The Secret Circle (TV series) explained

Developer:Andrew Miller
Country:United States
Language:English
Num Seasons:1
Num Episodes:22
Producer:Liz Friedlander
Location:Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Runtime:42 minutes
Network:The CW

The Secret Circle is an American supernatural fantasy teen drama television series that aired on The CW from September 15, 2011, to May 10, 2012. It is based on the book series of the same name written by L.J. Smith.[1] Set in the fictional town of Chance Harbor, Washington, the series focuses on Cassie Blake who, after moving to the town, discovers that she is a hereditary witch and becomes the sixth member of a secret coven. The series was developed by Andrew Miller and was picked up by The CW on May 17, 2011.[2] On October 12, The CW ordered a full 22-episode season.

The CW canceled the series on May 11, 2012. Ratings had declined in the second half of the season; the high costs of special effects and location shooting were also cited as reasons for the cancellation.[3]

Synopsis

Following her mother's death in a tragic fire, orphaned highschooler Cassie Blake (Britt Robertson) moves to Chance Harbor, Washington, to live with her grandmother. Her plans to adjust to her new life are made more complicated when five of her classmates—Adam Conant (Thomas Dekker), Diana Meade (Shelley Hennig), Faye Chamberlain (Phoebe Tonkin), Melissa Glaser (Jessica Parker Kennedy), and Nick Armstrong (Louis Hunter)—recognize her as a witch and invite her to join their coven, the Circle. With her, they can unlock the full extent of their powers. Initially, Cassie refuses to believe that she is a witch, even after Adam helps her to unlock her powers. It is only after she discovers an old leather-bound book of spells left to her by her late mother, Amelia, that she begins to accept her power. Inside the book is a message from Amelia explaining that she kept secret their real family history and her powers in order to keep Cassie safe. As the Circle soon finds out, the witches' powers attract dark and dangerous forces that constantly put them in harm's way.

Main cast

Circle members

Others

Recurring cast

Guest cast

Development

On October 28, 2010, L.J. Smith announced that the series had been optioned for a TV series by The CW. On February 8, 2011, The CW picked up The Secret Circle with Dawson's Creek creator and The Vampire Diaries co-creator/executive producer Kevin Williamson now attached. However, he told The CW that The Vampire Diaries companion series he was helming had been put on hold in order to focus on The Secret Circle.[4] Williamson worked on an original script penned by Andrew Miller, creator of the Emmy-nominated web series Imaginary Bitches, with writer credit shared by both men.[4] On February 16, 2011, The Secret Circle booked Liz Friedlander to direct the pilot. Friedlander also directed episodes for The Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars, 90210 and One Tree Hill.[5]

On October 12, 2011, The CW ordered a full season of twenty-two episodes.[6] On May 11, 2012 The CW cancelled the series.

Broadcast

Streaming

The series is available to stream on The CW's free digital-only network, CW Seed.[7]

Reception

Critical reception

The pilot was met with mixed reviews, with Metacritic giving a score of 55 out of a 100 based on 20 critics.[8] Lloyd Roberts of the Los Angeles Times thought the pilot was "splendidly rendered; effective in the expected ways in a way that makes you forget you expected them." He then wrote "Director Liz Friedlander aims not just for creepiness but for a tremulous sense of beauty that reflects the heightened sensibilities and hair-trigger sensitivities of adolescence" and appreciated the actors "who are good to look at, but also bring a little soul to their roles."[9]

In 2015, three years following the cancellation of the show, Gavin Hetherington of SpoilerTV looked back on the series finale, as well as the series as a whole. He reviewed the show favorably, commenting "the last several episodes really built up the potential of the show and made it pretty exciting, and it would have led into an awesome second season",[10] and saying that the show should have had a second season, "to further develop the characters and the storylines we were left hanging with".

Phoebe Tonkin's performance was well received by critics; she was featured on Variety's list of new faces to watch[11] and named one of 2011 Breakout TV Stars by E! Online.[12]

Cancellation and fan campaign

On May 11, 2012, the CW cancelled the series, despite being the network's third-highest rated performer. Following the show's cancellation, a formal fan-led campaign website titled 'Save The Circle' was launched.[13] A letter-writing campaign, targeted at the CW,[14] aimed to encourage the CW to reconsider bringing back the show for a mid-season slot. Campaigns were also launched at other TV networks whose target demographic matched those of The CW—MTV,[15] ABC Family,[16] and Syfy. Fans donated between $1–10 to the Make a Wish Foundation in the name of MTV; this aimed to attach a good cause to the campaign while getting MTV's attention. The Secret Circle executive producer Andrew Miller auctioned a signed poster of the show's cast in support of the campaign. In the end, over $7,000 was raised.[17] The campaign targeted at ABC Family asked fans to donate money to fund a delivery of 325,000 golden plastic coins to the network's headquarters. The coins were symbolic of a 'cloaking coin' that belonged to one of the main characters, Adam Conant's grandfather in the episode "Traitor". The metaphor was that The CW 'cloaked' the show by cancelling it, and fans wanted ABC Family to 'uncloak' the show by picking it up.[18] [19]

A letter-writing campaign to Syfy was also launched, but ultimately the 'Save The Circle' campaign leaders decided against pursuing the network further due to budgetary concerns. Following the announcement that Warner Bros. had unsuccessfully entered talks with ABC Family about picking up the show and that the series would not be shipped to another network, campaigning targeting potential networks for a pick-up ceased.[20] Nevertheless, a new campaign,[21] aimed at Warner Bros, was launched following the announcement that the series' first season would not be released on DVD or Blu-ray.[22] As of September 2012, The Secret Circle is available on Netflix for immediate streaming.[23] A music project was launched, with the aim of developing and distributing a full-length album of 10 fan songs online and making them available for free download. Fans were asked to either submit an audio recording of themselves singing their own songs, or send in lyrics for potential use.[24] Petitions were also set up, in the hope that they would bring back the series. The three main campaigns together, as of June 24, 2012, amassed over 85,500 signatures.[25] Since the show was canceled, fans have voted it "the show that will be missed most" or "Most Shocking Cancellation" in a number of polls, including E!,[26] Clique Clack,[27] Hypable,[28] Spoiler TV,[29] TV Fanatic,[30] TV.com,[31] and Zap2it.[32]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryNominee(s)Result
2012People's Choice Awards[33] Favorite New TV DramaThe Secret Circle
Saturn Awards[34] Best Youth-Oriented Television SeriesThe Secret Circle
PAAFTJ Television Awards[35] Best Main Title Theme MusicThe Secret Circle

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: CW Picks Up Drama Pilot 'Secret Circle'. February 8, 2011. Andreeva. Nellie. Deadline Hollywood. March 1, 2011.
  2. http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/468408-CW_Orders_Secret_Circle_Hart_of_Dixie_Ringer_.php CW Orders 'Secret Circle,' 'Hart of Dixie,' 'Ringer'
  3. Web site: 'Secret Circle' says goodbye: Britt Robertson tells us Season 2 just is 'not happening'. Zap2It. June 5, 2012. June 24, 2012.
  4. Web site: Andreeva . Nellie . CW Picks Up Drama Pilot 'Secret Circle' – . Deadline Hollywood . 9 February 2011 . 2011-09-16.
  5. Web site: Andreeva . Nellie . Pilots 'Weekends At Bellevue' And 'Secret Circle' Book Directors – . Deadline Hollywood . 2011-02-16 . 2011-09-16.
  6. Web site: CW Gives Full-Season Orders To 'Hart Of Dixie' & 'Secret Circle', Goes 3-For-3. Andreeva. Nellie. October 12, 2011. Deadline Hollywood. October 12, 2011.
  7. Web site: The Secret Circle on CW Seed. November 6, 2018. CW Seed.
  8. Web site: The Secret Circle: Season 1 Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic . Metacritic. . September 14, 2011 .
  9. Web site: Robert. Lloyd. Television review: CW's 'Secret Circle' and 'H8R' brew up drama. Los Angeles Times. September 14, 2011. September 14, 2011.
  10. Web site: Throwback Thursday - The Secret Circle - Family + Series Retrospective Review . Hetherington. Gavin. SpoilerTV. July 2, 2015. July 5, 2015.
  11. Web site: Malcom. Shawna. Tonkin no fish out of water on CW's 'Secret Circle'. cds. January 2, 2012. September 9, 2011.
  12. Web site: Bricker. Tierney. 2011 Breakout TV Stars: The Secret Circle's Phoebe Tonkin Bares All (Thanks in Part to a Necklace Shirt). E! Online. January 2, 2012. December 29, 2011.
  13. Web site: Website of the secret circle fan campaign.. June 24, 2012. May 13, 2012. July 28, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130728191922/http://save.thesecret-circle.com/. dead.
  14. Web site: CW Letter Campaign. May 13, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120621083612/http://save.thesecret-circle.com/?page_id=32. June 21, 2012. May 13, 2012.
  15. Web site: MTV/Save A Witch Campaign.. June 24, 2012. May 17, 2012. June 9, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150609051803/http://save.thesecret-circle.com/?page_id=202. dead.
  16. Web site: Cloak Uncloak ABC Family (Part 2) Campaign. June 24, 2012. May 22, 2012. October 14, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181014144555/http://save.thesecret-circle.com/?page_id=382. dead.
  17. Web site: "The Secret Circle Fan Campaign Continues To Make Magic" - Interview with Campaign Leader. June 24, 2012. May 31, 2012.
  18. Web site: Fans deliver 325,000 plastic golden coins to ABC Family. June 24, 2012. June 1, 2012.
  19. Web site: film footage of the delivery of 300 lbs of plastic gold coins to ABC Family offices in Burbank.. . June 24, 2012. June 4, 2012.
  20. Web site: The Secret Circle Campaign: Dear Witchy Warriors. June 24, 2012. June 4, 2012. June 10, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120610153647/http://save.thesecret-circle.com/?p=608. dead.
  21. Web site: Campaign for The Secret Circle to be released on DVD and Blu Ray.. June 24, 2012. June 18, 2012. October 14, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181014144635/http://save.thesecret-circle.com/?page_id=664. dead.
  22. Web site: Britt Robertston says "Season 2 just is not happening" and Warner Bros. will not be releasing The Secret Circle on DVD or Blu Ray.. June 24, 2012. June 5, 2012.
  23. Web site: The Secret Circle . 2012-09-30 . 2013-02-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130205222810/http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/The_Secret_Circle/70197046?trkid=496624 . dead .
  24. Web site: The Secret Circle Song Campaign. . June 24, 2012. June 14, 2012.
  25. Web site: Save the Secret Circle. June 24, 2012. May 13, 2012. August 15, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120815102536/http://save.thesecret-circle.com/?page_id=60. dead.
  26. Web site: What Show will you miss most?. June 24, 2012. May 18, 2012.
  27. Web site: Which canceled show will you miss the most? – Poll. June 24, 2012. May 21, 2012.
  28. Web site: Poll: Which TV Series ending or cancellation of 2012 was most upsetting?. May 24, 2012. May 25, 2012.
  29. Web site: POLL : Which Cancellation so far has shocked you the most?. June 24, 2012. May 11, 2012.
  30. Web site: Cancelled Shows: Which Will You Miss Most?. June 24, 2012. May 15, 2012.
  31. Web site: The Secret Circle Is the Recently Canceled Show You'll Miss the Most. June 24, 2012. June 4, 2012. June 1, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130601144344/http://www.tv.com/news/the-secret-circle-is-the-recently-canceled-show-youll-miss-the-most-28761/. dead.
  32. Web site: Zap2it Awards: Which canceled show will you miss the most? Vote!. Zap2it. June 26, 2012. Carina Adly MacKenzie. June 4, 2012.
  33. News: Cast Your Votes Now. November 2011. People's Choice Awards. November 18, 2011.
  34. News: 2012 Saturn Award Nominees Announced. May 11, 2012. February 29, 2012.
  35. News: 2012 'Community', 'Mad Men' Top Inaugural PAAFTJ Television Awards Nominations. https://web.archive.org/web/20120617194617/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/06/14/community-mad-men-top-inaugural-paaftj-television-awards-nominations/138288/. dead. June 17, 2012. June 28, 2012. June 14, 2012.