10 Things I Hate About You

I know that for every show you see on TV, nine ideas for shows were shot down along the way. Getting a show on TV is, at best, a risky proposition. What makes it even tougher is when you take a popular movie and try to convert it to a TV series.

Sometimes it works (M*A*S*H), sometimes it fails (Animal House) but there is never a guarantee that box office success will convert over to ratings power.

Such is the case with “10 Things I Hate About You.” When it was in the theaters, it was liked, but derided as “Shakespeare Lite” (as it was an adaptation of ‘Taming of the Shrew’). Still, it really resonated with the target audience, so it was natural that they would want to see if it could be a weekly show.

Sure, it would have been really nice to have Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles reprise their roles, but we all know that was not going to happen, so they cast some talented people in their stead. Therein lies the difficulty.

Hardcore fans may pooh-pooh the series, as they didn’t get the original stars and the substitutes can’t hold a candle to them. Those who never saw the movie are more open-minded to things, but will they come and see it?

My problem is whatever worked in the film doesn’t work in the series. I am not seeing characters but caricatures. Everyone is an icon or a symbol: the cranky older sister, the bubbly younger sister, the mysterious bad boy, the snotty cheerleader (and is there a show out there that doesn’t portray cheerleaders as shallow and vapid? Any?) and authority types who are two ice cubes short of a full tray.

The show tries too hard to be funny or humorous and it falls flat. I see some talented performers trapped by either their pre-set characters or a director not wanting to tinker with a proven formula. This means that a lot of the action is predictable and therefore not all that interesting.

I can understand a suspension of disbelief, but too much is asked of me to give up to the point where it is a lot of work to try and enjoy it. Perhaps I am not the target audience, but it misses on a lot of levels.

The extras are really thin, although I have a personal weakness for director’s commentary, as it least gives me insight as to what the director was trying to achieve. You have the usual ‘get to know the cast’ segment and you can see they want to do more with their roles, but are prevented.

Strictly for die-hard fans.