode took place in Vancouver
, Canada between April 13–21, 2010. The filming of the next episodes of the first season began on July 14 in Vancouver. 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. Former Fame
actress and choreographer Debbie Allen
directed the episode "Pledging My Love".
The CW Network attempted to break the Guinness World Records
mark for the "Largest Cheerleading Dance" at a single venue by inviting cheerleading squads to participate in a five-minute choreographed Hellcats dance in September 2010. However, the mark was not broken as there were not enough cheerleaders present.
announced Aly Michalka and Gail O'Grady were the first actresses to be cast in the series. Michalka would play the lead role as Marti Perkins, a college girl who decided to join the Hellcats, and O'Grady was reported to portray Wanda Perkins, Marti's mother in the series. The site later announced that actress Ashley Tisdale was cast as Savannah Monroe (then known as Sierra Sloane), the fiercely intense captain of the Hellcats.
Matt Barr was cast as Dan Patch, a womanizer who quietly pines for Marti. On April 5, 2010, The Hollywood Reporter and Variety
reported actors Robbie Jones and Heather Hemmens were cast. Jones would portray the male lead, a cheerleading "base" who falls for Marti, and Hemmens was reported to play a cheerleader sidelined with a wrist injury. On April 8, 2010, The Hollywood Reporter reported actress Sharon Leal was cast as Vanessa Lodge, a former Hellcat star who now serves as the squad's coach. Elena Esovolva was cast as Patty "The Wedge" Wedgerman, a lesbian cheerleader and a base for the squad.
On April 14, 2010, it was announced that Ben Browder
was cast as Red Raymond, Lancer University's football coach. On May 21, 2010, however, it was announced Browder was no longer portraying Raymond, although he had already shot scenes for the pilot episode. His role was being recast and possibly retooled as well. Raymond's role was later given to Jeff Hephner. On July 13, one day before the beginning of filming, D. B. Woodside was cast as Derrick Altman, a "handsome young physician who takes care of the Hellcats cheerleaders".
Producer Kevin Murphy confirmed that Gale Harold would guest star in the series as one of Marti's law professors. Michalka added that Harold would appear in the third episode of the first season and had a multiple-episode arc. In late November 2010, Amanda Michalka
was cast in a recurring role to portray a girl who works at a record store near Lancer University that befriends Marti. Camille Sullivan was added to the supporting cast in February 2011 to portray Red Reymond's ex-wife.
On January 18, 2011, it was announced that Esovolova would not be returning to the show. Michalka has said that it was difficult for the writers to incorporate her storylines in with the others.
press tour held in Los Angeles on July 29, 2010, lead actresses Michalka and Tisdale were asked about the idea of singing on the show. They stated that they plan to keep their music careers separate from the series, although Michalka advised that she would sing in the fourth episode. In addition to that, Michalka's band 78violet recorded "Belong Here", which served as the theme song for Hellcats. It was later released into digital stores.
Executive producer Kevin Murphy
confirmed in an interview that a soundtrack would be released for the series, which would include the theme song and other songs recorded for the series. He later added "So we are building a library of material. Once we have enough, we're gonna put it on iTunes and definitely do a soundtrack album."
Songs covered for the series include "The Letter" originally by The Box Tops
, Sting's "Brand New Day", Squeeze's "Tempted" and The Go-Go's
hit "We Got the Beat
". Canadian singer Fefe Dobson
recorded "Rockstar", an exclusive song for the series that was played during the "A World Full of Strangers
" episode. However, "Rockstar" was ultimately released on the iTunes
Deluxe Edition of Dobson's album Joy
. As previously promised by Murphy, a digital EP
featuring five of the songs recorded for the series was released on November 30, 2010, via Warner Bros. Records.
The first season of Hellcats also included live performances by guest musicians, including Hey Monday
, Faber Drive
, Fefe Dobson
, 3OH!3
featuring Ashley Tisdale
, Elise Estrada
and Ciara
.
was broadcast on September 8, 2010. The initial order for the series was thirteen episodes. On September 23, 2010, due to successful ratings, The CW ordered six more scripts for the first season, although its production order was still at thirteen. On October 22, 2010, Variety announced that The CW had given a full season order for the series. The network said they took risks this year but they were "thrilled that they've paid off for us".
Hellcats aired on Wednesdays at 9–10 pm until December 1, 2010, when the eleventh episode aired. Starting January 25, 2011, The CW moved Hellcats to Tuesday nights at 9–10 pm, following One Tree Hill
.
score of 51 percent, based on 22 critic reviews. It was praised and criticized by critics in several round-up reviews of 2010 in television
. Los Angeles Times
had a good first impression of the pilot episode, saying Hellcats has a predictable story but, on the other hand, Michalka and Tisdale seem perfect for their roles. The newspaper also wrote the cheerleading world portrayed in the series is a "fun and deep world to explore". The journal later gave a complete review of the series, comparing it to 1983's film Flashdance
aimed squarely at audiences too young for Gossip Girl
but too old for Hannah Montana
.
Verne Gay of Newsday
praised Michalka's performance in the series, while The Hollywood Reporter
praised the series itself and said it has "multilayered characters that defy expectations."
Curt Wagner of ChicagoNow
said the series is predictable and has unrealistic situations, and criticized the lack of fun in the jokes. The journal also praised Tisdale's performance, claiming she was the one who made him laugh the most. Hellcats has also received positive reviews from Entertainment Weekly
and People
.
Mara Reinstein of US Weekly
gave an early review of the first episode of the series, saying Hellcats has "plenty of winning elements" but added that the series lacks spirit. She also praised the performance and Marti's relationship with her mother.
ABC News
listed Hellcats as one of the ten best new shows of 2010's fall season and described the series as "almost laughably formulaic" and added it "works like a charm".
Brian Lowry of Variety
praised the series' promise, and said that the series has a Glee
-like element in the script, while also criticizing Michalka and acclaiming O'Grady's performance. Lowry also added Hellcats premiere "isn't quite unabashedly trashy enough to completely qualify as a guilty pleasure".
Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times
criticized Michalka's performance and called the series a "soft-porn music video for teenagers". Washington Posts Hank Stuever was critical about the pilot episode, describing it as "mean-spirited, painfully dumb and badly acted." He also wrote Hellcats is the opposite to Fox
's Glee
.
" averaged a total of 3.0 million viewers and scored a 2.0 rating in the network's target audience of women 18–34, which marks the first premiere to ever match or build on an America's Next Top Model
lead-in since The CW began. Hellcats also delivered the largest non-Top Model performance in The CW's Wednesday 9–10 pm time period in 3 years since the Gossip Girl
series premiere. On September 10, the network aired an encore of the pilot episode which averaged a total of 2.42 million viewers and won the hour with adults 18–49.
Hellcats delivered The CW's most watched Tuesday of the season with 2.2 million viewers watching "Papa, Oh Papa", its 12th episode and the first in its new Tuesday 9–10 pm timeslot. Ratings fell rapidly as the series progressed, with the nineteenth episode, "Before I Was Caught", hitting a series low, with less than a million viewers watching it on April 27, 2011. The finale was watched by 1.16 million viewers.
The series averaged 2.11 million viewers with live +7 day DVR viewing.
and Latin-America.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cheerleading
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
comedy-drama
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
television series that originally aired on The CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
in the United States from September 8, 2010 to May 17, 2011. Based on the book Cheer: Inside the Secret World of College Cheerleaders by journalist Kate Torgovnick, the series focuses in the lives of college cheerleaders, mainly Marti Perkins (Aly Michalka), a pre-law college student who has to join the cheerleading team, the Hellcats, in order to get the athletic scholarship she needs. The main cast also includes Ashley Tisdale
Ashley Tisdale
Ashley Michelle Tisdale is an American actress and singer who rose to prominence portraying the candy-counter girl Maddie Fitzpatrick in Disney Channel's The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and the female antagonist Sharpay Evans in the High School Musical film series...
, Robbie Jones
Robbie Jones (actor)
Robbie Jones is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Quentin Fields in One Tree Hill. In 2010 he began filming the series Hellcats, in which he portrays Lewis Flynn. Jones starred in the film Hurricane Season with Forest Whitaker....
, Heather Hemmens
Heather Hemmens
Heather Hemmens is an American actress, film director and producer. She's most known for her role as Alice Verdura in The CW's recently cancelled drama, Hellcats.-Early life:Born to Costa Rican mother and Caucasian father...
, Matt Barr
Matt Barr
Matthew Jerome "Matt" Barr is an American television and film actor. He is best known for his roles as Mike Fleming in Commander in Chief, Ian Banks in One Tree Hill, Christopher Sullivan in the mystery horror series Harper's Island, and Dan Patch in The CW series Hellcats.-Early life:Matthew...
, Gail O'Grady
Gail O'Grady
Gail Ann O'Grady is an American television actress. She is best known for her roles as Donna Abandando on NYPD Blue and as Helen Pryor on American Dreams...
and Sharon Leal
Sharon Leal
Sharon Leal is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles in movies such as Dreamgirls, Why Did I Get Married?, Why Did I Get Married Too? and the televisions series Hellcats.-Personal life:...
.
In May 2010, Hellcats had been picked by The CW for the fall 2010–11 season. Initially with a 13-episode order, The CW aired the series after America's Next Top Model
America's Next Top Model
America's Next Top Model is a reality television show in which a number of women compete for the title of America's Next Top Model and a chance to start their career in the modeling industry....
on Wednesday nights. The pilot episode aired on September 8, 2010, and became the first premiere to ever match or build on an America's Next Top Model lead-in since The CW began in 2006. The CW later gave a full season order for the series, with executives saying they were "thrilled that [it] paid off for us". On May 17, 2011, The CW announced that Hellcats would not be renewed for the 2011 fall schedule.
Hellcats has been described as "Election
Election (1999 film)
Election is a 1999 American comedy film adapted from a 1998 novel of the same title by Tom Perrotta. The plot revolves around a three-way election race in high school, and satirizes both suburban high school life and politics...
meets Bring It On
Bring It On (film)
Bring It On is a 2000 teen comedy film about two competing high school cheerleading squads, starring Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku, Jesse Bradford, and Gabrielle Union...
" by critics. It received generally mixed reviews during its first season, obtaining a Metacritic weighted average of 51 percent, based on the impression of 22 critics. The series also earned a nomination in the 2011 People's Choice Awards
37th People's Choice Awards
The 37th People's Choice Awards, honoring the best in popular culture for 2010, were held on January 5, 2011 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California, and were broadcast live on CBS at 9:00 pm ET...
.
Series overview
Hellcats follows Marti Perkins, a pre-law college student at Lancer University, who lost her scholarship and has no other choice but to join the college's cheer squad, the Hellcats, in order to obtain a new one. There she meets her new roommate and team captain Savannah Monroe, the injured flyer Alice Verdura, her new partner Lewis Flynn and the Hellcats coach Vanessa Lodge who hopes to win nationals, otherwise the cheer leading program will be cut. All the while, Marti also has to deal with her financially unstable and sometimes irresponsible mother, Wanda Perkins, whom she often has to bail out of difficult situations, and her best friend Dan Patch.Cast and characters
Marti Perkins (Aly Michalka) is the protagonist of the series and a townie from Memphis, Tennessee. Described as "wicked smart", she is a pre-law student at Lancer University. Her mother, Wanda Perkins (Gail O'Grady), works at the university pub and is a party girl who never grew up. Her mother's behavior is, for the most part, an embarrassment to Marti. When Lancer's administrative department cuts scholarships for Lancer employees and families, Marti learns she can get a new one by choosing one of Lancer's programs. She then auditions for a position on Lancer's cheerleading team, the Hellcats.Savannah Monroe (Ashley Tisdale), the captain of the Hellcats, is described as "peppy and petite" with a "fierce intensity". She initially clashes with Marti, but realizes she is the godsend that the Hellcats need to win the championship. She votes for Marti when the team has auditions for a new flyer. Savannah is from a very religious southern family. After a fight with her family, she left the university she was attending, Memphis Christian, and transferred to secular Lancer. Her sister Charlotte, a supporting role played by Emma Lahana
Emma Lahana
Emma Kate Lahana is a New Zealand actress and singer, known for her roles as Kira Ford on Power Rangers: Dino Thunder and Charlotte Monroe on Hellcats.-Career:...
, is the captain of the Cyclones, the cheerleading team at Savannah's old school and a Hellcats' rival.
Alice (Heather Hemmens) is dangerously narcissistic and after she injures her wrist, she dislikes the idea of Marti replacing her on the squad, or the attention Marti receives from Alice's ex-boyfriend, Lewis Flynn. Lewis (Robbie Jones) is one of the Hellcats' bases and is an easy-going guy who has a love for action. He was once a star on the Lancer football team but quit when he discovered a scandal of players being paid by the college. He tried out for the Hellcats team when his then-girlfriend Alice encouraged him to do so in order to gain scholarship money after the football scandal, and instantly became hooked. He has an instant attraction to Marti. They later start dating. Dan Patch (Matt Barr) is a townie who is Marti's friend. He had an unspoken crush on her but now is dating Savannah, Marti's new friend on the team. Sharon Leal plays Vanessa Lodge, a former Hellcat cheerleader who is now the team's coach. Her job is threatened if the Hellcats do not place at the national competition.
Supporting cast includes Red Raymond (Jeff Hephner
Jeff Hephner
Jeff Hephner is an American actor, known for his recurring role as Matt Ramsey during the third season of The O.C., and as the lead Morgan Stanley Buffkin in the 2008 television series Easy Money...
), the Lancer's football coach who shares a romantic past with Vanessa, and Derrick Altman (D. B. Woodside
D. B. Woodside
David Bryan "D.B." Woodside is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of White House Chief of Staff Wayne Palmer on the FOX action/drama series 24...
), a doctor who works at Lancer University and is now Vanessa's boyfriend. Bill Marsh (Aaron Douglas
Aaron Douglas (actor)
Aaron Douglas is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his role as Galen Tyrol on the Sci Fi Channel's television program Battlestar Galactica....
) is the college's athletic director who is still involved in a "pay for play" scandal with players that could get the school's programs (including the Hellcats) suspended. Morgan Pepper (Craig Anderson) is a pre-law student and Marti's classmate. He later befriends Marti and joins her to solve a legal case introduced by their teacher Julian (Gale Harold
Gale Harold
Gale Morgan Harold III is an American actor widely known for his roles on Queer as Folk, Desperate Housewives and Hellcats.-Early life:...
). Other Hellcats members include Darwin (Jeremy Wong), a gay cheerleader, and Frankie (Alana Randall). Kathy (Magda Apanowicz), usually called "Nasty Kathy", is a member of the Cyclones.
Development
Hellcats is based on the book Cheer: Inside the Secret World of College Cheerleaders by journalist Kate Torgovnick and the series has been described as "ElectionElection (1999 film)
Election is a 1999 American comedy film adapted from a 1998 novel of the same title by Tom Perrotta. The plot revolves around a three-way election race in high school, and satirizes both suburban high school life and politics...
meets Bring It On
Bring It On (film)
Bring It On is a 2000 teen comedy film about two competing high school cheerleading squads, starring Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku, Jesse Bradford, and Gabrielle Union...
". Actor Tom Welling
Tom Welling
Thomas John Patrick "Tom" Welling is an American actor, director, producer, and former model, best known for his portrayal of Clark Kent in the WB/CW series Smallville....
teamed with Kevin Murphy
Kevin Murphy (screenwriter)
Kevin Murphy is an American screenwriter, television producer, lyricist and composer. He wrote the book and lyrics of the musical Reefer Madness, as well as its television adaptation...
to executive produce the series, which was initially given the name Cheer. The pilot episode
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
was written by Murphy and directed by Allan Arkush
Allan Arkush
Allan Arkush is an American cult film and television director and frequent collaborator of Joe Dante....
. On May 18, 2010, The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
, Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
and Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
reported that The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
had picked up the series for the 2010–2011 television season and confirmed that Paul Becker
Paul Becker
Paul Becker is a Canadian actor and choreographer.- Career :Becker choreographed the first season of the CW series Hellcats, Sucker Punch, This Means War, Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2 and an episode of Human Target....
would be the head choreographer for the series. Tisdale's character was originally named Sierra Sloan but was renamed Savannah Monroe in the press release.
While presenting its 2010–11 season schedule on May 21, 2010, The CW officially confirmed the pick up of the series and announced its intention to air Hellcats after America's Next Top Model
America's Next Top Model
America's Next Top Model is a reality television show in which a number of women compete for the title of America's Next Top Model and a chance to start their career in the modeling industry....
on Wednesday nights. TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
reported that Ashley Tisdale is the best paid of the cast, earning $30,000 per episode during the first season of the series.
During the 2010 Television Critics Association
Television Critics Association
The Television Critics Association is a group of approximately 200 United States and Canadian journalists and columnists who cover television programming...
press tour in Los Angeles on July 29, 2010, producer Murphy said the series "was inspired by aspirational sports movies of the 1980s like Breaking Away
Breaking Away
Breaking Away is a 1979 American film. A coming of age story, it follows a group of four male teenagers in Bloomington, Indiana, who have recently graduated from high school. It stars Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern , Jackie Earle Haley, Barbara Barrie and Paul Dooley...
, Vision Quest
Vision Quest
Vision Quest is a 1985 coming of age drama film starring Matthew Modine, Linda Fiorentino, and Ronny Cox. It is based on Terry Davis' novel of the same name. In some countries, it was released as Crazy for You to market on Madonna's emerging fame and the popularity of the song...
, and Pittsburgh-set Flashdance
Flashdance
Another song used in the film, "Maniac", was also nominated for an Academy Award. It was written by Michael Sembello and Dennis Matkosky, and was inspired by the 1980 horror film Maniac. The lyrics about a killer on the loose were rewritten so that it could be used in Flashdance...
", and also added that "Hellcats is a show either for optimists or for people who are interested in learning the trade". 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 television. When asked why it picked up Hellcats, The CW replied saying the series is "one of the underdogs" and it liked the big production numbers.
The filming of the pilot episode took place in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Canada between April 13–21, 2010. The filming of the next episodes of the first season began on July 14 in Vancouver. 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. Former Fame
Fame (1982 TV series)
Fame is an American television series originally produced between 1982 and 1987. The show was based on the 1980 motion picture of the same name. Using a mixture of drama and music, it followed the lives of the students and faculty at the New York City High School for the Performing Arts. Although...
actress and choreographer Debbie Allen
Debbie Allen
Deborrah Kaye “Debbie” Allen is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, television director, television producer, and a member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities...
directed the episode "Pledging My Love".
The CW Network attempted to break the Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
mark for the "Largest Cheerleading Dance" at a single venue by inviting cheerleading squads to participate in a five-minute choreographed Hellcats dance in September 2010. However, the mark was not broken as there were not enough cheerleaders present.
Casting
On March 8, 2010, The Hollywood ReporterThe Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
announced Aly Michalka and Gail O'Grady were the first actresses to be cast in the series. Michalka would play the lead role as Marti Perkins, a college girl who decided to join the Hellcats, and O'Grady was reported to portray Wanda Perkins, Marti's mother in the series. The site later announced that actress Ashley Tisdale was cast as Savannah Monroe (then known as Sierra Sloane), the fiercely intense captain of the Hellcats.
Matt Barr was cast as Dan Patch, a womanizer who quietly pines for Marti. On April 5, 2010, The Hollywood Reporter and Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
reported actors Robbie Jones and Heather Hemmens were cast. Jones would portray the male lead, a cheerleading "base" who falls for Marti, and Hemmens was reported to play a cheerleader sidelined with a wrist injury. On April 8, 2010, The Hollywood Reporter reported actress Sharon Leal was cast as Vanessa Lodge, a former Hellcat star who now serves as the squad's coach. Elena Esovolva was cast as Patty "The Wedge" Wedgerman, a lesbian cheerleader and a base for the squad.
On April 14, 2010, it was announced that Ben Browder
Ben Browder
Robert Benedic "Ben" Browder is an American actor and writer, best known for his roles as John Crichton in Farscape and Cameron Mitchell in Stargate SG-1.-Early life:...
was cast as Red Raymond, Lancer University's football coach. On May 21, 2010, however, it was announced Browder was no longer portraying Raymond, although he had already shot scenes for the pilot episode. His role was being recast and possibly retooled as well. Raymond's role was later given to Jeff Hephner. On July 13, one day before the beginning of filming, D. B. Woodside was cast as Derrick Altman, a "handsome young physician who takes care of the Hellcats cheerleaders".
Producer Kevin Murphy confirmed that Gale Harold would guest star in the series as one of Marti's law professors. Michalka added that Harold would appear in the third episode of the first season and had a multiple-episode arc. In late November 2010, Amanda Michalka
Amanda Michalka
Amanda Joy "AJ" Michalka , often credited as AJ, is an American actress, singer-songwriter, and musician. She used to be a model prior to becoming an actress, and was best known as one-half of the duo 78violet with her sister, Alyson Michalka. AJ recently recorded the theme song for the film...
was cast in a recurring role to portray a girl who works at a record store near Lancer University that befriends Marti. Camille Sullivan was added to the supporting cast in February 2011 to portray Red Reymond's ex-wife.
On January 18, 2011, it was announced that Esovolova would not be returning to the show. Michalka has said that it was difficult for the writers to incorporate her storylines in with the others.
Music
During the 2010 Television Critics AssociationTelevision Critics Association
The Television Critics Association is a group of approximately 200 United States and Canadian journalists and columnists who cover television programming...
press tour held in Los Angeles on July 29, 2010, lead actresses Michalka and Tisdale were asked about the idea of singing on the show. They stated that they plan to keep their music careers separate from the series, although Michalka advised that she would sing in the fourth episode. In addition to that, Michalka's band 78violet recorded "Belong Here", which served as the theme song for Hellcats. It was later released into digital stores.
Executive producer Kevin Murphy
Kevin Murphy (screenwriter)
Kevin Murphy is an American screenwriter, television producer, lyricist and composer. He wrote the book and lyrics of the musical Reefer Madness, as well as its television adaptation...
confirmed in an interview that a soundtrack would be released for the series, which would include the theme song and other songs recorded for the series. He later added "So we are building a library of material. Once we have enough, we're gonna put it on iTunes and definitely do a soundtrack album."
Songs covered for the series include "The Letter" originally by The Box Tops
The Box Tops
The Box Tops were a Memphis rock group of the second half of the 1960s. They are best known for the hits "The Letter," "Neon Rainbow," "Soul Deep," "I Met Her in Church," and "Cry Like A Baby," and are considered a major blue-eyed soul group of the period...
, Sting's "Brand New Day", Squeeze's "Tempted" and The Go-Go's
The Go-Go's
The Go-Go’s are an all-female American rock band formed in 1978. They made history as the first all-female band that both wrote their own songs and played their own instruments to top the Billboard album charts....
hit "We Got the Beat
We Got the Beat
"We Got the Beat" is a song recorded by the American rock band The Go-Go's. Written by the group's lead guitarist Charlotte Caffey, the band recorded the song in 1980 and it was released in May as a single in the UK on Stiff Records. The song's single release brought the Go-Go's underground...
". Canadian singer Fefe Dobson
Fefe Dobson
Felicia Lily "Fefe" Dobson is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Her self-titled debut album earned her two Juno Award nominations. Her second album, Sunday Love, was not released and she was terminated from her recording company...
recorded "Rockstar", an exclusive song for the series that was played during the "A World Full of Strangers
A World Full of Strangers
"A World Full of Strangers" is the pilot episode of the CW television series Hellcats, originally called "Pilot". Kevin Murphy wrote the episode directed by Allan Arkush. It premiered on The CW, September 8, 2010.-Reception:...
" episode. However, "Rockstar" was ultimately released on the iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
Deluxe Edition of Dobson's album Joy
Joy (Fefe Dobson album)
Joy is the second studio album to be released by Canadian singer-songwriter Fefe Dobson, and third studio album to be recorded. It was released on November 22, 2010 after taking almost four years to complete. It candidly follows Dobson's evolution as an artist as well as transition from the indie...
. As previously promised by Murphy, a digital EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
featuring five of the songs recorded for the series was released on November 30, 2010, via Warner Bros. Records.
The first season of Hellcats also included live performances by guest musicians, including Hey Monday
Hey Monday
Hey Monday is an American rock band from West Palm Beach, Florida, formed in 2008. They released their debut album Hold on Tight in 2008 which produced notable singles "Homecoming" and "How You Love Me Now". The album was followed up with their 2010 EP Beneath It All, which achieved moderate...
, Faber Drive
Faber Drive
Faber Drive is a four-piece, Canadian pop punk band from Mission, British Columbia.-Biography:Discovered by Chad Kroeger of Nickelback, and signed to his 604 Records label after winning Fox Seeds, a local radio challenge, Faber Drive released their debut album, Seven Second Surgery, on May 15, 2007...
, Fefe Dobson
Fefe Dobson
Felicia Lily "Fefe" Dobson is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Her self-titled debut album earned her two Juno Award nominations. Her second album, Sunday Love, was not released and she was terminated from her recording company...
, 3OH!3
3OH!3
3OH!3 is an American electro hop duo from Boulder, Colorado, made up of Sean Foreman and Nathaniel Motte. They are best known for their single "Don't Trust Me" from their album Want, which reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100...
featuring Ashley Tisdale
Ashley Tisdale
Ashley Michelle Tisdale is an American actress and singer who rose to prominence portraying the candy-counter girl Maddie Fitzpatrick in Disney Channel's The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and the female antagonist Sharpay Evans in the High School Musical film series...
, Elise Estrada
Elise Estrada
- 1987–2006: Early life and career beginnings :Elise Estrada was born in Philippines and moved to Canada when she was 4. While growing up in Vancouver, Estrada had participated in many pageant and singing competitions. At age 17, Estrada won the title of "Miss Vancouver Princess" and later became...
and Ciara
Ciara
Ciara Princess Harris , known mononymously as Ciara, is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, actress and fashion model. Born in Austin, Texas, she traveled around the world during her childhood, only to land in Atlanta, Georgia where she met music producer, Jazze Pha...
.
Episodes
The first and only season of Hellcats consisted of 22 episodes. The pilot episodeA World Full of Strangers
"A World Full of Strangers" is the pilot episode of the CW television series Hellcats, originally called "Pilot". Kevin Murphy wrote the episode directed by Allan Arkush. It premiered on The CW, September 8, 2010.-Reception:...
was broadcast on September 8, 2010. The initial order for the series was thirteen episodes. On September 23, 2010, due to successful ratings, The CW ordered six more scripts for the first season, although its production order was still at thirteen. On October 22, 2010, Variety announced that The CW had given a full season order for the series. The network said they took risks this year but they were "thrilled that they've paid off for us".
Hellcats aired on Wednesdays at 9–10 pm until December 1, 2010, when the eleventh episode aired. Starting January 25, 2011, The CW moved Hellcats to Tuesday nights at 9–10 pm, following One Tree Hill
One Tree Hill (TV series)
One Tree Hill is an American television drama created by Mark Schwahn, which premiered on September 23, 2003, on The WB Television Network. After its third season, The WB merged with UPN to form The CW Television Network, and, since September 27, 2006, the network has been the official broadcaster...
.
Reception
Critical reception
The show has received mixed reviews, with a MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
score of 51 percent, based on 22 critic reviews. It was praised and criticized by critics in several round-up reviews of 2010 in television
2010 in television
2010 in television may refer to:*2010 in American television*2010 in Australian television*2010 in British television*2010 in Canadian television*2010 in Japanese television...
. Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
had a good first impression of the pilot episode, saying Hellcats has a predictable story but, on the other hand, Michalka and Tisdale seem perfect for their roles. The newspaper also wrote the cheerleading world portrayed in the series is a "fun and deep world to explore". The journal later gave a complete review of the series, comparing it to 1983's film Flashdance
Flashdance
Another song used in the film, "Maniac", was also nominated for an Academy Award. It was written by Michael Sembello and Dennis Matkosky, and was inspired by the 1980 horror film Maniac. The lyrics about a killer on the loose were rewritten so that it could be used in Flashdance...
aimed squarely at audiences too young for Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl (TV series)
Gossip Girl is an American teen drama television series based on the book series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series was created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, and premiered on The CW on September 19, 2007...
but too old for Hannah Montana
Hannah Montana
Hannah Montana is an American television series, which debuted on March 24, 2006 on the Disney Channel. The series focuses on a girl who lives a double life as an average teenage school girl named Miley Stewart by day and a famous pop singer named Hannah Montana by night, concealing her real...
.
Verne Gay of Newsday
Newsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
praised Michalka's performance in the series, while The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
praised the series itself and said it has "multilayered characters that defy expectations."
Curt Wagner of ChicagoNow
ChicagoNow
ChicagoNow is a blogging site managed by a subsidiary of the Chicago Tribune. Launched in August 2009, the site features numerous blogs of mainly local interest on a variety of topics.The website of the Tribune daily RedEye is notably hosted on ChicagoNow...
said the series is predictable and has unrealistic situations, and criticized the lack of fun in the jokes. The journal also praised Tisdale's performance, claiming she was the one who made him laugh the most. Hellcats has also received positive reviews from Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
and People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
.
Mara Reinstein of US Weekly
Us Weekly
Us Weekly is a celebrity gossip magazine, founded in 1977 by The New York Times Company, who sold it in 1980. It was acquired by Wenner Media in 1986. The publication covers topics ranging from celebrity relationships to the latest trends in fashion, beauty, and entertainment...
gave an early review of the first episode of the series, saying Hellcats has "plenty of winning elements" but added that the series lacks spirit. She also praised the performance and Marti's relationship with her mother.
ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
listed Hellcats as one of the ten best new shows of 2010's fall season and described the series as "almost laughably formulaic" and added it "works like a charm".
Brian Lowry of Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
praised the series' promise, and said that the series has a Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
-like element in the script, while also criticizing Michalka and acclaiming O'Grady's performance. Lowry also added Hellcats premiere "isn't quite unabashedly trashy enough to completely qualify as a guilty pleasure".
Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
criticized Michalka's performance and called the series a "soft-porn music video for teenagers". Washington Posts Hank Stuever was critical about the pilot episode, describing it as "mean-spirited, painfully dumb and badly acted." He also wrote Hellcats is the opposite to Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
's Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
.
Ratings
The pilot episode "A World Full of StrangersA World Full of Strangers
"A World Full of Strangers" is the pilot episode of the CW television series Hellcats, originally called "Pilot". Kevin Murphy wrote the episode directed by Allan Arkush. It premiered on The CW, September 8, 2010.-Reception:...
" averaged a total of 3.0 million viewers and scored a 2.0 rating in the network's target audience of women 18–34, which marks the first premiere to ever match or build on an America's Next Top Model
America's Next Top Model
America's Next Top Model is a reality television show in which a number of women compete for the title of America's Next Top Model and a chance to start their career in the modeling industry....
lead-in since The CW began. Hellcats also delivered the largest non-Top Model performance in The CW's Wednesday 9–10 pm time period in 3 years since the Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl (TV series)
Gossip Girl is an American teen drama television series based on the book series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series was created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, and premiered on The CW on September 19, 2007...
series premiere. On September 10, the network aired an encore of the pilot episode which averaged a total of 2.42 million viewers and won the hour with adults 18–49.
Hellcats delivered The CW's most watched Tuesday of the season with 2.2 million viewers watching "Papa, Oh Papa", its 12th episode and the first in its new Tuesday 9–10 pm timeslot. Ratings fell rapidly as the series progressed, with the nineteenth episode, "Before I Was Caught", hitting a series low, with less than a million viewers watching it on April 27, 2011. The finale was watched by 1.16 million viewers.
The series averaged 2.11 million viewers with live +7 day DVR viewing.
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | People's Choice Awards People's Choice Awards The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show recognizing the people and the work of popular culture. The show has been held annually since 1975 and is voted on by the general public. The People's Choice Awards air on CBS and are produced by Procter & Gamble and Survivor magnate Mark Burnett... |
Favorite New TV Drama | Hellcats | ||
| Golden Reel Awards Motion Picture Sound Editors Founded in 1953, Motion Picture Sound Editors is an honorary society of motion picture sound editors. The society's goals are to educate others about and increase the recognition of the sound editors, show the artistic merit of the soundtracks, and improve the professional relationship of its... |
Best Sound Editing: Short Form Musical in Television | "Back of a Car" |
Broadcast
While presenting its 2010–11 season schedule on May 21, 2010, The CW announced its intention to air Hellcats in the United States after America's Next Top Model on Wednesday nights starting September 8, 2010, at 9 pm. The series moved to Tuesday nights in the 9–10 pm timeslot, starting with the twelfth episode. Hellcats has been syndicated for broadcast in several countries worldwide, including Australia, Canada, Greece, Ireland, United Kingdom, Brazil, Spain,, the Arab WorldArab world
The Arab world refers to Arabic-speaking states, territories and populations in North Africa, Western Asia and elsewhere.The standard definition of the Arab world comprises the 22 states and territories of the Arab League stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the...
and Latin-America.