Family TV Review: Hellcats

Show: ‘Hellcats’
FCC Rating: TV-PG (D – Suggestive Dialogue; L – Language)
Airtime: Wed., 9PM ET on The CW
Ok for Ages: 13+
Hot Spots: Social drinking, some innuendoes, mild language

The Story: This coming-of-age show stars Aly Michalka (from ‘Aly & AJ’) as Marti Perkins, a pre-law scholarship student at Lancer University in Memphis, Tennessee. Marti is hip and edgy, but her world gets turned upside down when her scholarship is cancelled and her well-meaning but flighty mom Wanda (Gail O’Grady, ‘NYPD Blue’) neglects to tell her. You can tell they still love each other dearly, even though Marti has had to be the grown-up in the relationship.

But Marti sees a way to stay in college: She’ll resurrect her long-dormant gymnastic skills to score a place on the Hellcats — Lancer’s legendary cheerleading squad – and the scholarship that comes with it. But other stuff comes with it, too, like lots of backstabbing, competition, college town politics, and the fact that football is God in the Deep South.

Marti’s new roommate, Savannah Monroe (Ashley Tisdale, ‘High School Musical’), couldn’t be more different. She’s a petite, preppy Texan who also happens to be captain of the Hellcats. Home-schooled by her parents, she’s lead a sheltered life, but she’s also a fierce competitor. Based on the first episode, it appears that Marti and Savannah will be friends.

Other cast includes Alice Verdura (Heather Hemmens), who was on track to become captain until Savannah snapped up the position; Lewis Flynn (Robbie Jones, ‘One Tree Hill’), an architecture student who gave up football after becoming disillusioned by the corruption; Dan Patch (Matt Barr, ‘Harper’s Island’), Marti’s best friend since first grade who’s also a budding documentary filmmaker; Vanessa Lodge (Sharon Leal), former Hellcats star and current coach; Red Raymond (Jeff Hephner), the school’s football coach; and Derek (D.B. Woodside, ‘24’), the Hellcats doctor.

Is It Any Good? ‘Hellcats’ looks to be another hit for The CW. The entire cast is gorgeous, and Aly Michalka is stunning with her pouty lips, super-flat stomach, and sun-bleached golden hair. The fact that she’s a fish out of water in the cheerleading crowd – a smart, sexy, athletic fish — is compelling. And she’s really fun to watch with her crazy dance sequences during the cheerleading scenes.

The drama not only follows the romance, angst and college life of the teens, but also the teachers and parents. O’Grady is perfectly cast as Marti’s mom. They even look alike.

This is a great next-step-project for Ashley Tisdale, whose turn as the preppy Savannah will likely make us forget all about her role in the ‘High School Musical’ franchise. Also, the locale of Memphis offers a great musical, rock-and-roll-blues vibe.

The Parent Factor: ‘Hellcats’ is like ABC Family’s ‘Make It or Break It,’ only amped up a few notches with older characters. While ‘Hellcats’ is rated PG with notes for language and suggestive dialogue, it really borders on a PG-14 rating. Keep in mind that the characters are college-aged, and thus will probably get involved in adult themes involving sex and drinking. The vibe is similar to ‘Gossip Girl,’ which carries a PG-14 rating.

Sex/Nudity: Lots of bare skin, including midriffs, legs and arms, especially during the cheerleading scenes. Dialogue includes things like, “You want her head in your lap” (said by a girl to a boy) and a song in the pilot includes the lyrics, “Party like a rock star, shake it like a porn star.” One scene shows topless guys in the locker room, and one guy jokingly asks the others, “Does this look crooked to you? I think I slept on it wrong,” referring to his penis. A character’s towel is stolen while she’s in the shower, and she has to venture into the locker room looking for one. Guys show up and she retreats to a stall (one of them sneaks a towel to her under the door).

Violence/Gore: A few mishaps during the cheerleading scenes, but no one is seriously hurt (so far).

Profanity: “Bitch” is as bad as it gets in the pilot episode.

Drugs/Alcohol: Marti’s mom works at the college bar and talks about finding guys to buy her and Marti drinks. Marti calls her mom “an emotional drunk” who actually puked on her once during a gymnastics competition. Social drinking among the college students.

Which Kids Will Like It? Kids 11 and older who like ‘Gossip Girl,’ ‘Make It or Break It,’ or who are into cheerleading. I don’t recommend it for kids younger than 13, though.

Will Parents Like It? There’s plenty to like about this show, including the fun characters and opportunities for drama, romance, and dance-cheerleading sequences. It will likely get an audience with both teens and their parents.

‘Hellcats’ Trailer: