Fun cheerleaders dramedy premieres on The CW network tonight at 9/8c after America’s Next Top Model **** 4 Stars

By Gabrielle Pantera

Hellcats stars Aly Michalka and Ashley Tisdale

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 9/8/2010 – “I tried it when I was young, when I was eight,” says Hellcats star Ashley Tisdale. “But, I was really shy and quiet. My mom and my sister were cheerleaders. I went to all the games that my sister would cheer at.”

“I have no cheerleader background, but my mom was a Raiderette,” says Hellcats star Aly Michalka. “I have a dance background. I was part of a hip-hop dance company.”

“I came into reheasal and Ashley was flying,” says Hellcats executive producer Kevin Murphy. “Aly, not to be outdone, was doing a helicopter. We’re working with a dream team of real cheerleaders, street tumblers and dancers.” Hellcats is based on the bookCheer: Inside the Secret World of College Cheerleaders.

“You feel the rush these girls feel after competition,” says Michalka. “We do have stunt doubles,” says Tisdale. There’s also a sports doctor, an acupuncturist and a chiropractor standing by.

Hellcats is executive produced by Superman, that is, Smallville star Tom Welling. “He wanted to be surrounded by cheerleaders,” jokes Tisdale. Smallville is premiering its 10th and last season on Sept. 24th. Hellcats shoots in Vancouver, minutes away from the Smallville set.

Tisdale and Michalka are both singers. Tisdale starred in High School Musical. Michalka was in the bands All & Aj and 78 Violet. Tisdale, with 3.4 million followers, ranks #13 on Twitter.

Tisdale, who starred and sang in the film High School Musical 3, says she intends to keep up her movie career. “I love doing TV and doing movies during hiatus. I read all the scripts during pilot season and this is the only one I went out for. I was like, this is it. The writing is so great. Kevin Murphy has the dramatic, but it’s funny. There’s comedy in it, too. It’s a lot to do. We’re dancing. We’re doing performances.”

Hellcats is a mix of Bring It On and High School Musical for dancing instead of singing. As befits its subject, the show is quite cheering. “This is a show for optimists or people entering the trade,” says Murphy. “It’s positive outcomes only.”

Hellcats is the story of Marti Perkins, played by Aly Michalka, a pre-law student with attitude. She wears black clothes and her mother works at a bar. She’s going to Memphis Lancer University on a scholarship, but it falls through. The only scholarship left open for her to apply for is cheerleading, a sport she disdains.

Ashley Tisdale is the in-your-face perky captain of the cheerleaders, Savannah. Tisdale’s background of Disney work stands her in good stead. Savannah is a bit like Tisdale’s character Sharpay in the High School Musical films. When Marti and Savannah meet, sparks fly and a natural rivalry is launched. Their interaction is well written and wonderfully acted. The show’s drama is a bit pat, but the dance routines and a Flashdance-esque scene are great.

The ethnically diverse cast is closer to what college is really like. The athletic and gymnastics in cheerleading that they’ve made an integral part of the show will draw you into the show. The co-ed locker room provides room for some embarrassing and steamy scenes.

The stars are cute. The cheerleading and dancing are fantastic. Tisdale and Michalka may be perfect, but Hellcats isn’t quite. Things that need improvement include the cliché snippy cheerleader Alice, played by Heather Hemmens. She needs to become even more devious or surprise us by doing the right thing sometimes instead of always sabotaging because she’s so jealous. It would be nice if Marti’s mom Wanda, played by Gail O’Grady, was less annoying, if she would make her mistakes based on difficult choices.

Hellcats fits in with the other CW shows. They have gotten the formula for the shows that entertain and have beautiful stars. It’s one of the first new series of the fall season and a must-see.

Hellcats premieres on The CW network tonight at 9/8c.

http://www.cwtv.com/shows/hellcats