The Secret Circle (TV series)

The Secret Circle
Genre	Teen drama Supernatural drama Horror
Developed by	Andrew Miller
Written by	L.J. Smith (novels)
Starring	Britt Robertson Thomas Dekker Gale Harold Phoebe Tonkin Shelley Hennig Jessica Parker Kennedy Ashley Crow Louis Hunter Natasha Henstridge
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	9 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Kevin Williamson Leslie Morgenstein Andrew Miller Andrea Newman Gina Girolamo
Producer(s)	David Ehrman Don Whitehead Holly Henderson
Running time	42 minutes (approx.)
Production company(s)	Warner Bros. Television CBS Television Studios Alloy Entertainment Outerbanks Entertainment
Broadcast
Original channel	The CW
Original run	September 15, 2011 (2011-09-15) – present
External links
Website

The Secret Circle is an American television series broadcast on The CW Television Network. It was developed by Andrew Miller, based on the book series of the same name written by L. J. Smith.^[1] On May 17, 2011, The CW announced they had picked up the pilot as a series.^[2] It premiered on Thursday, September 15, 2011.^[3]

On October 12, 2011, The CW ordered a full first season of the series, which will consist of 22 episodes.^[4]

Synopsis

Main article: List of The Secret Circle episodes

Set in the fictional town of Chance Harbor, Washington, the series revolves around six teenage witches who form an infamous coven known as 'The Secret Circle'.

Cassie Blake is a sixteen-year old troubled teenager who is learning to adjust to her new life in Chance Harbor, after the tragic death of her mother, Amelia. Orphaned and deeply saddened, Cassie moves in with her warm and loving grandmother, Jane. After being enrolled into a local high school, Cassie comes into contact with five unlikely friends, Adam, Diana, mean girl Faye, her sidekick Melissa, and a brooding loner Nick. After her new friends explain that they are all descended from a powerful lineage of witches, and that they need her in order to complete their circle, Cassie refuses to believe them - until Adam shows her how to unlock her magical powers. However, it isn't until Cassie discovers a message from her mother in an old leather-bound book of spells that she understands her true and dangerous destiny. What Cassie and the others don't yet know is that darker powers are at play, powers that might be linked to the adults in the town, including Diana's father and Faye's mother - and that the death of Cassie's mother might not have been an accident.

Cast

• Cassie Blake, played by Britt Robertson, the series central character, who is a newly discovered witch. She moves to Chance Harbor after her mother Amelia is killed and joins the Secret Circle, a coven with five other witches. At first, she hates the idea of being a witch and being in a 'secret cult', but then she accepts her true nature and eventually joins the circle of witches. Cassie and Adam share a strong mutual attraction, due to the fact that they are supposedly destined to be together. It is later revealed that Cassie is the strongest witch in the circle. Her mother's family origins trace back to the beginning of witchcraft, giving Cassie the power to lead the circle. Her father was the last member of the Blackwells, a family with powerful dark magic who're descended from Francis Balcoin, the most evil witch ever. ^[5]
• Faye Chamberlain, portrayed by Phoebe Tonkin, is the daughter of Principal Chamberlain, who is the reckless one of the group. She uses her magic for her own selfish desires and struggles for power within the group.^[6] In Episode 9, "Balcoin", it is hinted that Faye may be the daughter of John Blackwell and the half-sister of Cassie since Jane reveals that Dawn had an obsession with him.
• Diana Meade, portrayed by Shelley Hennig, is assumed leader of the coven. She quickly befriends Cassie with her positive and infectious attitude and gets her to put her magical powers to good use. Diana is always looking out for the circle and making sure the right decisions are made. Diana is dating Adam Conant and soon realizes his attraction to Cassie. She was told about Cassie and Adam being destined to be together and it soon resulted in their breakup. ^[7]
• Adam Conant, played by Thomas Dekker, is one of the two male members of The Secret Circle. Adam becomes attracted to Cassie as soon as he meets her and has feelings for her even though he's been dating the leader of the coven, Diana, for years. Adam helps Cassie accept that she is a witch and teaches her how to use magic, showing her that it's not all bad, bringing the two closer together.^[8]
• Melissa Glaser, played by Jessica Parker Kennedy,^[9] is best friends with Faye, and an insecure girl. In the beginning, she feels she is in Faye's shadow and must learn to face her insecurities and become her own person. Eventually she realizes her feelings for Nick and the two start dating until his tragic death.

• Charles Meade, played by Gale Harold,^[10][11] is the father of Diana Meade, and the main antagonist. At the start of the series, he is shown to be the man who caused the fire that killed Cassie's mother, Amelia Blake. Charles will do whatever it takes in order to have his way.
• Dawn Chamberlain, played by Natasha Henstridge,^[12] is principal of the school which all of the coven attend. She is shown to care for her students and protect the coven, but unbeknownst to the world she is working with Charles Meade. In Episode 9, "Balcoin", Jane Blake reveals that Dawn had a relationship with John Blackwell when they were younger.
• Jane Blake, portrayed by Ashley Crow, is Cassie's grandmother and a nurse, whom Cassie lives with in Chance Harbor. She is also one of the other earlier witches and helps Cassie with her powers after Cassie confides in her.^[13]
• Nick Armstrong, portrayed by Louis Hunter,^[14] is the second male member of The Secret Circle. He lives with his aunt in a house next door to Cassie. He is known as a bad boy with a great physique, which he uses to his advantage. Nick lost both of his parents and is known as a loner in the series. He eventually gives into his feelings for Melissa and the two start dating. After Melissa is taken over by a demon, it later possesses Nick. Charles drowns Nick so the demon within him will die, leaving the coven with a tragic loss. In 'Balcoin' Jake tells Cassie that Nick admired her because she was a strong person who was able to survive the death of her mother.

Recurring Characters

• Jake Armstrong, portrayed by Chris Zylka, is Nick's older brother and Cassie's love interest. The circle, excluding Cassie, is unwilling to trust him due to the bad history they all have with him, but Cassie insists that he doesn't 'seem like the guy everyone should hate'. He knows he is a witch, but is reluctant to become a member of the circle when Cassie asks him to. Cassie and Jake bond over having lost both set of parents and recently experiencing the loss of a family member. As a result of their time spent together, Jake falls in love with Cassie, despite his denials he has no attraction to her. Jake is actually a witch hunter assigned to kill the circle and rid the town of witches to avenge the deaths of his parents and brother. Due to his new found love for Cassie, he turns his back on the witch hunters to save her when she is kidnapped, and leaves Chance Harbor. It is shown that he will return when the show comes back in January. ,^[15]

• Amelia Blake, portrayed by Emily Holmes is Jane's daughter and Cassie's mother, who was killed in a house fire magically set by Charles. She was part of the Circle before Cassie's group discovered their powers.

• Ethan Conant, portrayed by Adam Harrington as Adam's alcoholic father.

• Holden Glaser, portrayed by Arlen Escarpeta

• Karima Glaser, portrayed by Bianca Lawson

• Jamie Dollanger, portrayed by Dustin Milligan

• Henry Chamberlain, portrayed by Tom Butler

• Calvin Wilson, portrayed by Hiro Kanagawa

• Sally Matthews, portrayed by Logan Browning. ^[16]

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.^[17] 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.^[17] 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.^[18]

On October 12, 2011, The CW ordered a full season of twenty-two episodes.^[4]

Reception

Critical reception

The pilot has been met with mixed reviews, with Metacritic giving a score of 55 out of a 100 based on 20 Critics.^[19] 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."^[20] First Stop News gave the premiere episode a rating of 7/10, saying that the episode was "incredible", and praised the premise, but criticized some of the performances.^[21]

Awards and nominations

People's Choice Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
2012	The Secret Circle	Favorite New TV Drama	Won

References

1. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 8, 2011). "CW Picks Up Drama Pilot 'Secret Circle'". Deadline.com. http://www.deadline.com/2011/02/cw-picks-up-drama-pilot-secret-circle/. Retrieved March 1, 2011. 
2. ^ CW Orders 'Secret Circle,' 'Hart of Dixie,' 'Ringer' Broadcasting & Cable May 17, 2011
3. ^ Seidman, Robert (June 20, 2011). "The CW Network Announces Fall 2011 Premiere Dates". TV by the Numbers. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/06/20/the-cw-network-announces-fall-2011-premiere-dates/96084/. Retrieved June 20, 2011. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Andreeva, Nellie (October 12, 2011). "CW Gives Full-Season Orders To ‘Hart Of Dixie’ & ‘Secret Circle’, Goes 3-For-3". Deadline. http://www.deadline.com/2011/10/cw-gives-full-season-orders-to-hart-of-dixie-secret-circle-goes-3-for-3/. Retrieved October 12, 2011. 
5. ^ Hibberd, James (2011-02-17). "'Life Unexpected' star cast in CW's 'Secret Circle' - EXCLUSIVE | Inside TV | EW.com". Insidetv.ew.com. http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/02/17/britt-robertson-cast-in-cws-secret-circle-exclusive/. Retrieved 2011-06-05. 
6. ^ Andreeva, Nellie. "Madeleine Stowe Among Latest Pilot Castings –". Deadline.com. http://www.deadline.com/2011/03/madeline-stowe-among-latest-pilot-castings/. Retrieved 2011-06-05. 
7. ^ Andreeva, Nellie. "Six More Actors Join Broadcast Pilots –". Deadline.com. http://www.deadline.com/2011/03/six-more-actors-join-broadcast-pilots/. Retrieved 2011-03-26. 
8. ^ Michael Ausiello (2011-03-10). "Pilot Scoop: Thomas Dekker Joins Kevin Williamson's Secret Circle". TVLine. http://www.tvline.com/2011/03/thomas-dekker-kevin-williamsons-secret-circle/. Retrieved 2011-06-05. 
9. ^ Anonymous (2011-03-22). "'Smallville' alum Jessica Parker Kennedy joins 'The Secret Circle' - From Inside the Box - Zap2it". Blog.zap2it.com. http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2011/03/smallville-alum-jessica-parker-kennedy-joins-the-secret-circle.html. Retrieved 2011-06-05. 
10. ^ "Who Will Gale Harold Portray on The Secret Circle?". TV Fanatic. 2011-03-26. http://www.tvfanatic.com/2011/03/who-will-gale-harold-portray-on-the-secret-circle. Retrieved 2011-06-05. 
11. ^ "Gale Harold Cast as Charles Meade". TheSecretCircle.Net. 2011-03-26. http://thesecretcircle.net/?p=178. Retrieved 2011-06-05. 
12. ^ "Natasha Henstridge joins The CW's 'Secret Circle' pilot - From Inside the Box - Zap2it". Blog.zap2it.com. 2011-03-21. http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2011/03/natasha-henstridge-joins-the-cws-secret-circle-pilot.html. Retrieved 2011-06-05. 
13. ^ Bricker, Tierney (March 30, 2011). "'Heroes Ashley Crow cast in 'The Secret Circle'". Zap2it. http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2011/03/heroes-ashley-crow-cast-in-the-secret-circle.html. 
14. ^ "'The Secret Circle' finds its Nick her next door neighbor: Louis Hunter - From Inside the Box - Zap2it". Blog.zap2it.com. 2011-03-21. http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2011/03/the-secret-circle-finds-its-nick-louis-hunter.html. Retrieved 2011-06-05. 
15. ^ Abrams, Natalie (2011-08-24). "Secret Circle Taps Chris Zylka As the Witchy New Bad Boy". TVGuide.com. http://www.tvguide.com/News/Secret-Circle-Chris-Zylka-1036731.aspx. Retrieved 2011-08-25. 
16. ^ Abrams, Natalie (July 19, 2011). "Exclusive: The Secret Circle Taps Logan Browning". tvguide.com. http://www.tvguide.com/News/Secret-Circle-Logan-Browning-1035458.aspx. Retrieved July 20, 2011. 
17. ^ ^{a b} Andreeva, Nellie. "CW Picks Up Drama Pilot ‘Secret Circle’ –". Deadline.com. http://www.deadline.com/2011/02/cw-picks-up-drama-pilot-secret-circle/. Retrieved 2011-09-16. 
18. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2011-02-16). "Pilots ‘Weekends At Bellevue’ And ‘Secret Circle’ Book Directors –". Deadline.com. http://www.deadline.com/2011/02/pilots-weekends-at-bellevue-and-secret-circle-book-directors/. Retrieved 2011-09-16. 
19. ^ "The Secret Circle: Season 1 Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. http://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-secret-circle/season-1. Retrieved September 14, 2011. 
20. ^ Robert, Lloyd (September 14, 2011). "Television review: CW's 'Secret Circle' and 'H8R' brew up drama". Latimes.com. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv/la-et-h8r-secret-circle-20110914,0,3134297.story. Retrieved September 14, 2011. 
21. ^ ""The Secret Circle" Review". September 14, 2011. http://firststopnews.blogspot.com/2011/09/secret-circle-review.html. Retrieved September 20, 2011. 

External links

• Official website
• The Secret Circle at Metacritic
• The Secret Circle at the Internet Movie Database
• The Secret Circle at TV.com