This blog was originally published on Blogster September 16, 2013.
How's it going my hybrid Blogsterians? Before helping my uncle with his company yesterday, I scrolled down my TV Guide on Dish Network and recently discovered a Teen Sitcom, that I never knew existed. Apparently, ABC Family created 10 Things I Hate About You in the form of a Teen Angst Sitcom, 4 years ago.
I don't know why ABC Family created a sitcom for 10 Things I Hate About You, a decade later. During the movie's original release in 1999, I was ~17 years old.
Much like ABC did with their sitcom adaptation of Clueless, it would've been more logical to have made a sitcom 1 year after the movie released. This is absolutely a sign, that Hollywood has been in trouble with ideas anytime they've regressed to a decade old movie and made a sitcom out of it, 4 years ago. I mean, c'mon!
Heath Ledger just died at the time, 5 years ago and 1 year later, ABC Family chose to make a 10 Things I Hate About You sitcom. A decade after the movie? I wonder how Julia Stiles and the rest of the original cast from the movie felt about this sitcom.
I never knew this show existed, until yesterday. When I watched it, I felt as if ABC Family was trying to re-create a combination of the movies Clueless, Bring It On, and 10 Things I Hate About You, in a sitcom form.
Like I said earlier, the sitcom for 10 Things I Hate About You was an interesting concept. I even saw that hot blonde guy, Chris Zylka. Zylka played the character, "Jake" on The Secret Circle. I think it will take time for me to adjust to watching Chris Zylka on 10 Things I Hate About You.
I have never watched Zylka in this sitcom. I'm more used to always watching him play this dark and brooding, bad boy, warlock. Watching Chris Zylka play as some dumb jock feels weird to me.
The actor would've been better suited
to play "Patrick Verona," which was the bad boy character, that Heath
Ledger originated in the movie. Chris Zylka played the bad boy character
really well on The Secret Circle. Meanwhile...
I really disliked that the writers for 10 Things I Hate About You's sitcom changed Kat Stratford from being this rough, ballsy, blonde, alpha female character, that most of her peers labeled as a "heinous bitch," to a brunette.
Don't get me wrong. I love and will ALWAYS love my fellow brunettes. However, I enjoyed Kat as a blonde. She wasn't the stereotypical, ditzy blonde, who needed to be liked by everybody throughout her high school.
The writers did not physically change Kat's sister, Bianca too much. The character was still a blonde. Although, they made Bianca seem too desperate to be popular in the series.
In the movie, Bianca wanted to be popular but she was not so desperate to be popular, that she would've resorted to being their high school's mascot. That in itself is highly laughable for Bianca's storyline.
Based on some of what I read on Wikipedia for the 10 Things I Hate About You sitcom, I'm amazed the show made it through 1 entire season.
Then again, by it airing on a cable network, the sitcom had a better chance of lasting longer. I have seen ABC literally remove a series from its local network within 1 episode.
ABC's 10 Things I Hate About You's sitcom was not terrible but the writers didn't stay true to the main characters. By the sitcom's writers not staying true to the main characters, I am willing to bet most viewers 3-4 years ago were disgusted with the sitcom.
10 Things I Hate About You has become another Teen Angst Cult Classic Film. This especially applies, when it comes to my generation.
Hollywood really needs to leave cult classic movies and shows alone. JUST because they can be rebooted and remade, does NOT always mean they should be. PLEASE Hollywood, leave good movies and shows alone and start being more original with your own writing.
