Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Underappreciated Gems: Bunheads

I received some sad news. So sad that it made me make a terrible upside down smile (that's a frown) face at work.

Yes. Bunheads has been cancelled.

We shall weep and despair and remember the good ole days of ballet and witty dialogue airing on ABC Family before they decided more vampy shows should be their thang.

Underappreciated Gems: Bunheads by
The main cast gets stretchy.

Many people probably first tuned in to Bunheads thanks to the clout of the creator, Amy Sherman-Palladino. You know, the woman behind the awesome Gilmore Girls? Known for fast-paced, pop-culture laced dialogue, if you didn't like Gilmore Girls, you probably wouldn't like Bunheads, which ups the quirk factor of GG by at least fifty percent. Is that why it wasn't popular? Was it because of the weird name that no one knew the meaning of unless they were a ballet person already? Whatever the case, it's sad, because this show was actually really good. Engaging. Funny. And yes, quirky. But in a way that made you want to come back. That is, if you watched in the first place.

Underappreciated Gems: Bunheads by
Maybe let's get these two another show together?
Look at this, I'm just assuming you know the plot of Bunheads! And probably if you're reading this, you also already watched the show. But just in case you haven't, just in case you've been here before and actually trust my taste in the televisual medium that enthralls us all, I'll give you a quick rundown of the plot...

Michelle (Sutton Foster) is a Las Vegas showgirl with dreams of making it to Broadway. But after so many years on the strip, this doesn't seem a likely prospect. She ends up getting drunk and marrying this guy who keeps watching her shows and giving her flowers, and moves back to his hometown with him. There, she ends up building a life she never would've dreamed would suit her, befriending her new mother-in-law (Kelly Bishop) and working at her ballet studio. She becomes the most unlikely of parental figures to the girls she teaches there, which helps her grow up as well. Or, at least, she was on the way to growing up. Before the show was cancelled! Sigh.

Underappreciated Gems: Bunheads by
No doubt, Sasha was annoying, but the others were all fun.
Yes, the show was not perfect. One of the main young girls, Sasha, quite clearly meant to be a breakout role for Julia Goldani Telles was, more often than not, annoying rather than charming. Why we're supposed to root for a petulant girl, I'm not sure. I get that she was supposed to be growing up and realize she was being that way, but I guess I was missing some kind of redeeming quality in her that the other girls had in spades. It's not that she can't be rude and standoffish, it's just that we rarely saw any other side, and when we did, it didn't feel super believable. Boo (Kaitlyn Jenkins), on the other hand, was one you were always rooting for.

The show seemed to realize this partway through, and focused more equally on everyone as an ensemble rather than a few main characters getting all of the action. And no wonder, because this is where the show really hit its stride. Side characters such as Truly got to have their own plots, and it was nice to see more of a balanced focus between the teens and the adults. And maybe therein lies the rub for why it was cancelled. Too many adults and women, not enough cute young boys to get the teen girls watching?
Underappreciated Gems: Bunheads by
Stacey Oristano being brilliant as Truly.

Whatever the case may be, the point is that the show was quality regardless of its lack of audience, and it's a shame it went so unappreciated on a larger scale. Perhaps it will gain cult status and more popularity as, hopefully, more people discover it. But, without many viewing options at the moment, that's going to be difficult. Currently not even available on DVD? Sheesh! Get it together! At least get some online viewing options apart from Amazon Video and iTunes! What about Netflix or Hulu? Come on, son!

There are only 18 episodes of the show to indulge on, so I'm not going to give a list of the best episodes. They're all pretty good; none of them stand out as being particularly more amazing than the others, though the Finale "Next" was really good. But obviously you can't just start with that! Start at the beginning and let the characters draw you in. Stick around if you're not quite sure about it, because it just gets better and better.

Let's remember better days with this goodbye dance made especially for everyone who appreciated the quirk and delight of this show. Featuring most of the cast and the back of the creator watching it all. Saying farewell.


  1. I am bummed it got cancelled. I really liked this show. I am a huge Gilmore Girls fan and loved seeing actors from GG pop up in Bunheads. I loved the quirky characters.

    I found your site from a comment on The Pioneer Woman's site.

    1. It's definitely a bummer. Hopefully Amy Sherman-Palladino will create another show soon!