Beautiful People 

An academically gifted teen, her model-beautiful older sister and their newly single mother leave small town New Mexico in search of a new life in New York City.

Creator:

Michael Rauch

Stars:

Daphne Zuniga, Sarah Tareen, Torrey DeVitto

Cast

Series cast summary:
Daphne Zuniga	...	Lynn Kerr 16 episodes, 2005-2006
Sarah Tareen	...	Sophie Kerr 16 episodes, 2005-2006
Torrey DeVitto	...	Karen Kerr 16 episodes, 2005-2006
Jackson Rathbone	...	Nicholas Fiske 16 episodes, 2005-2006
Ricky Mabe	...	Gideon Lustig 16 episodes, 2005-2006
Kathleen Munroe	...	Annabelle Banks 15 episodes, 2005-2006
James McCaffrey	...	Julian Fiske 12 episodes, 2005-2006
Jordan Madley	...	Paisley Bishop 8 episodes, 2005
Sean Wing	...	Chris Prichett / ... 8 episodes, 2006
Matthew Del Negro	...	Ben Lewis 8 episodes, 2006
Kimberly Huie	...	Maddy Kinkaid / ... 8 episodes, 2006
Kyle Schmid	...	Evan Frasier 7 episodes, 2005
Arnold Pinnock	...	Toby Sayles 7 episodes, 2005-2006

Storyline

An academically gifted teen, her model-beautiful older sister and their newly single mother leave small town New Mexico in search of a new life in New York City. After their father runs off with his teenage mistress, SOPHIE and KAREN KERR decide their family needs a fresh start. They convince their mother, LYNN, that the big city holds promise for all of them. Sophie has gotten a scholarship to a prestigious Manhattan private school, Karen can pursue her dreams of modeling, and Lynn can leave the painful memories of her failed marriage behind her, while reviving the ambitions of becoming a fashion designer she put on hold to raise a family. The Kerr women arrive in New York ready to build a new life, as they try their hand at making it in this rarified place that promises as many challenges as it does possibilities. Manhattan. Global big shots, CEOs, diplomats, and the self-important social elite all make their homes there, and they send their precious children to the Brighton school....

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Plot Keywords:

new york city | single mother | model | divorcee | ex husband ex wife relationship | 

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Taglines:

Looks can be deceiving.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Official Sites:

ABC Family [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 August 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Elämää Manhattanilla

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

34 Films, Canterbury Productions, Cliffwood Productions

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Daphne Zuniga and Torrey DeVitto both worked on One Tree Hill (2003)

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Connections

Referenced in American Dad!: A.T. The Abusive Terrestrial (2007)

User Reviews

Not-So-Subtle disappointment

In an attempt to draft behind the success of the unforgettable Gilmore Girls' series, I was hopeful that this new program, Beautiful People, could be at least a supplement to (but never a replacement for) my all-time-favorite show. However, it didn't do anything except get under my skin.

With so many blatant similarities (young, single mom determined to make it on her own despite the attempts of the wealthy to help her out; brainy daughter attending a prestigious, upper-crust prep school and dealing with first loves and socio-economic contrasts; the fact that the main characters are all gorgeous brunettes), it's obvious the writers of Beautiful People were trying desperately to scoop up as many GG fans as they could. Yet with all that extra time on their hands - I mean, they didn't even need to lift a finger to come up with a storyline - you'd think they would have invested it in creating original situations and better acting.... NOPE! I could only force myself to watch two episodes before shutting the thing off -- it hurt too much! It was like I'd become psychic, because I knew, at the start of almost every scene, what was going to happen next... almost down to the dialogue. "Us against the world..." c'mon, can we get some fresh material here? The main actress paying the mom, Daphne Zuniga, is not bad in her role, but not great, either. Her bland performance left me wishing I cared more about her character. And it's no wonder that Sarah Foret's filmography list is so small - her thick, brown hair and cutesy, mole-flanked smile isn't enough to make her likable as the star daughter of the show - my God, she couldn't even make herself cry in one scene. I mean, isn't that basic acting? I do have to give props for the writers' ambitious attempt to kill three birds with one stone -- not only do they have the attractive single mother to appeal to the older crowd and the pretty-yet-nerdy teen to bring a few younger kids on board, but then there's the sexy twenty-something hottie to provide just enough skin to capture a few straight male viewers as well.

I sound a little bitter, I know... but when you come off the high of Gilmore Girls, seasons 1 thru 6 with its brilliant acting and clever writing (I boycotted the last one because the new writers didn't deserve me), it's difficult to watch a blatant copycat make such a fool of itself. Gilmore Girls is a tough act to follow, and a show that's trying to mimic it for even a small market share would have to be BEYOND GREAT - there'd have to be dancing monkeys twirling batons set aflame - to try and compete with it.

So to the writers of Beautiful People I say, you should've chosen your battle a little better because it's pretty clear that you lost. And I wish I could sue you for the two hours out of my life that I wasted watching your show.