Small Screen Success

Lace up your pointe shoes and pack an extra water bottle in your dance bag, because Bunheads is here to take its viewers on a ride − full speed ahead.

ABC Family’s latest creation debuted tonight in front of dancers and Gilmore Girl fans across the country. (Yes, in case you didn’t catch this little fact in the many advertisements on tv and in magazines, Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino is also the brains behind Bunheads.) The plot follows Michelle (Tony-award winning Sutton Foster), a twenty-five-year-old showgirl who dreams of trading the feathers and sparkles of Vegas show business for more classic Broadway musicals. When an audition for Chicago doesn’t go as planned, Michelle feels defeated. So when Hubbell (Alan Ruck), a long-time admirer, proposes marriage and promises to give her the life she craves, she accepts. However, Hubbell’s house and hometown (a sleepy village known as “Paradise”) come with details he conveniently left out – including the fact that his mother, Fannie (Kelly Bishop, known to many as Emily Gilmore), lives with him, he let her decorate with her personal style (think Buddha statues, tacky paintings and dolls everywhere), and she runs a dance studio behind the house. There, Michelle begins making her mark on the little town and acting as a mentor for the girls in the dance studio. Yes, all of this has already happened in the first episode!

Bunheads has a charm that will be familiar to Gilmore Girls fans in more ways than one. Michelle delivers quick humor much like that of Lorelai Gilmore, and Fannie is dramatic, judgmental, and a fan of formal parties (sort of like Emily Gilmore, but with less classy decorating taste and sans the stuffy formal attire). Some of the imitation is a smart move, because its part of what made Gilmore Girls such a success, like the wide range of characters with unique personalities. Also, Bunheads is not a cookie-cutter imitation of the famous series. Just re-read the plot summary and you will see that its story is taking a much different direction.

Fannie (Kelly Bishop) and Michelle (Sutton Foster)

Be warned: It sounds all innocent and sweet, and at its heart, Bunheads discusses many relatable topics (like the difficulty of accomplishing dreams, but time doesn’t slow down). However, this show is not made for the 5-year-old aspiring ballerina. As the show begins, Michelle is pictured in her Vegas showgirl costume (picture a sparkly bikini and feather headdress) and proceeds to complain with a friend about how the topless dancers get paid more. Other conversations suited for more mature audiences are sprinkled throughout the episode. However, one has to admit that this isn’t anything unusual for ABC Family, which is home to shows like Secret Life of the American Teenager.

Bunheads can promise a serving of witty humor, sweet relationships, and fun dancing with a side of side drama. When the pilot episode ends, something has happened to Hubbell (a car accident, possibly?). It will be made clear on episode two next Monday at 8 o’clock. I’ll be watching – will you?

For more information about Bunheads, visit http://abcfamily.go.com/shows/bunheads.