Save the teens! Why the CW needs The Carrie Diaries for another season (or two)
It was around this time last year when I made the pitch as to why Hart of Dixie deserved a second season (by the way, it could use a third one if you're listening, CW execs!), so it just feels right that once again, I'm laying down the law on why The Carrie Diaries deserves the same this time around....
Right now, The Carrie Diaries is the only show about kids in high school, teetering along the line between childhood and adulthood. Sure, we can pretend like the gang from Mystic Falls is technically still in school over on TVD, but aside from the occasional decade dance, those kids haven't seen the inside of a classroom in over a year. Based on the current line-up of renewed shows plus the fleet of prospective pilots, the CW may be rebranding as a speciality supernatural channel (which is totally fine); but if it's not, the network needs these kids! They're the closest thing to keeping up with ABC Family's killer teen shows that the CW has! (I'm intentionally ignoring the fact that teens in questions are being played by 20-somethings.)
2) Sebastian Kydd (aka Austin Butler)
The hair, the half smile, the leather jacket. All of us love a bad boy. The CW's always set the bar sky high for misunderstood-but-inevitably-the-best-love-interests-in-the-world (see: Pacey, Dawson's Creek; Jess, Gilmore Girls; and most recently Wade, Hart of Dixie). Additionally, it would be so cruel of the CW to burn Austin Butler twice. The 20-something hottie played a similar part on the short-lived (but quite beloved) Life Unexpected a few years ago. Time to let him have a real go of things.
3) The clothes!
Were the 1980s really that fashionable? No. Be honest. The shoulder pads, the scrunchies, the acid wash...It couldn't have been. But The Carrie Diaries has reimagined and romanticized the fashion of the era, making us not only nostalgic for the clothes, but actually coveting them! And in turn, various apparel companies have helped us channel the look. Want some Carrie Bradshaw-like weekend wear? Look no further than Hard Candy's recently launched clothing line:
Comfortable, cute tops with a little (but not too much) 80s flair?! Yes please!
4) Dorrit.
The world wants to know: what's her deal and how did she meet Taylor Momsen when she exists in the 1980s? ALSO, if this is the prequel to SATC, where did Dorrit go when Carrie Bradshaw became, you know...THE Carrie Bradshaw
5) Real friendships, real issues, real talk.
Gossip Girl and 90210 were long term staples on the CW, but often the bed-hopping and backstabbing set an unrealistic example of good teen fun. Finally we've got a gang of kids in the 'burbs having those hard and oh-so-real conversations about losing their virginity, life ambitions, questioning their sexuality, looking for a balance between school work and first loves. The way they've handled loveable Walt's coming out - with trepidation to just one confidant - was a quiet perfect moment. "I don't know what I am," he told Donna after she revealed that her older brother is gay. We need more of these kinds of conversations and moments on TV. The art of conversation is dying, for pete's sake!
6) Max Medina!
The misogynistic womanizer version!
7) Everyone had a high school mean girl - and she was probably misunderstood.
Who better to represent this than Donna LaDonna? It's just too great of a name (and character) to discard so quickly.
8) Did we mention Austin Butler?
Perhaps he should be considered once more for good luck.
9) Shoutouts to Sex and the City lore.
We've officially learned the place in time where Carrie discovered Cosmos and Manolos; now we want more. Will any of the characters we know and love pop up in a teenaged reiteration? Does Walt change his name to Sanford? Will Manhatten spit out a wild child Samantha Jones to spar with Carrie while she interns at Interview? So many potential plotlines!
10) Because this chick has more cracked out Halloween costumes in her future.
Larissa is the closest thing this show will get to future Samantha Jones. And she's Carrie's mentor, maybe? I'm sure she's got an outfit for Cinco de Mayo that's being saved for second season. We NEED to see it.
11) THE MUSIC!!!!!!!!1!ONE!!!!
Violent Femmes, Duran Duran, Billy Idol, The Go-Gos, Footloose, a "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" remix, Madonna covers...the list goes on. Somebody on that show should get a gold star and a trophy and be crowned king (or queen) or the world for a day. It's a great blend of true oldies and revamped oldies. Kids (and those of us who look like adults but are actually secretly still kids) need more of this on a weekly basis.
Posted by: Sean | 2013-03-14 3:31:39 PM
I totally agree with this. This show is too golden to not see a second season. There's something so comfortable about this show. It's not full of supernatural creatures, insurmountable backstabbing, or grand plots to screw someone over in ways that only Blair Waldorf could. I love it because it's simple, but still great.
This show's got a great balance of humor and seriousness that meshes well, and the characters are really lovable including Donna, our veteran mean girl.
I've never watched Sex and the City, but damn do I love me some Carrie Bradshaw now.
Also, I'm not a girl with a passion for bad boys or anything, and I swear I'm straight, but I'd be lying if I said Austin Butler didn't give off this vibe that I find very charming. If I was gay, I'd swoon over him like the rest of the ladies do (and that comment really didn't help my case lol).
Posted by: Steve | 2013-03-17 1:51:41 AM
This article feels forced and poorly written.
Posted by: Ali | 2013-03-17 9:34:40 AM
would much rather they kept Emily Owens. Great lovable charactures, good story line with many directions to go. Soooooooooooooo Tired of stations pulling shows to early and not giving them a chance. Everyone I talk to feels the same way. They are tired of investing in shows just to see them pulled for some junk. I PVR and save shows. If they last more then a season I'll watch them. There is so much crap on tv now. Good for me since my TV watching hours are dwindling.
Posted by: Tara Bell | 2013-03-17 11:07:39 AM
I am a huge fan of Sex and the City, the tv series and the 2 movies that followed. I also love the 'prequel' idea, as it gives you a picture of what came before.
I am really enjoying the Carrie Diaries and hope it continues and gets more promotion and advertising. It was a fluke that I found it!
I lived the 80's and some of the fashions are correct, but many are using current styles, esp. in the pants/jeans. The 80's pants were hideous, high waisted, and unflattering, narrow at the ankle....remember the stirrup pants??!!! I would love if they incorporated more of the true 80's fashions. The early 80's also had a lot of pastels and sugary colors and white!! The late 80's was all the big hair, big jewelry, shoulder pads, etc...black, electric blue...
I sure hope this great show gets a whole lot of support and continues. I would love to see when Carrie meets Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha!
Posted by: Ashley | 2013-03-17 1:36:29 PM
I absolutely am loving this show. It is way too soon to make a decision like cutting it, it needs to gain momentum, every great show wasn't "great" at first, it grew into it; Friends, Seinfeld, How I Met Your Mother, etc etc. The OC and 90210 were given more years than probably deserved as these were truly dramatic, unrelatable shows. Carrie Diaries is relatable, it's funny, and it's real. And who does not want to see where Carrie Bradshaw comes from and what made her Carrie Bradshaw? It's in reverse, we know the end, now we are learning the beginning. Isn't that a pretty big thing right now? (Star Wars, The Hobbit). This show will do great, give it time!
Posted by: Markus willbury | 2013-03-17 5:06:31 PM
hi
Posted by: Markus willbury | 2013-03-17 5:07:37 PM
@tara bell
tara bell do your homework,the 1980s were a 10 year experience and were not the clown show you think they were,anyone can buy 1980s fashion magazines from any country,especially 1984 or 1985 and see some very edgy creative styles and neon only last a year,please if any young teen person is reading this, do your homework and find fashion/music or entertainment magazines from the 1980s (1984,1985,1986) and decide for yourself.......if you look at 1980's high school year books, tara my sweetie you will not see high waisted pants but levis and regular jeans
Posted by: Markus willbury | 2013-03-17 5:09:01 PM
If the 1980s were not that fashionable than the 1980s wouldn't of had fashion magazines!!!! for ten years !!!!
Posted by: Markus willbury | 2013-03-17 5:12:31 PM
barklyvanish
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Posted by: Markus willbury | 2013-03-17 5:13:07 PM
barklyvanish
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