Summerland is an American drama television series created by Stephen Tolkin and Lori Loughlin. It is centered on a clothing designer in her 30s, Ava Gregory (Loughlin), raising her niece and nephews after their parents die in a tragic accident. They live in California with three of Ava's friends who also help raise the kids. Summerland premiered on June 1, 2004 on the defunct television network The WB. The series ran for a total of 26 episodes over two seasons. Its cancellation was announced on May 15, 2005[1] and the last episode aired on July 18, 2005. A soundtrack was released on March 19, 2005 and the show has been syndicated in many countries. [edit] Production Each episode of the show features a number of songs from various artists in addition to an original score. The music is usually used as a background element, however, occasionally the music heard is mentioned on the show. "Unchained Melody" by The Righteous Brothers, also used in the film Ghost, is heard in an episode when the film is shown, and an episode starring Christy Carlson Romano features her song "Dive In" as her character's song. Other bands and musicians heard in the show include The Beach Boys, The Penguins, Howie Day, John Mayer, Ryan Adams, Blink-182, Maroon 5, and Lifehouse. [edit] Soundtrack On March 19, 2005, a soundtrack was released featuring music from both seasons of the show. It included the opening theme as well as a song by cast member Jesse McCartney, "Get Your Shine On", which also appeared on his first album and was released as a single. Track listing - "Undertow" - Bowling For Soup
- "General Attitude" - Collective Soul
- "All Downhill from Here" - New Found Glory
- "Get Your Shine On" - Jesse McCartney
- "Feel So Free" - Ivy
- "The Crying" - Kristian Leontiou
- "My Paper Heart" - The All-American Rejects
- "Struggle" - Ringside
- "Try" - Lisa Loeb
- "Alive" - Kenny Wayne Shepherd
- "My Way Home" - Citizen Cope
- "Beautiful Day" - Steve Plunkett
[edit] Synopsis The series follows Ava Gregory (Lori Loughlin), a fashion designer, and her house mates and niece and nephews as they learn to cope with a life-changing event and each other. After the death of their parents, Bradin (Jesse McCartney), Nikki (Kay Panabaker), and Derrick Westerly (Nick Benson) leave their home in Kansas to live with their Aunt Ava in Playa Linda, California. They live with three other house mates; Johnny Durant (Shawn Christian), Ava's ex-boyfriend, Susannah Rexford (Merrin Dungey), Ava's best friend and business partner, and Jay Robertson (Ryan Kwanten), an Australian surfer who owns a local surf shop. The show follows the struggles that these friends and family face as they adapt to their new lives together. Jay has an on-again-off-again relationship with Erika Spalding (Taylor Cole), who becomes Bradin's surfing instructor. Cameron Bale (Zac Efron) is Nikki's friend and classmate. [edit] Main characters Summerland initially featured a main cast of eight characters. In the second season, after appearing as a recurring member in the first season, Zac Efron was added to the main cast. This brought the total number of main characters to nine. - Ava Gregory (Lori Loughlin) is a woman in her mid 30s who is raising her niece and nephews, Bradin, Nikki, and Derrick Westerly, after their parents' tragic deaths. She lives in a beach house with the children, her on again/off again boyfriend Johnny, her best friend Susannah, and another close friend, Jay. Ava has a very hectic life and also faces the stressful task of raising three children, who are all devastated at the loss of their parents and who deal with their loss in very different ways.
- Johnny Durant (Shawn Christian) is Ava's ex boyfriend who still remains her roommate until Season 2. He gets along tremendously with the kids and opens up his own restaurant. Despite hiding it, he is desperately still in love with Ava.
- Susannah Rexford (Merrin Dungey) is Ava's best friend, business partner and roommate.
- Jay Robertson (Ryan Kwanten) is an Australian native, who lives with Ava in Playa Linda and is the "big brother" to the children. He was dating Erika, despite his notorious behavior for being a playboy.
- Bradin Westerly (Jesse McCartney) is the oldest of the three children. He copes with the loss of his parents by drinking, getting involved in drugs and earns a reputation as a wild child. He is also as an exceptional surfer and is offered a sponsorship by many major companies but his personal problems seem to get in the way on more than one occasion.
- Erika Spalding (Taylor Cole) is Jay's girlfriend. She helps coach Bradin with his surfing. She leaves to take care of her mother, but returns and begins dating Bradin.
- Nikki Westerly (Kay Panabaker) is an exceptionally bright child. She starts off trying to take over the "mother" role, but eventually settling in and making many friends including Cameron, who would later become her on/off boyfriend.
- Derrick Westerly (Nick Benson) is the youngest child. Despite being very close to his Aunt Ava, he can't quite get over the loss of his parents at such a young age.
- Cameron Bale (Zac Efron) is Nikki's best friend and on/off boyfriend. He lives with his troubled, divorced, alcoholic father (portrayed by C. Thomas Howell). In season two Efron became a part of the main cast after appearing as a recurring star in season one.
[edit] Recurring characters - Sarah Borden (Sara Paxton) is a troubled teen with an addiction to pot. She becomes Bradin's girlfriend and pressures him to use drugs.
- Mona (Carmen Electra) is Johnny's partner, who invests in a bar with him and later starts dating and living with Johnny. However in a tragic motorcycle accident Mona is killed leaving Johnny heartbroken. He changes the name of his bar to "Mona's Sandbar" in memory of Mona who transferred her share of the property to Johnny before she died.
- Callie (Danielle Savre) is a girl from the Midwest who becomes one of Bradin's girlfriends and helps him recover from his relationship with Sarah.
- Amber (Shelley Buckner) is one of Nikki's friends and Cameron's past girl friend. Amber and Nikki didn't get along at first, but eventually they became best friends.
[edit] Episodes [edit] Series overview | Season | Episodes | Originally aired | | 1 | 13 | June 1, 2004 - August 17, 2004 | | 2 | 13 | February 28, 2005 - July 18, 2005 | [edit] Season 1: 2004 | # | Total | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original airdate | Prod. code | | 1 | 1 | "Pilot" | Ian Toynton | Stephen Tolkin | June 1, 2004 (2004-06-01) | 40384-001 | | Nikki receives an unexpected invitation from her Aunt Ava to go to California but her mother is annoyed that it will interrupt her school work. So the relationship between mother and aunt is somewhat strained when neighbors in Kansas ask for help in a serious emergency. | | 2 | 2 | "And So the Day Begins" | Ian Toynton | Stephen Tolkin | June 1, 2004 (2004-06-01) | 40384-002 | | Ava Gregory was just where she wanted to be in life and had everything she wanted. She has received a phone call saying that her sister and brother-in-law were killed in an accident, and her life is changed as she has inherited their three children. Bradin is the oldest who learns to adapt to the change by taking up surfing. Nikki who is the middle child stays up in her room and tries to take over the mother figure roll. And lastly, Derrick tries to figure out how to give his mother a birthday present in heaven. | | 3 | 3 | "Fireworks" | Harry Winer | Jon Cowan & Robert L. Rovner | June 8, 2004 (2004-06-08) | 40384-003 | | Ava falls for Kyle, a recently divorced man, but their dating life becomes complicated when she learns that he is the father of Nikki's new crush, Cameron. Meanwhile, Bradin's efforts to protect Erika from a guy (Tanner) with questionable intentions don't go as smoothly as possible. | | 4 | 4 | "Into My Life" | Matt Shakman | Katie Botel | June 15, 2004 (2004-06-15) | 40384-004 | | Ava discovers that there is some marijuana in Bradin's backpack. The realty office takes up all of Johnny's time causing him to break his promise to Derrick.Nikki's blooming relationship with Cameron takes a bumpy road when its tested because Derrick needs help with his hitting. | | 5 | 5 | "The Grass Is Greener Than You Think" | Peter O'Fallon | Denitria Harris-Lawrence | June 22, 2004 (2004-06-22) | 40384-005 | | At the roommates annual summer luau party, relationships are started, rekindled, and ended. Ava learns a terrible secret about why Johnny broke up with her years ago. Susanna pretends to be involved with Jay to ward off advances from her ex boyfriend (guest star James Black), and Nikki believes she must seduce Cameron in order to keep him interested in her and away from his ex-girlfriend Amber (guest star Shelly Buckner) | | 6 | 6 | "Big Waves" | David Petrarca | Craig Machen | June 29, 2004 (2004-06-29) | 40384-006 | | Jay is upset that his old knee injury is keeping him from competing in the local surfing competition but Erika has plans to get him in the event. Meanwhile, feeling overwhelmed by the disarray in the house, Ava asks Johnny and Susannah to help her organize things but no one can agree on how much structure is really needed in the house. Also, Ava and Susanna organize a fashion shoot with a photographer who had a one night stand with Johnny. | | 7 | 7 | "To Thine Self Be True" | Timothy Busfield | Gay Walch | July 6, 2004 (2004-07-06) | 40384-007 | | When Derrick's friend finds a picture of Ava and takes it home with him, Ava has to do some expaining to his mother why Derrick and her son had them. Meanwhile, Bradin goes to Jay and Johnny for advice when he considers having sex with Sarah for the first time, but the next night Bradin feels hurt and confused when he sees Sarah on a date with another guy. Nikki's possessiveness is putting a strain on her relationship with Cameron. Bradin meets a young mysterious girl named Callie. | | 8 | 8 | "Secrets" | Harry Winer | Jon Cowan & Robert L. Rovner | July 13, 2004 (2004-07-13) | 40384-008 | | Ava begins to get really worry about Bradin's relationship with his wild girlfriend Sarah after they get caught by the police for swimming near the pier at night. Bradin begins to think about breaking up with her, but he finds it harder to do than he thought it would be. Erika is caught off guard when a former boyfriend shows up, which is pretty obvious, as Nikki observes while talking to her. Meanwhile, Derrick misinterprets a friendly embrace between Susannah and Johnny on a camping trip. | | 9 | 9 | "Skipping School" | Steve Miner | Graham Yost | July 20, 2004 (2004-07-20) | 40384-009 | | Ava begins to think that it might be in Nikki's best interest to skip her last year of junior high and go straight to high school, but Nikki does not think that it is. Sarah invites Bradin to run away with her to Mexico, but he soon discovers that she's actually attempting to get out of going away to a strict boarding school. Also Erika's estranged mother shows up unannounced and attempts to get Erika to leave Jay and Playa Linda to come home to live with her. | | 10 | 10 | "Kicking and Screaming" | Peter O'Fallon | Denitria Harris-Lawrence | July 27, 2004 (2004-07-27) | 40384-010 | | Erika moves in with Jay after she gets kicked out of her apartment. Elsewhere, Susannah and Ava need a backer for their clothing line to keep their business going. Johnny and Ava rekindle old feelings after chaperoning Derrick and Martha on their date. | | 11 | 11 | "Life in a Fishbowl" | Jeff Bleckner | Stephen Tolkin | August 3, 2004 (2004-08-03) | 40384-011 | | Johnny realizes his feelings for Ava when he sees her having a great time on a date with Nikki's principal, Dr. O'Keefe (Jay Harrington) and becomes a little jealous. Meanwhile, Bradin considers taking his friendship with Callie to the next level but is confused when Sarah comes back to town. | | 12 | 12 | "Yummy Mummy" | Harry Winer | Katie Botel | August 10, 2004 (2004-08-10) | 40384-012 | | Amber and Nikki are very shocked when Cameron shows up with a new girlfriend, Jordan. Bradin begins to practice with other guys on trying out for a surfing team with good members Zack and Lucas, but things get really complicated when he finds out Tanner is Lucas' brother. Also, Ava is interviewing people for the jobs of sales, marketing, etc., for her fashion line. | | 13 | 13 | "On the Last Night of Summer" | Robert Duncan McNeill | Stephen Tolkin | August 17, 2004 (2004-08-17) | 40384-013 | | Relationships are reconsidered. Ava has doubts about getting serious with Simon because she still has feelings for Johnny. Johnny may make a choice that will take Ava away from him for good. Susannah reconsiders quitting her partnership with Ava. Jay has second thoughts about Erika moving in with him when she wants to redecorate his place. Bradin is confused by Callie's hot and cold actions. Nikki suffers when she remembers her parents death. | [edit] Season 2: 2005 | # | Total | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original airdate | Prod. code | | 1 | 14 | "The Wisdom to Know the Difference" | Robert Duncan McNeill | Remi Aubuchon | February 28, 2005 (2005-02-28) | 201 | | After months of being gone Johnny returns home he is shocked to learn that Ava asked Simon to marry her. Nikki becomes very upset that Ava has asked Simon to marry her since she feels Ava is meant for Johnny. On the other hand, Derrick is very excited at the news because his family will now be complete. When Bradin's coach questions his effort on the surf team, he considers trying performance-enhancing drugs to help him be better. | | 2 | 15 | "I Am the Walrus" | David Jackson | Shane Brennan | March 3, 2005 (2005-03-03) | 202 | | Three FBI agents come in and they are looking for Susannah and everything Dubois International related; Bradin is suspended from the school surf team then has to go to the hospital because of a drug overdose.Meanwhile, Nikki is persuaded by Amber to tryout for cheerleading but does not make it and Amber makes it as captain. Amber asks Nikki if she really wants to be on the team leading Nikki to become the school's mascot. | | 3 | 16 | "Sledgehammer" | Harry Winer | Lon Diamond | March 14, 2005 (2005-03-14) | 203 | | Nikki helps Cameron run for student president of their school, but Cameron does not want to follow Nikki's plan and winds up embarrassing and annoying her. Ava is angry when she learns Bradin is skipping his tutoring after returning to his surf team. Jay sides with Bradin, which causes a rift between the two. Mona questions Johnny about Ava. And a special someone just also may move back to Playa Linda. | | 4 | 17 | "Pick Nik" | Janice Cooke | Katie Botel | March 21, 2005 (2005-03-21) | 204 | | At school, Derrick talks with his friends about a father/son sailing race where all of his friends are going to compete with their dads, but Derrick will be with Ava. Two of his friends say Derrick can not compete with Ava, which makes Derrick very upset and he begins to fight with them, sending all the boys to the principal's office. The secretary calls Susannah, Johnny, Jay, Ava, and Simon to pick Derrick up. Derrick tells Ava he doesn't want to race with her as she's not a father. Causing everyone to become more distance for Ava and Simon to work it out. Nikki becomes frustrated with Cameron and the school elections. | | 5 | 18 | "Mr. & Mrs. Who" | Harry Winer | Linda McGibney | March 28, 2005 (2005-03-28) | 205 | | Derrick is with the ambulance after falling off his skateboard with Johnny. Simon feels the sudden urge to rush the wedding and Ava is not sure if that's exactly what she wants and will not admit it. Nikki lets out a loud roar at a big family dinner putting Johnny on the spot. Mona's soon-to-be-ex-husband comes to town to sign the divorce papers. | | 6 | 19 | "The Pleiades" | Robert Duncan McNeill | Joan Binder Weiss | April 4, 2005 (2005-04-04) | 206 | | After the wedding debacle, Ava seems strangely calm and wants to start a wedding line. Nikki feels very guilty about Ava and Simon's breakup and is constantly reminded that it is her fault.Callie considers dumping Bradin. Mona warns Ava to stay away from Johnny. | | 7 | 20 | "Where There's a Will, There's a Wave" | Peter O'Fallon | Tim Davis | April 11, 2005 (2005-04-11) | 207 | | Ava, Susannah, and Colby discuss designing a wedding dress for a pop-star to help give with their clothing line exposure. Ava admits her feelings for Johnny. Bradin breaks up with Callie after realizing his feelings for Erika and sees that Callie seems happier with other people. | | 8 | 21 | "Leaving Playa Linda" | Jack Clements | Patrick Sean Smith | April 11, 2005 (2005-04-11) | 208 | | Ava is disappointed to learn that Johnny and Mona have moved in together, and decides that it's time to finally admit her feelings for him. Meanwhile, after Nikki falls for an older guy in high school and finds out that he is gay, then realizes that she still cares for Cameron. When the family sees how strong Bradin's feelings are for Erika, they advise him against a relationship with her, and encourage him to leave town to join a surf tour with Jay as his chaperon. | | 9 | 22 | "Signs" | Harry Winer | Shane Brennan & Lon Diamond | June 13, 2005 (2005-06-13) | 209 | | Several months have passed, and Bradin, who has just returned from his surf tour in Hawaii, is asked by his sponsor to replace Jay with a top sports manager who can turn him into a major media star. Meanwhile, Nikki learns something troubling about Cameron's home life, and Ava returns from a business trip to Milan when she hears that something has happened to Mona. Old flames reignite between Ava and Johnny, although it may be too much for Johnny. | | 10 | 23 | "The Space Between Us" | Peter O'Fallon | Rick Muirragui | June 20, 2005 (2005-06-20) | 210 | | Bradin comes home after the surf tour abroad with Bryce, another surfer. Jay is concerned about the way Bradin is living his life now that he's become famous. Meanwhile, when Nikki's poem is chosen for publication and she is asked to read it in front of an audience and Amber offers Nikki alcohol to steady her nerves. After learning of Bradin and Nikki's troubles, Ava returns home from her European business trip. | | 11 | 24 | "Safe House" | Allison Liddi-Brown | Linda McGibney | June 27, 2005 (2005-06-27) | 211 | | When Bryce's sister Faith comes to town, Bradin becomes attracted to her, even after Bryce warns him to stay away. Ava asks Johnny to move back into the house. When Nikki goes to visit Cameron, his dad throws him back into the house. Nikki talks to Ava about what she saw and Cameron soon starts staying at their house, until Kyle, Cameron's father, comes looking for him. Nikki suspects that Cameron's dad (Kyle) abuses Cameron. | | 12 | 25 | "Careful What You Wish For" | Robert Duncan McNeill | Brenda Lilly & Hollis Rich | July 11, 2005 (2005-07-11) | 212 | | When Bradin saves his friend Bryce's life after a surfing accident, Bradin is offered a chance at a career. Jay reports a robbery in his shop that is closer to home than he hoped for. Lastly, Susannah has problems of her own in her new serious relationship. | | 13 | 26 | "What's Past is Prologue" | Janice Cooke-Leonard | Katie Botel | July 18, 2005 (2005-07-18) | 213 | | Bradin becomes involved in a scuffle with a reporter at a Wave Crasher promotion. Derrick's friends finds Bradin's new "Bad Boy" image cool and Derrick basks in Bradin's reflected glory. Isabel tells Jay that she is pregnant and together they decide to be parents. Nikki conspires with Colby to get Johnny and Ava together and Erika and Bradin discuss their future possibilities. | [edit] Broadcast history [edit] Cancellation On May 15, 2005, The WB released early information on their 2005-06 season. Summerland, along with eight other shows, was cancelled.[1] Jesse McCartney responded to the cancellation in an interview, saying the show was "in a crazy time slot and...the writers were having trouble, and it was just a bad call."[2] Like many other cancelled TV series, fans quickly started a campaign to save the show[3], however, it was unsuccessful. [edit] DVD Release In October 2009 Summerland received a test release on DVD [4], this was seen as an effort to test the market for a full scale release in the wake of numerous fans petitions calling for one.[5] [edit] Syndication The series has been syndicated on The N & Ten Network in Australia, Living in the United Kingdom and Ireland, TV2 in Norway, and on MBC 4 in the Middle East. In Spain, Summerland (which retains its English language title) has been used as a filler during the summer months. In July 2008, Telecinco aired all of the episodes again in the 9am time slot, the same time slot in which it aired in the summer of 2007. [edit] Awards | Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient | | 2005 | Teen Choice Awards | Nominated | Choice TV Actor: Drama | Jesse McCartney | | Young Artist Awards | Nominated | Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) - Leading Young Actor | Jesse McCartney | | Best Family Television Series (Drama) | - | | Won | Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) - Leading Young Actress | Kay Panabaker | | 2006 | NAACP Image Awards | Nominated | Outstanding Directing in a Dramatic Series | Janice Cooke-Leonard | | PRISM Awards | Won | Performance in a Drama Series Storyline | Lori Laughlin | [edit] References [edit] External links |
