| Privileged | |
|---|---|
Opening title credit |
|
| Format | Comedy-drama |
| Starring | Joanna García Lucy Hale Ashley Newbrough Michael Cassidy Allan Louis Brian Hallisay Kristina Apgar Anne Archer |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 18 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Rina Mimoun Bob Levy Leslie Morgenstein |
| Running time | 42 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | The CW |
| Original run | September 9, 2008 – February 24, 2009 |
Privileged was an American television drama that premiered on The CW Television Network in the USA and Citytv in Canada on September 9, 2008. The series stars former Reba star Joanna García and is based on the Alloy Entertainment book How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls by Zoey Dean.[1] The series was originally to share the same name as the book,[2] but the name was announced at the Upfronts[3] as Surviving the Filthy Rich and later changed again to Privileged on June 24, 2008.[4] It was produced by Alloy Entertainment in association with Warner Bros. Television and CBS Paramount Network Television with executive producers Rina Mimoun, Bob Levy and Leslie Morgenstein. Michael Engler directed the pilot.[1]
On May 19, 2009, it was announced that The CW would not be renewing the series for a second season.[5]
Contents |
Twenty-three-year-old Megan Smith (Joanna García) has a Yale education, a relentlessly positive attitude, and a plan to conquer the world of journalism, despite the fact that she is slaving away at a tabloid rag. Megan's plan is thrown off course when, in one whirlwind day, she gets fired, meets cosmetics mogul Laurel Limoges (Anne Archer), and becomes the live-in tutor for Laurel’s twin teen granddaughters in the heady Palm Beach, Florida, a world of wealth and power. The girls, Rose (Lucy Hale) and Sage (Ashley Newbrough), are beautiful, rebellious, and less-than-thrilled with their new tutor, but Megan is determined to win them over as she enjoys the perks of her new job: breathtaking private suite, gorgeous convertible, and live-in chef Marco (Allan Louis). Even the neighbors are fabulous in Palm Beach and Megan quickly catches the eye of Will (Brian Hallisay), the wealthy and attractive dilettante who lives on the estate next door and just happens to be dating Megan’s estranged sister, Lily (Kristina Apgar). Completing this romantic quadrangle is Megan's best friend, Charlie (Michael Cassidy), who is secretly in love with her. Despite her own complicated romantic and family relationships, Megan is committed to making a difference in the lives of her two headstrong charges as she navigates the treacherous waters of high society in Palm Beach. During a pool party Megan questions the friendships Rose and Sage have with others, as Sage is drugged by her "friends." Megan notes that Rose and Sage have a close relationship, such as she would like to have with her sister Lily. It is unfortunate that Lily constantly acts wrongly, she steals a tennis bracelet of Rose's at the pool party though Rose tries to pretend she lent it to her friend Precious. Will often comes to speak with Marco and eats breakfast at the house. Will meets Lily in the first episode as she is invited by Sage to a party (in the hopes to torture Megan). Lily 'hooks up' with Will, Megan sees them kissing on the beach and assumes they are dating. Will later confirms the 'causal' nature of their relationship indicating that they slept together when they met and continue to do so when thrown together. Megan's manager at the tabloid suggests her to Laurel who is a friend.
The CW was pleased with the show's initial performance, and in November 2008, extended its original season on order by five episodes, bringing the episode total up to 18.[7]
The show's original timeslot was Tuesdays at 9 pm, where the CW aired the first ten episodes. The next two episodes of Privileged were tested in a new timeslot, on Mondays, December 1 and 8th, 2008, at 9 pm.[8] However, those episodes were also rebroadcast the following night at 9 pm/ET, in the show's usual time slot, and Privileged continued midseason in the same Tuesday timeslot beginning January 6, 2009.[9]
| Episodes | Originally aired | Season Premiere | Season Finale | Timeslot | DVD release date | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Discs | Region 2 | Discs | ||||||
| 18 | 2008–2009 | September 9, 2008 | February 24, 2009 | Tuesday 8/7c | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | |
| # | Title | Writer(s) | Director | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Rina Mimoun | Michael Engler | September 9, 2008 |
| Megan Smith, a recent graduate from Yale University unable to find success in the journalism field, accepts a job offer from Laurel Limoges - tutoring her two snobby, stuck-up billionaire twin granddaughters with the hopes of getting them into Duke University. | ||||
| 2 | "All About Honesty" | Rina Mimoun | Michael Engler | September 16, 2008 |
| Megan is ecstatic to be attending a gala event of the rich and famous where Laurel introduces her to several influential individuals. However, the event turns sour when Megan gets into a heated argument with her sister Lily, Rose spots her ex-boyfriend with another girl, and Megan has to rescue both Rose and Sage after the two get caught driving without a license. | ||||
| 3 | "All About What You Really, Really Want" | Anna Fricke | Nick Marck | September 23, 2008 |
| After Rose is told that she must repeat her freshman year of high school due to poor grades, Megan visits the headmaster and tries to get her a second chance. However, a connection sparks between the headmaster and Megan and she later accepts a date with him - causing Charlie to feel jealous. | ||||
| 4 | "All About the Power Position" | Rina Mimoun & Christopher Fife | David Paymer | September 30, 2008 |
| Megan is shocked when she finds an adult DVD in Rose's bookbag, but even more shocked when Rose reveals that she is not a virgin and is planning on having sex with her current boyfriend. Meanwhile, Sage invites Lily out to a restaurant to dig up dirt on Megan and the two end up drinking together, something that infuriates Megan. Finally, Megan is worried when she thinks that Jacob might be losing interest in her. | ||||
| 5 | "All About Friends and Family" | Michael Reisz | Joanna Kerns | October 7, 2008 |
|
Laurel gives Megan the task of chaperoning the twins' pool party, thus forcing her to cancel plans for a spa weekend with Jacob. Meanwhile, Charlie confesses to Marco that he is in love with Megan, and Megan is convinced by Rose to invite Lily to the pool party but when things start to go wrong when Rose's tennis bracelet gets stolen and Megan blames Lily. Guest Star:Lauren Conrad |
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| 6 | "All About Appearances" | Christopher Fife | Janice Cooke-Leonard | October 21, 2008 |
| Megan's relationship issues with the opposite sex reach a new level when she realizes that Jacob is still interested in his ex-girlfriend and Charlie decides to put the brakes on their friendship. Meanwhile, Laurel is persuaded by Megan to include Sage and Rose in her marketing campaign. | ||||
| 7 | "All About the Haves and the Have-Nots" | David Babcock | Liz Friedlander | October 28, 2008 |
| Megan finally decides to reunite with her father and invites him over for dinner at the mansion. Meanwhile, Lily is caught by Sage in a compromising position, and Charlie and Megan's friendship may be over after the two have a major confrontation. | ||||
| 8 | "All About Defining Yourself" | Jenny Lynn | Paul Lazarus | November 4, 2008 |
| Megan discovers surprising information about Laurel's past. Meanwhile, Sage and Rose get a publicist to help them with their fame and popularity. | ||||
| 9 | "All About Insecurities" | Scott Weinger | Michael Engler | November 11, 2008 |
| Sage and Rose's publicist gets them gigs at the opening of a hot nightclub, where Rose sings and Sage plays the guitar. | ||||
| 10 | "All About Overcompensating" | Michael Reisz | Norman Buckley | November 18, 2008 |
| Megan and Will finally begin dating, but the relationship faces early challenges when Megan discovers that Will is dating other women at the same time. Meanwhile, Rose begins to go to extreme measures to maintain good grades after doing badly on an English exam. | ||||
| 11 | "All About Love, Actually" | Margaux Froley | Michael Engler | December 1, 2008 |
| Megan decides to punish Rose for planning to cheat on her final by grounding her. Meanwhile, Laurel rekindles an old flame, Charlie has doubts about living with Mandy, and Marco gets a new partner in the kitchen. | ||||
| 12 | "All About the Ripple Effect" | David Babcock & Rina Mimoun | Ron Lagomarsino | December 8, 2008 |
| Just as she's finally beginning to adjust to having a relationship with her father, Megan receives an unexpected visit from her mother. Meanwhile, Sage fights her feelings for Luis, and Will finds it difficult to comprehend Megan's family issues. | ||||
| 13 | "All About What Lies Beneath" | Anna Fricke | Liz Friedlander | January 6, 2009 |
| Megan finally confronts her mother without any sugarcoating about how she really feels about being abandoned. Meanwhile, Sage and Rose plan a charity event for Cuban refugees as an excuse for Sage to spend more time with Luis. Also, Charlie goes back to school, but Mandy becomes jealous when she learns that he will be studying with Megan. Finally, Megan learns that Lily is being held in prison. | ||||
| 14 | "All About Tough Love" | Rina Mimoun & Christopher Fife | David Paymer | January 13, 2009 |
| Upon learning that Lily is in prison, Megan rushes to her aid and discovers the reasoning behind her sister's imprisonment. Nonetheless, Will offers to bail Lily out, but Arthur refuses the help as a means to teach his daughter a lesson. Meanwhile, Rose aids Sage in picking out an expensive gift for Luis, but his reaction is nothing like what the twins had anticipated. | ||||
| 15 | "All About the Big Picture" | Natasha Gaty | Michael Schultz | January 20, 2009 |
| Will encourages Megan to distance herself from her family's problems and introduces her to his parents. Meanwhile, Rose and Zachary encounter a bump in their relationship when he discovers a picture of her, Sage, Pete Wentz, and Max, Rose's ex, hanging out at a nightclub. | ||||
| 16 | "All About Confessions" | Jenny Lyn | David Paymer | February 3, 2009 |
| Charlie tells Megan he's going to school in California and kisses her after revealing his feelings for her. Later, Will angrily confronts Charlie at his going-away party after learning what happened and the two come to blows. Elsewhere, Rose uncovers a family secret when she is approached by Miles' daughter, Elyse; and Sage fears Luis will be disappointed to learn she's a virgin, until she discovers he's deeply religious and thus does not believe in pre-marital sex. Luis also invites Sage to church, which causes her to relive her grief over her parents' death and leads to a startling confession. | ||||
| 17 | "All About Betrayal" | Scott Weinger & David Babcock | Ron Lagomarsino | February 10, 2009 |
| Will's father starts a magazine based on Megan and Will's idea, but the pair finds the editor-in-chief difficult to please; Marco goes to drastic measures to win Keith back, but he learns that Keith is now dating a longtime friend; Rose discovers the truth about the identity of her real grandfather, and, along with Sage, they confront Laurel; and Sage confesses her own secret that affects her relationship with Rose dramatically. | ||||
| 18 | "All About a Brand New You" | Rina Mimoun | David Paymer | February 24, 2009 |
| In the season finale, as Marco and Keith plan for their wedding, Rose and Sage's relationship takes a bad turn when Rose decides to ditch their annual plans for spring break and Sage becomes upset. Zachary too feels that Rose is changing rather quickly, and worries about the future of their relationship. Megan and Will break up after a fight, but Will soon recants. Megan discovers she had a one-night stand. Kathy Griffin guest stars as Marco and Keith's wedding planner. | ||||
The season ends with the caption "To be continued ..." However, The CW cancelled the show on May 19, 2009.[10]
Privileged finished #177 on the annual rankings with average ratings of 1.9 million viewers.[11]
| # | Episode | Air Date | Live+7 (m) | Persons Live (000s) | Time Shifted (000s) | Percent increase from Live to Live+7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | September 9, 2008 | 3,010 | 2,496 | 514 | 20.6 |
| 2 | "All About Honesty" | September 16, 2008 | 2,694 | 2,273 | 421 | 18.5 |
| 3 | "All About What You Really Really Want" | September 23, 2008 | 2,143 | 1,648 | 495 | 30.0 |
| 4 | "All About The Power Position" | September 30, 2008 | 2,212 | 1,692 | 520 | 30.7 |
| 5 | "All About Friends and Family" | October 7, 2008 | 2,597 | 2,124 | 473 | 22.3 |
| 6 | "All About Appearances" | October 21, 2008 | 1,837 | 1,340 | 497 | 37.1 |
| 7 | "All About The Haves and Have-Nots" | October 28, 2008 | 2,243 | 1,772 | 471 | 26.6 |
| 8 | "All About Defining Yourself" | November 4, 2008 | 2,334 | 1,679 | 655 | 39.0 |
| 9 | "All About Insecurities" | November 11, 2008 | 2,213 | 1,857 | 558 | 25.2 |