The Secret Circle (TV series)
The Secret Circle is an American television series broadcast on The CW Television Network. It was developed by Andrew Miller, based on the book series of the same name written by L. J. Smith.[1] On May 17, 2011, The CW announced they had picked up the pilot as a series.[2] It premiered on Thursday, September 15, 2011.[3]
On October 12, 2011, The CW ordered a full first season of the series, which will consist of 22 episodes.[4]
Synopsis
Set in the fictional town of Chance Harbor, Washington, the series revolves around six teenage witches who form a secret coven.
Following the death of her mother, Cassie Blake moves to Chance Harbor to live with her grandmother. The orphaned sixteen-year old slowly adjusts to the new town as she copes with the loss of her mother, but still tries to live normally. Her hopes of blending in are crushed when she is recognized by a few of the townspeople and their children, namely Adam, Diana, Faye, Melissa, and Nick. The five of them seem strangely interested in Cassie, and reveal to her that she comes from a long line of witches. She refuses to believe that she herself is a witch until Adam helps her unlock her powers – even then she is uncertain until she discovers an old leather-bound book of spells left to her by her mother. Inside the book is a message to Cassie from her mother explaining that she never wanted to tell her daughter of her powers in order to keep her safe; as the circle soon finds out, their powers attract dark and dangerous attention that constantly puts them in harm's way.
Cast
- Cassie Blake, played by Britt Robertson, is a newly discovered witch who, after the death of her mother, Amelia, has resided in the town of Chance Harbor, Washington. Although Cassie initially hates the idea of being a witch, she later begins to accept her destiny and her family's heritage of magic. She learns by the mid-season finale that her father, John Blackwell, comes from a line of witches with strong dark magic. She and Adam share an awkward relationship due to his involvement with Diana. Cassie is currently somewhat involved with Jake Armstrong.
- Adam Conant, played by Thomas Dekker, is one of the two male members of The Secret Circle. After the introduction between Adam and Cassie, the two are instantly attracted to one another, despite Adam's relationship with Diana Meade. Adam encourages Cassie to join to circle by helping her unlock her magical powers. He is jealous of the relationship between Cassie and Jake Armstrong due to his hidden feelings for her.
- Faye Chamberlain, portrayed by Phoebe Tonkin, is an eccentric and free-spirited witch who enjoys using her powers recklessly and selfishly. After the introduction between Cassie and Faye, the two girls instantly become rivals. She is best friends with Melissa Glaser, but the two drift apart after the sudden death of Nick, whom Melissa was in love with. Faye does not believe Diana is the leader of the circle and did not want the circle bound. Due to her involvement with Jake before he left town, she is jealous of the relationship between him and Cassie.
- Diana Meade, portrayed by Shelley Hennig, is the responsible and strict current leader of the circle. After the introduction between Cassie and Diana, the two girls instantly become friends. However, she notices the attraction between Cassie and Adam even though both denied anything was going on. It causes strain on her and Adam's relationship and she broke up with him eventually.
- Melissa Glaser, played by Jessica Parker Kennedy, is the best friend of Faye and former girlfriend of Nick. Melissa is shy and responsible, and often doesn't get involved with other members of the circle, aside from Faye. She drifted apart from the others after Nick's death and left town for two episodes, returning with her cousin, to whom Diana is attracted.
- Jake Armstrong, portrayed by Chris Zylka, is the older brother of Nick. Although he is a witch, he's also a witch-hunter with mysterious motives. He falls for Cassie Blake, thus failing in his mission to destroy the circle.
- Jane Blake, portrayed by Ashley Crow, is the grandmother of Cassie and mother of Amelia. At first, she knows nothing of the circle and of Cassie practicing magic, but eventually the circle realizes that they need her help and tell her the truth. She is the only family Cassie has left and is therefore very important to her.
- Charles Meade, played by Gale Harold, is the father of Diana, and the one who caused the fire that resulted in Amelia's death. After Nick's death, Charles' involvement with the event causes him to become detached and mildly insane with guilt.
- Dawn Chamberlain, played by Natasha Henstridge, is the mother of Faye and also the principal of Chance Harbor High School. Although her and Charles are a team she is definitely the leader and the most vindictive of either, often sitting back and letting Charles do the dirty work. She is willing to harm anything or anyone that gets in the way of her goal of regaining her powers, even killing her own father-in-law and putting Faye in harm's way unthinkingly.
Recurring and former characters
- Amelia Blake, portrayed by Emily Holmes, is Cassie Blake's deceased mother. She died in a house fire started by Charles Meade.
- Nick Armstrong, portrayed by Louis Hunter, is the second male member of The Secret Circle, and former boyfriend of Melissa Glaser. After being possessed by a demon, Nick was drowned by Charles to kill it.
Development
On October 28, 2010, L. J. Smith announced that the series had been optioned for a TV series by The CW. On February 8, 2011, The CW picked up The Secret Circle with Dawson's Creek creator and The Vampire Diaries co-creator/executive producer Kevin Williamson now attached. However, he told The CW that The Vampire Diaries companion series he was helming had been put on hold in order to focus on The Secret Circle.[5] Williamson worked on an original script penned by Andrew Miller, creator of the Emmy-nominated web series Imaginary Bitches, with writer credit shared by both men.[5] On February 16, 2011, The Secret Circle booked Liz Friedlander to direct the pilot. Friedlander also directed episodes for The Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars, 90210 and One Tree Hill.[6]
On October 12, 2011, The CW ordered a full season of twenty-two episodes.[4]
Reception
Critical reception
The pilot has been met with mixed reviews, with Metacritic giving a score of 55 out of a 100 based on 20 Critics.[7] Lloyd Roberts of the Los Angeles Times thought the pilot was "splendidly rendered; effective in the expected ways in a way that makes you forget you expected them." He then wrote "Director Liz Friedlander aims not just for creepiness but for a tremulous sense of beauty that reflects the heightened sensibilities and hair-trigger sensitivities of adolescence" and appreciated the actors "who are good to look at, but also bring a little soul to their roles."[8] First Stop News gave the premiere episode a rating of 7/10, saying that the episode was "incredible", and praised the premise, but criticized some of the performances.[9] However, Phoebe Tonkin's performance was well received by critics; she was featured on Variety's list of new faces to watch[10] and named one of 2011 Breakout TV Stars by E! Online.[11]
Awards and nominations
People's Choice Awards
| Year |
Nominated work |
Award |
Result |
| 2012 |
The Secret Circle |
Favorite New TV Drama |
Pending |
References
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 8, 2011). "CW Picks Up Drama Pilot 'Secret Circle'". Deadline.com. http://www.deadline.com/2011/02/cw-picks-up-drama-pilot-secret-circle/. Retrieved March 1, 2011.
- ^ CW Orders 'Secret Circle,' 'Hart of Dixie,' 'Ringer' Broadcasting & Cable May 17, 2011
- ^ Seidman, Robert (June 20, 2011). "The CW Network Announces Fall 2011 Premiere Dates". TV by the Numbers. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/06/20/the-cw-network-announces-fall-2011-premiere-dates/96084/. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
- ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (October 12, 2011). "CW Gives Full-Season Orders To ‘Hart Of Dixie’ & ‘Secret Circle’, Goes 3-For-3". Deadline. http://www.deadline.com/2011/10/cw-gives-full-season-orders-to-hart-of-dixie-secret-circle-goes-3-for-3/. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
- ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie. "CW Picks Up Drama Pilot ‘Secret Circle’ –". Deadline.com. http://www.deadline.com/2011/02/cw-picks-up-drama-pilot-secret-circle/. Retrieved 2011-09-16.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2011-02-16). "Pilots ‘Weekends At Bellevue’ And ‘Secret Circle’ Book Directors –". Deadline.com. http://www.deadline.com/2011/02/pilots-weekends-at-bellevue-and-secret-circle-book-directors/. Retrieved 2011-09-16.
- ^ "The Secret Circle: Season 1 Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. http://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-secret-circle/season-1. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
- ^ Robert, Lloyd (September 14, 2011). "Television review: CW's 'Secret Circle' and 'H8R' brew up drama". Latimes.com. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv/la-et-h8r-secret-circle-20110914,0,3134297.story. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
- ^ ""The Secret Circle" Review". First Stop News. September 14, 2011. http://firststopnews.blogspot.com/2011/09/secret-circle-review.html. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
- ^ Malcom, Shawna (September 9, 2011). "Tonkin no fish out of water on CW's 'Secret Circle'". cds. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118042127. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
- ^ Bricker, Tierney (December 29, 2011). "2011 Breakout TV Stars: The Secret Circle's Phoebe Tonkin Bares All (Thanks in Part to a Necklace Shirt)". E! Online. http://uk.eonline.com/news/watch_with_kristin/2011_breakout_tv_stars_secret_circles/283104?cmpid=rss-000000-rssfeed-365-topstories&utm_source=eonline&utm_medium=rssfeeds&utm_campaign=rss_topstories. Retrieved January 2, 2012.
External links
|
|
|
| 2000s debuts |
|
|
| 2010s debuts |
|
|
| Current |
|
|
| Upcoming |
|
|
- Complete CW List
- (current & upcoming)
ABC (current) · AMC · CBS (current) · CW · E! · Fox · FX · HBO · OWN · NBC (current) · Showtime · Starz · TBS · TNT · USA
|
|