Sweet Valley High (TV series)

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, Abbie Charette, Showrunner (Seasons 2-4)
ProducersWilliam G. Dunn, Jr.
Ronnie Hadar (Seasons 1–2)
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
Original release
NetworkSyndication (1994–1997)
UPN (1997)
ReleaseSeptember 5, 1994 (1994-09-05) –
October 14, 1997 (1997-10-14)

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.

After three seasons in syndication (mostly on Fox stations), UPN acquired the show from Saban Entertainment in 1996. The fourth and final season was used to launch UPN's new teen programming on September 15, 1997.[3][4] It then aired on The Fox Family Channel in 1998 until it became ABC Family in 2001. The show was also broadcast internationally, outside of the United States on BBC One[5] and Disney Channel in the UK,[6] Disney Channel in Sweden,[7] Fox Kids/Jetix in France,[8] Israel,[9] and Greece,[10] and on Fox Kids and Nickelodeon in the Netherlands.[11]

Ownership of the series passed to Disney in 2001 when Disney acquired Fox Kids Worldwide, which also includes Saban Entertainment.[12][13][14]

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 released
First releasedLast released
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

Main cast

  • 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
  • John Jocelyn (season 3) as Reginald "Shred" Patman, Bruce's cousin and Winston's friend
  • Andrea Savage (season 4) as Renata Vargas, Brazilian exchange student, Jessica's and Lila's friend, and briefly Todd's girlfriend
  • Manley Pope (season 4) as Devon Whitelaw, boyfriend to Elizabeth and Jessica
  • Tyffany Hayes as Cheryl "Tatyana" Thomas (seasons 2-4), supermodel friend of Elizabeth, Jessica and Todd

Notable guest stars

Production

In 1988, NBC bought the television rights to the Sweet Valley High book series. The show was originally intended to be a two-hour NBC Family special, with the possibility of becoming a series.[20] In 1993, Francine Pascal mentioned in an interview that the rights to the books had been sold to Saban Entertainment.[21] The show finally aired as a half-hour television series in September 1994.[22]

Francine Pascal's daughter, Jamie Stewart, was the casting director and co-producer and held auditions throughout the country in 1988 for the lead roles of Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield.[23][24] Seven sets of twins were chosen from nearly 3000 entrants to do screen tests for NBC.[25][26] In 1989 it was announced that sixteen-year-old twins Ericka and Sonja Carson had been cast as the leads, with a two-hour pilot to be produced that summer.[27][28] The Carson twins went on to be cast as the Doublemint Twins in 1990[29] and attended acting classes in preparation for their Sweet Valley High roles[30], but the NBC pilot was never filmed.

In 1994 it was announced that eighteen-year-old sisters and another set of Doublemint Twins, Brittany Daniel and Cynthia Daniel, would be playing the leads in the series, which was now being produced by Saban Entertainment.[31][32]

The cast participated in several public appearances to promote the series, including one in with Sweet Valley High creator, Francine Pascal, at the Mall of America in 1995.[33] Another promotion included a competition to win a shopping spree with the Daniel twins.[34]

The cast members were close, with the Daniels twins sharing an apartment with co-star Amy Danles in 1996.[35] In 1999, Danles married Sweet Valley High co-star Manley Pope.[36][37]

Reception

The show drew in around 2 million viewers in its first four weeks.[38] As of 1996, the show was airing on 104 station across the United States during its third season.[39]

Upon its debut, the Houston Chronicle criticised the show, calling it "unrealistic and totally fantasy-oriented".[40]

The show was dubbed in several languages for its international release, including German[41], Greek[10], Hungarian, Italian[42], Lithuanian[43], in French as California College: Les Jumelles De Sweet Valley, in Czech as Sladké údolí, in Polish as Słodka dolina, in Portuguese as E Aí Galera, in Spanish as Mellizas y rivales (Latin America)[44] and Las gemelas de Sweet Valley (Spain)[45], and in Turkish as Tatlı İkizler. Subtitled versions of the show aired in several countries, including Denmark, Estonia[46], Israel, Norway[47] and Sweden.

In 1997, Grattan signed a deal with Saban Entertainment to launch a line of clothing based on the Sweet Valley High television series, due to its popularity with UK viewers.[48] The line launched in 1998.[49]

Home media

In August 1996, two Sweet Valley High VHS tapes were released by WarnerVision Entertainment and Saban Home Entertainment[50] titled 'Kidnapped' and 'Dangerous Love', which featured exclusive music videos based on the songs featured in the TV series, and behind the scenes footage.[51] 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.[52]

On March 8, 2005, Buena Vista Home Entertainment released the complete first season of Sweet Valley High on DVD in Region 1.[53][54] A DVD release of Season two was also planned, with an old promotional trailer being posted online in 2013; however, this release was cancelled.[55]

Streaming

All four seasons of the series are streaming on Prime Video,[56] only for US Region as of January 19, 2023.

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).[57]

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. June 21, 1994. Retrieved October 17, 2010.
  2. ^ "It's Bubblegum Tv". Sun Sentinel. Archived from the original on May 16, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2010.
  3. ^ "Teen TV Programming". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. December 10, 1996. p. 105. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  4. ^ "UPN44 announces edgy, alternative fall schedule". San Francisco Chronicle. August 31, 1997. p. 279. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  5. ^ "The Sunday People". The Sunday People. April 16, 1995. p. 80. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  6. ^ "Disney Channel Schedule". February 26, 2001. Archived from the original on February 26, 2001. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  7. ^ NextDisneyChannel (March 29, 2011). Disney Channel Sweden - NEW SERIES: SWEET VALLEY HIGH - Promo. Retrieved June 29, 2024 – via YouTube.
  8. ^ "Fox Kids". August 27, 2002. Archived from the original on August 27, 2002. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  9. ^ "Jetix Schedule". Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  10. ^ a b "N O V A". July 16, 2006. Archived from the original on July 16, 2006. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  11. ^ "Thema - NDC mediagroep - De Krant van Toen". www.dekrantvantoen.nl. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  12. ^ "News Corp. and Haim Saban Reach Agreement to Sell Fox Family Worldwide to Disney for $5.3 Billion". July 23, 2001. Archived from the original on February 2, 2009. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
  13. ^ "Disney+ and Missing Saban Entertainment & Fox Kids-Jetix Worldwide Library - StreamClues". September 14, 2022. Archived from the original on December 26, 2022. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  14. ^ "Liste - BVS Entertainment | Séries".
  15. ^ Edel, Victoria (January 28, 2026). "The Tragic Story of Power Rangers Star Jason David Frank". People Magazine. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  16. ^ "Catherine Sutherland discusses time on Power Rangers, plus Netflix special "Once And Always"". WJBF. May 12, 2023. Archived from the original on June 2, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  17. ^ Cabe, Caroline (September 22, 2022). "From The C&I Library: A Look Back at Longmire with Bailey Chase". Cowboys and Indians Magazine. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  18. ^ "Small Screen: Scandal star survived troubled teen years". Times Colonist. January 3, 2018. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  19. ^ "Remember That Time Jensen Ackles Guest Starred On "Sweet Valley High"?". BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on November 30, 2025. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  20. ^ "The Kansas City Star". The Kansas City Star. January 7, 1988. p. 36. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  21. ^ "Library: An evil twin spikes the punch at the prom". The Sacramento Bee. May 15, 1993. p. 115. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  22. ^ "Double Impression". The Houston Chronicle. October 6, 1994. p. 85. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  23. ^ "40 Twins Bring Identical Dreams to Studio City". Los Angeles Times. June 30, 1988. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  24. ^ "Twins sought to star in 'Sweet Valley High'". The News Tribune. February 14, 1988. p. 149. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  25. ^ "Twin collection". The Times. September 11, 1988. p. 28. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  26. ^ "Double exposure". The San Bernardino County Sun. September 7, 1988. p. 46. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  27. ^ "Sweet Valley High". Hickory Daily Record. July 29, 1989. p. 59. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  28. ^ "The Times". The Times. May 25, 1989. p. 48. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  29. ^ "Twins double their luck". The San Bernardino County Sun. May 25, 1990. p. 60. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  30. ^ "Twins: Roles in TV pilot". The San Bernardino County Sun. May 30, 1990. p. 43. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  31. ^ "Philadelphia Daily News". Philadelphia Daily News. June 15, 1994. p. 38. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  32. ^ "2 Good 2 Be True". Daily Press. September 24, 1994. p. 15. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  33. ^ "Meet Francine Pascal and the cast of Sweet Valley High!". Star Tribune. May 19, 1995. p. 12. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  34. ^ "Vidalia youth wins L.A. shopping spree". The Town Talk. August 4, 1996. p. 33. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  35. ^ "'Sweet' twins twice the fun". The Tampa Tribune. January 1, 1996. p. 51. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  36. ^ "Danles-Pope". The Grand Rapids Press. March 27, 1999. p. 26. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  37. ^ "The Muskegon Chronicle". The Muskegon Chronicle. August 16, 1999. p. 11. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  38. ^ "'Sweet Valley High': cool success". The Boston Globe. October 14, 1994. p. 74. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  39. ^ "Sweet treat". Centre Daily Times. February 4, 1996. p. 30. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  40. ^ "'Sweet Valley High' teens exist in a fantasy world". The Houston Chronicle. November 13, 1994. p. 205. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  41. ^ KG, imfernsehen GmbH & Co (December 14, 1996). Sweet Valley High: Sendetermine 14.12.1996⁠–⁠25.02.1999 (in German). Retrieved February 10, 2026 – via www.fernsehserien.de.
  42. ^ "AntonioGenna.net presenta: IL MONDO DEI DOPPIATORI - ZONA TELEFILM: "Sweet Valley High"". www.antoniogenna.net. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  43. ^ "TVP". tvp.netcollect.ru. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  44. ^ Gutiérrez, Carlos Andrés. "Programación de Fox Kids Latinoamérica (Noviembre 1996 a Junio 1997)". www.anmtvla.com. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  45. ^ "Las Gemelas De Sweet Valley [1ª Temporada] - Ficha eldoblaje.com - Doblaje". www.eldoblaje.com. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  46. ^ "Eesti Päevaleht 12 detsember 2000 — DIGAR Eesti artiklid". dea.digar.ee. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  47. ^ "TV3". web.archive.org. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  48. ^ "Sweet success". Telegraph and Argus. March 3, 1997. p. 61. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  49. ^ "Dressing their age". Hull Daily Mail. February 24, 1998. p. 27. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  50. ^ "Billboard". July 27, 1996.
  51. ^ "Sweet Valley High action is now on video". Sun-News. September 11, 1996. p. 26. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  52. ^ "Billboard". October 5, 1996.
  53. ^ "Sweet Valley High: Season One DVD Review". March 11, 2005.
  54. ^ "Videos". The Fresno Bee. March 4, 2005. pp. E6. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  55. ^ Justin Gross (August 12, 2013). "Sweet Valley High Trailer: VO by Justin Gross". Archived from the original on December 21, 2021 – via YouTube.
  56. ^ "Sweet Valley High on Prime Video".
  57. ^ "Sweet Valley High- Soundtrack details - SoundtrackCollector.com". www.soundtrackcollector.com. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.