Not knowing whether or not Hellcats would be given a full season, I stepped away from the crazy guilty pleasure platform and didn’t share my joy in watching. Well, no more my friends! I must talk to someone about this brilliant little piece of television, and “Back of a Car” — a with a throwback theme to the ’80s — seems the perfect episode to make the jump. They’re prepping for The Spirit Party, coincidentally celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Hellcats team, meaning the fictional squad started right smack dab in the middle of my very own college career. Bring on the memories. Not. I was not athletic, nor was I a joiner, but something about this eclectic group of cliché college students just screams for me to watch.
The cast of characters includes Marti, a law student in need of a scholarship (Hellcats have ‘em); Savannah, a devout Christian who left the family legacy school to join the Hellcats; Lewis, former football star who left the team for cheer leading to get away from dirty politics; Alice, the wealthy girl with a chip on her shoulder and Dan, the townie and Marti’s best friend. The cast is far larger, of course, but it is around these central characters Hellcats revolves.
Every episode contains some sort of practice or competition featuring really well done routines, and tonight’s was to The Go-Go’s “We Got The Beat” for entertainment at the Spirit Party. The costume department had some of the best ’80s getups I’ve ever seen. Madonna, Prince, Mr. T, Indiana Jones, Michael Jackson, and even a few Robert Palmer guitar dancers made appearances. Also lending to the authenticity of the party, the music chosen for the episode ranged from Bryan Ferry’s “Slave to Love” to ABC’s “The Look of Love.” This CW show could take the easy route, but instead it’s the road less traveled, and I find it refreshing.
Another thing you need to know before you jump into Hellcats is that, in only eight episodes, there is already so much inter-character dating it’s enough to make you dizzy. Marti and Dan are best friends, but is that all they ever were? Savannah is with Dan, and almost gave him her virginity. Marti is dating Lewis, who used to date Alice, who is now dating the football star. Every one of them seems to love each other just a bit. Although it seems it could very well lead to disastrous results, the writing for these otherwise stereotypical characters is quite impressive. They don’t allow situations to fester, and deal with them in a way that is so believable, you can’t even dislike the most annoying character on the show. That’s quite a feat.
Let me know if you give it a try, what you think, or if you already watch. Me? I’m hooked and happy for the full season pickup.
Clacked by Carissa Pavlica 
on Nov 03, 2010 @ 23:35 EST5EDT
Good job Carissa………Keep up the good work! Your description of the circle of characters was right on target!
I started watching just to see how bad it was … But the show is a lot of fun. I like the characters and I care what happens. It is also funny.The storylines outsude the Hellcats keep me more interested than the team drama, which is a good thing. Find last night’s ep. You can easily pick up the show, characters and stories.