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College drama "The Best Years" starts tonight on The N

by
Sarah Warn

Tonight at 8:30, after the premiere of the second half of Degrassi's sixth season, The N is debuting the college drama The Best Years. It's getting pretty good reviews so far.

The New York Times said the show "immerses itself so deeply in the pits of class warfare that its characters might as well be carrying cans of mace." And they mean this in a good way.

"This show’s radical idea," summarizes the Times reviewer, "is to depict a world closer to the one we inhabit than the one we pretend to live in: a place where money and provenance really are untrumpable determinants of the social order."

Class warfare on a college campus? I'm in! Here's a look at the cast:

Here's the description of the show from its official site:

The Best Years, the highly anticipated hour-long drama created by Aaron Martin (Degrassi: The Next Generation) follows orphaned and full-ride scholar, Samantha Best (Charity Shea), as she starts her freshman year at the prestigious Charles University in Boston, Massachusetts. Samantha has been shuffled through the foster care system her entire life and is finally looking forward to a future of new opportunities and friendships. She has to contend with the ins and outs of college as she struggles to find her own identity.

Along the way Samantha meets her new roommate Kathryn Klarner, (Jennifer Miller) a rich socialite from one of the most prominent families in the mid-west; Devon Sylver, (Brandon Jay McLaren) a fellow scholarship recipient and star basketball player who has caught her eye; Dawn Vargas (Athena Karkanis) child actor who trades in Hollywood for university; Trent Hamilton (Niall Matter) part-time student and full-time head bartender at Boston’s hot spot, Colony; and Noah Jensen (Randal Edwards) Devon’s room-mate, a business major with a future planned in Hollywood. With a part-time job at Colony, Samantha finds herself juggling a lot more than just academics. With her new-found friends, her employer, Lee Campbell (Alan van Sprang) and the benefactress of her scholarship, Dorothy O’Sullivan (Sherry Miller), Samantha has found her new, occasionally dysfunctional, family.

Wow, so much potential drama. You know what happens when former child stars and business majors get together: major party! Also, "finding your identity" in college — dare we hope for some LUG action?

Let's take a closer look at the women:

Samantha

Kathryn

Dawn

I guess I could give up an hour of my life to watch this. In the name of "research," I mean.

Watch video clips and read more about Samantha, Kathryn and Dawn at bestyearstv.com, and then come back here after the premiere and tell us what you thought about it. Lori and I will give you our opinions on it in our video blog on Saturday night.

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    • Submitted by
    Sarah Warn
    on June 29, 2007 - 4:46pm.
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    Leenaomi's picture

    The best years

    Submitted by
    Leenaomi (186 posts)
    on June 29, 2007 - 6:13pm.

    If I could , I'd definitly be watching (living in France). Seems realy intresting.

    Plus, is it me? Or is Samantha looking like Mandy Musgraven the cast picture (1st pic)?

    spotticus's picture

    It's not just you

    Submitted by
    spotticus (483 posts)
    on June 29, 2007 - 9:42pm.

    I just watched the show, and she does, at certain angles, look a lot like Mandy Musgrave.

    Oh, and speaking of SON, the new season 3 trailer aired tonight, and it looks like they have pushed the season premiere from August 3rd to August 10th. Starts with stills and audio overs from last season. The prom shooting. Cut to someone with brown hair & bloody white shirt (probably Aiden)gets wheeled past on a hospital gurney. Ash is looking sad (and maybe kind of blood splattered) in her prom dress at the hospital. Clay and Chelsea kiss. Spence in a raincoat with a come hither look. Kyla and Ash turning to look at something. New girl hits on Spencer. Glenn plays guitar in the Carlin's living room (oh great, ass is back). Some guys fight or something (these are like one second clips). Then Ash walks in on Spencer (I can only assume, because we only see some blonde girl's back) posing/dancing in a bikini for new girl, who is apparently an aspiring artist/painter or something. Ash looks pissed. New girl has the "oopsy, did I do something wrong look. End.  The actual clip should show up on you tube soon.

    OK the night is young & I am outa here.

    woops's picture

    I had some exciting plans

    Submitted by
    woops (86 posts)
    on June 29, 2007 - 6:33pm.

    I had some exciting plans for tonight, but I can rearrange some stuff to watch this show. Okay, I can't even come up with exciting stuff to pretend to have to cancel . . . that's kind of sad. The show sounds good though.

    Anyway, I need to get back to my Studio 60 marathon, I'm re-watching the last three episodes with my brother because he hasn't seen them yet. I love re-watchable shows and this is my second time around with these episodes and they're just as good the second time.

    "she delivered the baby -- the baby's fine, sixteen pounds . . ." Seriously, why did they cancel this show?

    So, the obvious point of this comment is that I'll be watching that new show on The N.

     

    Hey, do you still need someone to transcribe the video blogs? I figured as long as I was typing a semi off topic comment I may as well cover everything. I can't transcribe till I get my new laptop (the one I am on has some serious attitude issues and despises playing videos) but the new one is supposed to get here some time next week. So let me know if you need me . . . I don't know if this is the right place to offer, is there someone I should email or something? Eh, I guess I'll just wait and see if I get a response.

    pecola's picture

    SPD, Emergency!

    Submitted by
    pecola (793 posts)
    on June 29, 2007 - 9:01pm.

    Thanks, in part, too many Saturday mornings spent with my nephew, I'm gonna have a hard time watching this show and not thinking "That's the Red Power Ranger" everytime I look at Devon.

     

     

     

    Omega II's picture

    I have time...

    Submitted by
    Omega II (381 posts)
    on June 29, 2007 - 7:59pm.

    I'll give it a shot. LUG possibilities? The show looks of Canadian origin so, maybe.

     

    OT: Nice to see a Power Ranger get work.

    Check this out- http://www.myspace.com/marchinghome_documentary

    Hoop skirts!! (Yes, I will shamelessly plug a friend's stuff. What of it?)

    Chelsea Chainsaw's picture

    Charity Shea

    Submitted by
    Chelsea_Chainsaw (4 posts)
    on June 29, 2007 - 8:12pm.
    Could she be any hotter? Especially at the end of the episode when she's dancing. I'd watch the show just for her. Haha.
    mollyblooming's picture

    Could she be any hotter? I'd

    Submitted by
    mollyblooming (55 posts)
    on July 1, 2007 - 10:47pm.

    Could she be any hotter? I'd like to take a stab at answering that...NO. Most definitely NOT. And she has that sexy raspy Sophia Bush-like voice to boot! Think I am going to like this show lol

    woops's picture

    Good Call!

    Submitted by
    woops (86 posts)
    on June 29, 2007 - 8:39pm.

    Good call! The show seems like it's going to be really good.

    Chelsea_Chainsaw, how did you see the end of the episode a good ten minutes before I did?

    Leenaomi, I thought she looked more like Ashley Scott (mostly her eyes) in the beginning of the episode -- but yeah, I see the Mandy Musgrave resemblance in that first picture.

    . . . I need a new avatar -- I uploaded mine by accident ages ago lol . . . yes, I know, random, sorry . . . 

    Chelsea Chainsaw's picture

    Haha

    Submitted by
    Chelsea_Chainsaw (4 posts)
    on June 29, 2007 - 9:01pm.
    They had the episode on On Demand all day. *smiles*
    sharka's picture

    itunes

    Submitted by
    sharka (71 posts)
    on June 30, 2007 - 12:13am.
    had (has?) it for free so i downloaded it (WHAT? i'm a poor grad student!) because i'm STARVED for non-school related reading material. i watched it the other night and i thought it was actually pretty good and i was hopeful because it was the N and then i was SERIOUSLY disappointed in a significant turn in the story. and i don't want to spoil it for anyone but i thought it was an extreme thing to happen and then how it was dealt with was pretty inconceivable.

    and i to for a couple of scenes thought i was looking at mandy musgrave's twin (but only because i know she has one...)
    Wicked1's picture

    I don't plan on watching

    Submitted by
    Wicked1 (46 posts)
    on June 30, 2007 - 2:49am.

    I don't plan on watching this show, well just because I don't. The only think I watch on the N is Degrassi and South of Nowhere.

    And Im kinda mad at the fact that it is a hour show when South of Nowhere is only 30 minutes. The blond chick looks like the blond girl from Beyond the Break.

    JennyJen's picture

    I watched...

    Submitted by
    JenJen (65 posts)
    on June 30, 2007 - 6:30am.
    Thought it was pretty good,  but not great.... I think it will get better.  I think she looks like Carly Pope, but mostly when she smiles... something about the mouth.
    yoitsmlaine's picture

    okay so maybe this doesn't

    Submitted by
    melody :] (3 posts)
    on June 30, 2007 - 5:31pm.

    okay so maybe this doesn't DIRECTLY relate to the best of years, but its about a show..on the same network with extreme girl on girl hairbrushing.

     

    its youtube 're-caps" of south of nowhere and they are actually really silly.

     

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyXcFPpWzyI

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7W1CdGpWieM

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXuh1wCJkIE

    :]

    Connie Huynh's picture

    Itunes

    Submitted by
    Connie Huynh (not verified)
    on July 1, 2007 - 1:22pm.

    You can also download the first epiode for free off of itunes right now and watch it on your computer.

    mollyblooming's picture

    Not so bad....

    Submitted by
    mollyblooming (55 posts)
    on July 1, 2007 - 8:41pm.

    I watched the premiere episode, and I thought it was pretty good, relatively speaking.

    I thought the acting was decent and the storyline compelling. I can not get over, as someone mentioned earlier, how much Charity Shea resembles our Ashley, aka Mandy Musgrave, it was freaking me out the whole time. But certainly not in a bad way, hehe...Where did this girl come from? I know Mandy has a twin already, but...

    I will keep watching to see what happens. And maybe to do a little 'research' on Charity Shea's acting, if you will...


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