| Genre: | Drama |
| Creator: | Aaron Martin |
| Theme Music Composer: | Mark Wiebe |
| Opentheme: | "Infinite Possibility" by Markattack |
| Country: | Canada |
| Language: | English |
| Num Seasons: | 2 |
| Num Episodes: | 21 |
| List Episodes: |
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| Location: | Toronto, Ontario |
| Camera: | Single-camera |
| Runtime: | 42 minutes |
The Best Years is a Canadian drama television series about a group of college students at Charles University, a fictional Ivy League school in Boston, Massachusetts. It stars Charity Shea as Samantha Best, an orphan who lived in the foster care system for ten years before receiving a scholarship to Charles. The show was created by Aaron Martin and produced by Wendy Grean.
The first season aired on Global in Canada and on Noggin's teen block, The N, in the United States. The second season was shown in the United States on The N and in Canada on E!, CanWest's secondary network.
The show revolves around Samantha Best (Charity Shea). She receives a scholarship to attend Charles University, a fictional Ivy League college in Boston, Massachusetts, after bouncing between foster homes for ten years.
The first season included episodes about sensitive topics like cocaine addiction, inappropriate teacher-student relationships, and suicide. The second and final season picked up eight months after season one with several characters absent and replaced with new characters and focused romantic entanglements.
The first season of The Best Years was first shown in Canada on Global from May 22 to August 14, 2007. In the United States, it aired on The N from June 29 to September 21, 2007, at 8:30 to 9:30 pm EST on Friday nights.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Canadian air date | U.S. air date |
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| No. in season | No. in series | Title | Canadian air date | U.S. air date | Production code |
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The show's theme song is titled "Infinite Possibility" and was written and performed by Mark Wiebe, also known as Markattack or Sinewave.[1] Outdoor scenes from the show were filmed on the campus of the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario, as well as the University of Toronto, and interior scenes of the campus were re-created at the Toronto Film Studios.[2]
Entertainment One has released the entire series on DVD in Region 1.[3] [4]
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Complete First Season | 13 | March 10, 2009 | |
| The Complete Second and Final Season | 8 | June 15, 2010 |
According to Mediaweek, ratings the show debuted with 323,250 total viewers on Friday, June 29 at 8:30 p.m. ET, which more than doubled the time period average.