TV Hot Spot: Hidden Palms

Hidden Palms Episode 1: Pilot

Review by: Sal

Hello readers. Tune in tonight for a review of both "The O.C." & "Men In Trees" which will be brought to you buy me and Shai. But this review in particular is about a soon-to-be CW series which has yet to be set a date for its on-screen debut. "Hidden Palms" has a mix of drama, comedy & mystery. The characters are well put and the writing was good too. To examine this series in a more professional way, I will go through each of these topics in much more detail in the following paragraphs. But before I do, I would just like to say that I liked this series, and I think it will do good for the CW. I am just hoping that the CW gives this series a decent lead-in as well as heavy promotion in order to obtain the viewers they desire. That said I guess I can begin with the review.

We start off the pilot with the lead character Johnny Miller, played by Taylor Handley. You may remember him for his role as Oliver in the FOX networks's "The O.C.". The creator of "Hidden Palms" was smart to put him as the lead role. He is good in it, and actually acts well enough to make it look realistic. The first few minutes we see him as this 'smart' kid, doing his homework. His drunk father comes in and later on shoots himself right infront of his own son. Now that is drama for you! Imagine a son watching his father commit suicide right infront of his face. An awful site. The writers then take as One Year later, and show us that Johnny has moved in with his mother.

Two things here. One is that Johnny is no longer an "A" student and has become a victim of drugs and alcohol. Another thing is the mother, married quickly after her previous husband killed himself. We also find out that Johnny blames his mother for his father's suicide, because apparently his mother was having numerous affairs. One very screwed up family. But that is TV for you. So after we had this preview of the lead characters family, we got to see many other characters. Now in most shows, I would have disagreed with how many cast members were in it, but in this series I found it ok actually.

The neighbours, are your typical rich, gorgeous, and stuck up ones you would find in the Palms area. Although, with a street like that, you are bound to find mystery. Which is exactly what has happened. Various couples, with different problems. The mayor of the town, married to his third wife. Another neighbour, who is also a mother with too much plastic surgery. Also a strict housewife, (who reminded me of Bree from Desperate Housewives) who takes control of almost everything. The interaction was very well done as well, and made you believe that this was actually a neighberhood!

And what is a Teen Drama show without teenagers? Cliff Wiatt (mysterious bad-guy). Nikki (Tessa Thompson from Veronica Mars). Greta (The gorgeous stuck up girl of the series). And finally Liza (The geeky-yet-pretty girl of the series). They sum up the teenagers that we have seen so far in the series. Acting is up to par, and I believe that they can get a great fanbase, especially online. They bring humour, lust, and even mystery as I said before. We see Cliff, who we think is a nice guy but soon turns out otherwise. And it looks like him & Greta have something they are hiding. An old friend's death, (Eddie) who used to live where Johnny is living now, might not have been a mistake after all.

Final thoughts on the series. I liked it. I found it funny, and actually watched the whole thing without pausing! Like I said before, I hope the CW sees that this show has potential and debuts it sooner rather than later. Plus, with the right promotion I can definetly see this series turning into "The O.C." (1st Season that is). Thanks guys for reading. If you are a supporter of this series please leave your comments.

Take Care!