Created by Amy Sherman-Palladino (Gilmore Girls), Michelle Simms (Tony Award®-winning actor Sutton Foster) had a promising career as a classically-trained professional dancer but was drawn to the lights of Las Vegas. Now, with a dead-end job as a 30-something showgirl, she’s found the excitement of Sin City has lost its appeal, and her persistent suitor, Hubbell Flowers (Alan Ruck, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off&#8221, is gaining it. With promises of a cushy life in his coastal town of Paradise, CA., Hubbell convinces Michelle to marry him and move away. Once in there, Michelle discovers that Hubbell forgot to mention that he lives with his mother, the strong-headed, imperious Fanny Flowers (Kelly Bishop, “Gilmore Girls&#8221, who is not pleased that Hubbell has run off and married a stranger.


A former dancer herself, Fanny runs the local dance studio, which Michelle comes upon and ends up bonding with some of Fanny’s dance students: sweet “Boo” (Kaitlyn Jenkins), who would give anything to be a “bunhead” but struggles against her body type; rebellious Sasha (Julia Goldani Telles), who possesses the classic ballet dancer’s body and talent but -- distracted by family issues at home -- doesn’t seem to have her heart in dancing; shapely Ginny (Bailey Buntain), who is not yet comfortable in her own skin; and fun-loving Melanie (Emma Dumont), who is ready for whatever life throws at her. Michelle’s budding relationship with these girls helps her adapt to small town living and her uneasy role as a new daughter-in-law.


The cast also includes Stacey Oristano, (FNL's Mindy Riggins) Greg Henry and Rose Abdoo.

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*Mondays on ABC Family, 9/8 central*

Meier said:

My interested was piqued when I saw Amy's name since I knew my fiancee would be excited (Gilmore Girls being her favorite show)... but then I saw the photos in the OP and the ABC Family logo. Sounds like a pass.

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anaron said:

You really shouldn't let either decide the quality of the show. They're not representative of it at all.

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Meier said:

I'll definitely let her know but ABC Family shows are such trash that it's very difficult to get excited about anything on that network. It has a dedicated fan base though so the ratings for this might be pretty close to Gilmore Girls'!

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Sepinwall said:

It's been six years since Amy Sherman-Palladino last wrote an episode of "Gilmore Girls," the marvelous mix of rapid-fire banter and heart-tugging mother-daughter pathos that was one of the best series in the short but interesting history of the WB network. It's also been four years since her short-lived FOX sitcom misfire "The Return of Jezebel James," so she's not infallible. But "Bunheads" — a one-hour dramedy with Broadway star Sutton Foster as a Vegas showgirl who moves to a small town, where she works at the dance studio of mother-in-law (and "Gilmore" alum) Kelly Bishop — seems much closer to Sherman-Palladino's strengths. Plus, I've been waiting for someone in the film or TV business to figure out how to use the charming, multi-talented Foster.

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Televisionary said:

The latest show from Amy Sherman-Palladino contains several tropes familiar to devotees of Gilmore Girls. Idyllic small town populated by lovable eccentrics? Check. Sam Phillips musical cues? Check. The presence of Kelly Bishop? Check. These are likely to be major draws or deterrents, depending on how you felt about Gilmore Girls. The setup of Bunheads is slightly more complicated than the Stars Hollow-set dramedy: Michelle Simms (Sutton Foster), a former ballerina turned Vegas showgirl, impulsively marries a suitor (Alan Ruck) and sets off for a new life in Paradise, Calif., where she is forced into an uneasy alliance with her mother-in-law, imperious dance instructor Fanny Flowers (Bishop), and a mentoring role with Fanny’s young dancers. The series also stars Kaitlyn Jenkins, Julia Goldani Teiles, Bailey Buntain, and Emma Dumont, and features former Friday Night Lights star Stacey Oristano. (Launches June 11 at 9 p.m.)

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Okay, that was a stunning pilot. If you could smoosh together my excitement for ‪#Awake‬ and ‪#Glee‬ into one pilot, that's what I just watched

#Bunheads‬, you've given me my first reason to actually pay attention to ABC Family since I turned 13.

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Peru said:

Good pilot, great potential.

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Rafa=FedKilla said:

Brah is crazy for counting out this show for being on ABC Family. This is a great show that showcases Amy's ability to create communities and characters of the highest order.

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anaron said:

AVClub contributor Kevin McFarland said this on twitter:

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kennah said:

Ooo I love shows that let me yell at the TV.

Spoiler

I work for one of the oldest ballet companies in North America.

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kennah said:

Not in the Canada store

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On a happier note, I can report that the upcoming ABC Family series Bunheads, in which Broadway great Sutton Foster plays a Vegas showgirl who after a quickie wedding finds herself pitching in at a ballet school--is a knockout charmer, with Foster revealing a knowing Carol Burnett-ish clowning flair that works beautifully on camera. Her groggy reaction the morning after to finding a wedding ring on her finger is classic, and her line deliveries are screwball-heroine worthy. The show premieres Monday, June 11, and don't miss it.

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Think they've all got a way with words? Some attitude? Smart pop-culture shout-outs? You betcha. "Bunheads" is from "Gilmore Girls" auteur Amy Sherman-Palladino, so it chatters just as giddily, from Gadhafi to Godzilla to Graceland.

And again, it's got that multigeneration appeal, spotlighting both teens and adults, this time striving to (re)define themselves in ways those Gilmore girls never had to. Monday night's hour, spent setting up the premise, also drops a doozy of a conclusion that is up there with the equally stunning

Spoiler

yet not-the-least-bit-similar twist delivered by "The Shield."

It changes the game in a huge way you may or may not take to.

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Sutton Foster's Michelle brings all of the sassy intelligence and quirky fumbling charm that you'd expect from a character created by Gilmore Girls' Amy Sherman-Palladino. The producer has a real knack for flawed yet strong, brash yet likeable female characters, which is what ABC Family does best these days. In fact, the network seems like such a perfect fit for Sherman-Palladino, that it's a wonder the two haven't teamed up before this.

I spent the end of this television season lamenting the way that many shows aimed at teenagers treat their young female protagonists (Why were Gossip Girls' Blair and The Vampire Diaries' Elena both forced to choose between two men in their season finales? Why couldn't Glee's Rachel make the decision to go to New York without Finn's help?). Bunheads is the perfect antidote — a show that let's the hopes and dreams of young women take center stage.

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Tim the Wiz said:

Hooked me ten minutes in, with Hubbell's Godzilla speech. Struggling to think of a better pilot, outside of HBO, this year.

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Glad to see it receiving positive impressions, will definitely check it out... mostly for the Emily Gilmore factor.

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anaron said:

Not for Mindy Riggins?!

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That the show centers around Foster as thirtysomething Michelle Simms -- a classically trained dancer who saw her Broadway dreams devolve into a haze of Sin City drinking and partying -- is enough to distinguish "Bunheads" from schedule mates "Pretty Little Liars" and "The Secret Life of the American Teenager." Sherman-Palladino's snappy banter and slightly melancholic characters only enrich the texture of a series perfectly pitched between comedy and drama.

The pilot takes its time introducing Michelle and her life in Vegas, which includes backstage visits from lovestruck fan Hubbell Flowers (likably played by guest star Alan Ruck). As Michelle feels increasingly boxed in, Hubbell offers her a way out when she needs it most: Marry him and come to Paradise, Hubbell's quaint California hometown in the middle of nowhere. The town doesn't even have a movie theater, but it does have a dance studio, run by Hubbell's formidable mother, Fanny ("Gilmore" vet and Tony winner Kelly Bishop), who is more than a little leery when her son shows up with a stray showgirl.

Fanny's ballet students fill the requisite teen roles that allow "Bunheads" a place on ABC Family but do so without coming off as cloying or contrived. The initial hour spends the most time on sweet Boo (Kaitlyn Jenkins), who has the desire but not the tiny body required to be a star ballerina, and sour Sasha (Julia Goldani Telles), who fits the physical bill but has none of Boo's passion. There's less definition granted to wide-eyed Ginny (Bailey Buntain) and Sasha's sidekick Melanie (Emma Dumont), but despite minimal-to-zero prior onscreen experience, all four actresses fit effortlessly enough to suggest the show should have fun fleshing them out later.

Besides, Foster is already firing on all cylinders, relishing Sherman-Palladino's rapid-fire quips and the rich complications of Michelle's hot mess of a life. Foster delivers a commanding smallscreen-star-is-born turn in what already feels like a creative collaboration comparable to what Sherman-Palladino enjoyed with Lauren Graham on "Gilmore Girls."

High praise, indeed, and further borne out by Foster's instant chemistry with Bishop, who retains the sharp-tongued delivery she utilized so well as Emily Gilmore, while trading that character's high society rigidity for Fanny's more bohemian looseness. It probably doesn't hurt that Foster and Bishop recently shared the Broadway stage in "Anything Goes."

The biggest hurdle for "Bunheads" may be its awkward title -- a colloquialism alternately viewed as a nickname or insult for young ballerinas, which goes unexplained in the pilot -- but when the show itself is so immediately captivating, what's in a name?

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The broadcast networks used to churn out a fair number of relatively light shows that were often centered on female characters and/or offbeat towns. But after UPN and the WB merged and became the supernatural-and-socialite-obsessed CW and USA Network became the Mecca of escapist programming (much of it starring eccentric male characters), shows that recall "Gilmore Girls," "Northern Exposure," "Veronica Mars" and "Everwood" have been few and far between.

That's why the debut of "Bunheads" (9 p.m. ET Monday, ABC Family) is so welcome. The show isn't quite "Gilmore Girls" plus dancing, but it's pretty close, and that is not a bad thing at all.

"Bunheads" comes from "Gilmore Girls" creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, and if you liked her previous program, you'll find a lot of familiar elements here. Sutton Foster stars as the fast-talking Michelle Simms, a Las Vegas showgirl who ends up in the small town of Paradise after a night of questionable decisions. Soon she runs into the formidable dance-studio owner Fanny Flowers, who looks down her aristocratic nose at the insecure yet good-hearted newcomer. Flowers is played by Kelly Bishop, none other than "Gilmore Girls'" Emily Gilmore, and it's wonderful to see the masterful Bishop on TV again, doling out witty putdowns and occasionally showing Fanny's protective side, which is well hidden underneath a commanding exterior.

Sherman-Palladino is very good at setting up insider-outsider dynamics that reverberate through all the characters' relationships: Michelle is an outsider in the clannish town, but some of Fanny's dance students -- longtime Paradise residents all -- feel like freaks or rejects due to their body shapes and sizes. And both Fanny and Michelle, who tasted early success as dancers, feel shut out by life's possibilities after their early opportunities dried up. For one reason or another, everyone feels excluded from something, and the show begins to explore those themes in the pilot (and thankfully, it doesn't feel the need to sugar-coat these them with too much adorable small-town eccentricity).

It's not easy to make Sherman-Palladino's rapid-fire dialogue flow naturally, but Foster manages the trick, and the rapport shared by Fanny and Michelle is alternately prickly and conspiratorial. It'll take time to fill in the teen characters who frequent Fanny's studio, but Sherman-Palladino managed to do that kind of world-building well in Stars Hollow, so I'm not too worried on that score.

Where Sherman-Palladino has run into problems in the past is in pursuing narrative dead ends, in hurriedly applying slapdash storytelling solutions and hoping no one notices, and in making characters act in inconsistent and/or selfish ways. When "Gilmore Girls" was good, it was very good, but it wasn't the most consistent of shows, to put it mildly. And I'm still deeply scarred by the fact that she waited far too long to get (and keep) two key "Gilmore" characters together (my fellow fans know to whom I'm referring).

I'm still recommending "Bunheads" to anyone who'd like a lighter dramedy on their summer viewing roster, but those are the pitfalls I'm going to hope this solid new show works hard to avoid. And it worries me a little that Bishop is listed as a guest star; she's the best thing about the pilot and it strikes me that episodes that don't expand on the core Michelle-Fanny relationship could feel less energetic and vital.

Having said that, the pilot for "Bunheads" moves at a brisk, refreshing clip and it even packs an emotional wallop or two, and the relationships that are sketched out in the first hour are promising. Sherman-Palladino has long been interested in characters who are dancing as fast as they can, and in this show, she has a whole new set to play with. If we're in any luck, the four lead students at Fanny's dance school could become four very different Rorys, and that's not a bad idea

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ivysaur12 said:

I'm happy for you, anaron. Hope the ratings are good for your sake. Maybe I'll watch one day, I just don't have the urge.

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anaron said:

Thanks, man. It's too bad the show doesn't seem to be your thing. I hope it becomes something that brings you back in down the line.

As for the ratings, I'll admit I'm fairly worried considering certain things. (the title, the lead on an ABCFamily series being much older) But at the very least, I got to see the show and I'm just glad it exists.

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ivysaur12 said:

I would have made "Bunheads" a non-starter, but that's just me.

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anaron said:

Definitely in the minority for this, but I actually do like it. It's applicable, catchy and stands out.

But to the casual viewer? Could be toxic.

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firehawk12 said:

The casual viewer would be turned off (or on) by Sherman-Palladino's name first, I would imagine.

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anaron said:

lol, moreso her writing.


Gilmore Girls was huge on the WB though and that being plastered all over the ads probably secured some seats.

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