South of Nowhere/North of Awesome

I love The N, but I'm wary of their non-Canadian programming. Beyond the Break? South of Nowhere? Those people are too pretty for The N! They're so shiny and cookie-cutter. I'm all for awkward stages and bad haircuts, Degrassi-style. My first thought upon seeing bits of South of Nowhere was "Wow. So it's like softcore for tweens? The two cutest lipstick lesbians on the West Coast found one another and spend all their time frolicking in SoCal. Yawn."

I was so wrong. What seemed like a wispy soap is an often heart wrenching drama about prejudice, family and love. In contrast to Degrassi’s issue of the week, SoN uses its issues as a backdrop for an ongoing story about a family that relocates from Ohio to Los Angeles. The heart of the show is Spencer, who upon moving to LA is drawn to sexually rebellious Ashley, the wild child of a rock star. Three seasons in, Spencer has come to terms with her sexuality, come out to an understanding father and a homophobic mother, and dealt with the loss of her first love. And now her new girlfriend is showing abusive tendencies. Drama!

Last season’s mostly peripheral turf warfare culminated in a drive-by shooting at prom. In the first episode of this season, it was revealed that Spencer’s overachieving adopted brother Clay was among the casualties. It takes balls to not only kill off a main character, but also to leave a gaping hole in his wake. You know what makes for compelling TV? His imperfect family and reluctantly pregnant girlfriend struggling to cobble their lives back together.