The role of Spencer will be played by Gabrielle Christian (American
Gun), and Spencer's wild-child best friend and potential
love interest, Ashley, will be played by Mandy Musgrave (Days
of Our Lives).
What
the press release doesn't mention is that the the series is
being co-exec produced by Nancylee Myatt, who co-wrote and produced
the campy lesbian comedy Wave
Babes and created the pilot for the lesbian P.I. series
Nikki and Nora
in 2004 (which ultimately wasn't picked up by UPN). The pilot
presentation of South of Nowhere was also directed
by openly gay Rose Troche, who has directed Go Fish
and several episodes of The
L Word; Troche was also planning to direct the first
two episodes of the series, but had to drop out due to conflicts
with her L Word schedule.
South
of Nowhere is the latest of a
handful of original series to be developed by the network. A
sort-of kinder, gentler MTV (it is, in fact, a programming arm
of MTV Networks, and currently available in 43 million U.S.
households via cable, digital cable and satellite television),
the N features a mix of first-run series, like Miracles
and Degrassi: Unscripted, and reruns of teen-oriented
network TV shows, like My So-Called Life, Moesha,
and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Content
targeted to "tween" and young teen viewers has become
increasingly popular in the last few years, as shows like The
Disney Channel's That's So Raven and the long-running
Canadian import Degrassi: The Next Generation have
developed a strong following with kids and parents, and consequently,
advertisers.
While
gay and lesbian themes have occasionally surfaced on these series
(Degrassi in particular has a reputation for exploring
edgier topics), South of Nowhere will be the first
U.S. series aimed at a younger audience to revolve around a
lesbian teen.
The
series begins filming in July, with the first episode airing
in November, 2005. We'll update you with more details as the
premiere gets closer.
