Sweet Valley High (TV series)

Francine Pascal's Sweet Valley High is an American comedy-drama television series loosely based on Francine Pascal's book series of the same name.[1][2] The program starred Brittany Daniel and Cynthia Daniel as the two lead characters and ran from September 5, 1994, to October 14, 1997. The program was produced by Teen Dream Productions, Inc. in association with and distributed by Saban Entertainment in the United States, and its international sister company, Saban International N.V. in the Netherlands.

Sweet Valley High
GenreComedy drama
Based onSweet Valley High
by Francine Pascal
Developed byJosh Goldstein
Jonathan Prince
StarringBrittany Daniel
Cynthia Daniel
Ryan James Bittle
Amy Danles
Bridget Flanery
Shirlee Elliot
Jeremy Vincent Garrett
Andrea Savage
Michael Perl
Harley Rodriguez
Theme music composerRon Wasserman
Opening theme"Sweet Valley High" performed by Kathy Fisher
ComposersShuki Levy
Kussa Mahchi
Yuval Ron
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes88 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersFrancine Pascal
Haim Saban
Lance H. Robbins
Josh Goldstein
Production locationsAlexander Hamilton High School, Los Angeles, California
CinematographyRuss Brandt
David E. West
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time21–23 minutes
Production companiesTeen Dream Productions, Inc.
Saban Entertainment
Saban International
DistributorSaban International
Release
Original networkSyndication (1994–1997)
UPN (1997)
Picture formatNTSC
Original releaseSeptember 5, 1994 (1994-09-05) –
October 14, 1997 (1997-10-14)

After three seasons in syndication (mostly on Fox stations),[3] the show moved to UPN for its fourth and final season in September 1997, where it was canceled the following month of October, due to low ratings. The show was also broadcast internationally, outside of the United States on BBC One in the UK.

Synopsis

The series revolves around the lives of Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield, beautiful blonde twins who live in the fictitious Sweet Valley, California, and their gang of friends. Elizabeth is warm, friendly and sincere, while her twin sister Jessica is flirty, mischievous, and irresponsible.

Episodes
Main article: List of Sweet Valley High episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
122September 5, 1994 (1994-09-05)February 20, 1995 (1995-02-20)
222September 11, 1995 (1995-09-11)March 25, 1996 (1996-03-25)
322August 26, 1996 (1996-08-26)February 10, 1997 (1997-02-10)
422September 15, 1997 (1997-09-15)October 14, 1997 (1997-10-14)

Cast and characters
  • Brittany Daniel as Jessica "Jess" Wakefield, the outgoing, party loving, fashionable, and wilder Wakefield twin
  • Cynthia Daniel as Elizabeth "Liz" Wakefield, the quieter, more sensible and down to earth Wakefield twin
  • Amarilis (season 1) as Patty Gilbert, Jessica's cheerleader friend
  • Ryan James Bittle (seasons 1–2) and Jeremy Vincent Garrett (seasons 3–4) as Todd Wilkins, Elizabeth's boyfriend
  • Brock Burnett (season 1) and Christopher Jackson (season 2) as Bruce Patman, Todd and Winston's rival, and enemy of Jessica's
  • Amy Danles as Enid Rollins, Elizabeth's best friend
  • Bridget Flanery (seasons 1–2) and Shirlee Elliot (seasons 3–4) as Lila Fowler, Jessica's best friend
  • Michael Perl as Winston Egbert, Todd's best friend
  • Harley Rodriguez as Manny Lopez, Todd's and Winston's friend, and early on the right-hand man to Bruce Patman, Enid's eventual boyfriend
  • Tyffany Hayes (seasons 2–4) as Cheryl "Tatyana" Thomas, supermodel friend of Elizabeth, Jessica and Todd
  • John Jocelyn (season 3) as Reginald "Shred" Patman, Bruce's cousin and Winston's friend
  • Manley Pope (season 4) as Devon Whitelaw, boyfriend to Elizabeth and Jessica
  • Andrea Savage (season 4) as Renata Vargas, Jessica's and Lila's friend, and briefly Todd's girlfriend

Production

It was announced that in June 1994 that twin sisters Brittany Daniel and Cynthia Daniel got cast in the series.[4]

Home media

In August 1996, two Sweet Valley High VHS tapes were released by WarnerVision Entertainment and Saban Home Entertainment[5] titled 'Kidnapped'[6] and 'Dangerous Love',[7] which featured exclusive music videos based on the songs featured in the TV series. Although more releases were planned, they never saw the light of day after WEA folded WarnerVision Entertainment into Warner Home Video and ended their agreement with Saban.[8]

On March 8, 2005, Buena Vista Home Entertainment released the complete first season of Sweet Valley High on DVD in Region 1. A DVD release of Season two was also planned, with an old promotional trailer being posted online in 2013; however, this release was canceled due to unknown reasons.[9]

Soundtrack

In 1995, a soundtrack album was released featuring original songs that were in the series along with a longer version of the show's theme song (sung by Kathy Fisher).

Track listing
  1. "Sweet Valley High Theme" (Long version)
  2. "Lotion" (Jessica's Theme)
  3. "Rose Colored Glasses"
  4. "She's Got the Answers"
  5. "Not Myself Today"
  6. "Alive"
  7. "Rest of My Life"
  8. "My Jessica"
  9. "All to Myself"
  10. "Secrets"
  11. "My World"
  12. "On Our Own"
  13. "She Walks in Roses"
  14. "Sweet Valley High Theme" (TV version)

References
  1. "Double The Action At 'Sweet Valley High'". Chicago Tribune. 1994-06-21. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
  2. "It's Bubblegum Tv". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
  3. Ultimatedisney.com, Sweet Valley High DVD review
  4. Tobenkin, David (1994-06-13). "Promax & BDA" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved 2021-10-24.
  5. "Billboard". 27 July 1996.
  6. Sweet Valley High:Kidnapped. ASIN 6304124961.
  7. Sweet Valley High:Dangerous Love. ASIN 6304124953.
  8. "Billboard". 5 October 1996.
  9. Justin Gross (12 August 2013). "Sweet Valley High Trailer: VO by Justin Gross". Archived from the original on 2021-12-21 – via YouTube.
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