| It's a real school daze as Woodridge's disparate faculty and student body puts a New York City boarding school education to an uproarious test, in the new half-hour comedy series "Social Studies" premiering this spring on UPN. Pictured are (clockwise from foreground), Julia Duffy as Francis Harmon, Adam Ferrara as Dan Rossini, Vanessa Evigan as Sara Valentine, Rashaan Nall as Jared Moore, Monica McSwain as Carla Stone, Corbin Allred as Chip Wigley, Bonnie McFarlane as Katherine "Kit" Weaver and Lisa Wilhoit as Madison Lewis. |
![[#2]](../images/SS/SSPub301.jpg)
![[#3]](../images/SS/SSPub302.jpg)
| Lessons in tolerance and the rules of civility are suspended when haughty school administrator Frances Harmon meets irreverent teacher Katherine "Kit" Weaver and naive gym coach Dan Rossini in the hallowed halls of Woodridge Boarding School, in "Social Studies" a half-hour comedy premiering this spring on UPN. Pictured left are (left to right), Julia Duffy as Francis Harmon, Bonnie McFarlane as Katherine "Kit" Weaver and Adam Ferrara as Dan Rossini. Pictured right are: Julia Duffy as Francis Harmon, Francis Harmon, Bonnie McFarlane as Katherine "Kit" Weaver and Adam Ferrara as Dan Rossini. |
![[#4]](../images/SS/SSPub401.jpg)
![[#5]](../images/SS/SSPub402.jpg)
| There's plenty of extracurricular energy among the group of financially diverse teenangers who study and live at Woodridge, once exclusive Manhattan boarding school, in the new half-hour comedy "Social Studies" premiering this spring on UPN. Pictured left are (clockwise from foreground), Vanessa Evigan as Sara Valentine, Rashaan Nall as Jared Moore, Lisa Wilhoit as Madison Lewis, Corbin Allred as Chip Wigley and Monica McSwain as Carla Stone. Pictured right are (left to right) Rashaan Nall as Jared Moore, Monica McSwain as Carla Stone, Vanessa Evigan as Sara Valentine, Lisa Wilhoit as Madison Lewis and Corbin Allred as Chip Wigley. |
Empathy and humor skirmish with discipline and rules at Woodridge. On one side stands the rigid, formerly affluent Frances Hannon, Woodridge's administrator. A Woodridge alumna who boarded at the school during its glory days as an upper crust private girls academy, Frances is dedicated to preserving the ideals and standards of genteel decorum as set down in the 1890s. To the amusement of the students, Frances cannot quite manage to bring herself into the 1990s. Her polished poise tends to slip around the stiletto-sharp sarcasm of youthful, working-class teacher Katherine "Kit" Weaver or in the presence of sweet and sexy gym teacher Dan Rossini. Frances has a thing for Dan and she's not very good at hiding it and she's equally unable to hide her condescension toward Kit.
New teachers and dorm supervisors, Kit and Dan are youthful, street-wise and constantly sandwiched in the middle between Frances' high-minded principles and the eclectic mix of students who hip-hop on the information superhighway and wreak typical teenage havoc in the halls of Woodridge. When the going gets rough around the academy, Kit and Dan remind each other that they have rent-free rooms in Manhattan. Kit, 27, is a rebel by nature, which puts her in something of a quandary now that she is an authority figure herself. Students trust and respect Kit, who often is their only confidante. Dan is the school's gym teacher, driver's education instructor and general jock. A little naive, he often falls into Frances' clutches because he can never see what's coming. Since neither Dan nor Kit came from affluent families, the importance of a good education is their motivation for remaining dedicated to their jobs - even when their students and Frances are driving them crazy.
The Woodridge freshman class is not letting anything get by them. Teenage social etiquette between the boys and the girls requires mutual public ridicule and enormous covert curiosity about the opposite sex. Newcomer Madison Lewis, who has just been stashed at Woodridge by her recently divorced parents, is a direct descendant of existentialism and Holden Caufield. Tough-minded and defiant, she definitely travels to the beat of her own drummer.
Madison and her roommates are a study in contrasts. Beautiful, selfish Sara Valentine, one of the few actual "rich kids" at the school, uses whatever wiles necessary to get everything she wants. Sophisticated beyond her years, Sara is a trial to her teachers and terror to the other students. Third roommate Carla Stone, possibly the only person at Woodridge who is actually there to study, knows better than to get embroiled in the running feuds between the other two girls. An African-American, Carla sees her education as the yellow brick road to a brighter future.
Madison, Sara and Carla share adjacent dormitory suites at Woodridge with some live-wire boys. The resourceful Chip Wigley has a knack for merchandising and can get anybody whatever they need. The guys like him because he's fun, and the girls take him into their confidence, but they would never date him. He has a mad crush on Sara, who couldn't care less. Chip's constant companion is Jared Moore, a tall, charming African-American from the inner city who is a very happening guy. He arbitrates whatever is "cool" at school. Jared, a product of the foster parent system, hides alot of himself because he has found that there are not many people he can trust.
Starring are Julia Duffy (Newhart) as Frances Harmon, Bonnie McFarlane as Katherine "Kit" Weaver, Adam Ferrara as Dan Rossini, Lisa Wilhoit as Madison Lewis, Vanessa Evigan as Sara Valentine, Monica McSwain as Carla Stone, Corbin Allred as Chip Wigley and Rashaan Nall as Jared Moore.
The Executive producers are Sandy Gallin and Gail Berman. Nancylee Myatt (Night Court) is the creator and co-executive producer. Bob Underwood is consulting producer. SOCIAL STUDIES is a Film Fatale, Inc. and Sandollar Production in association with Touchstone Television. The half-hour comedy is taped before a studio audience in Universal City, California.
1/97
Air Schedule
Premiere Generic Promos
Production Info
![[Primetime Review]](/images/icons/ptr-transblk.gif){kind=icon}
