This is one of those times I find myself bewildered by the fact there has been such little news or even chatter about a series. And if I had not seen the trailer on Disney Channel’s YouTube account chances are I would have never minded it, or at least until after the fact.Even though we are still fairly early into the new year we have seen a good amount of new series arrive of simply been announced. Clearly so more of the latter than former.
Coming on March 25th a new live-action series arrives on Disney’s main network, Backstage. You guessed it, a series centered on the performing arts.
This new series produced by DHX Media filmed in Toronto, Canada is no only expected to air in North America (Family Channel for Canada and Disney for Americas), but also Disney Channels across the globe.
For those who have not hear of the series before here is the full summary offered by the press releases.
‘Backstage’ is a scripted series, shot in the docudrama-style, which follows a group of outstandingly talented teenagers as they live through the highs and lows that come with attending the prestigious Keaton School of the Arts — from new friendships and crowning achievements to the angst and disappointments of the high stakes competition. Through diary-style confessionals and dramatic cliffhangers, Backstage lifts the curtain on these rising stars as they chase their dreams and deal with the day-to-day reality of being a student, a sister, a son, a girlfriend — a teen.
In addition on DHX Media’s web-site they offered the following statement from Josh Scherba, SVP Distribution:
“There has been significant international interest in Backstage. With Disney and Family Channel on board, we’re building strong international foundations for this new live action series. We are confident that teens all over the globe will find the characters and storylines compelling viewing.”
With only a very short teaser-style trailer and the summary there is a lot of room for hypotheticals and little for known facts. Having a story that has the main setting of school is as far of a thing from new on the planet, having it a performing arts school narrows the list. Yet series like Victorious and Violetta stay at the back of my mind based off theme alone. Plus a shocking amount of anime titles that I now have their opening themes stuck in my mind. Yet the one series that I keep wanting to refer in comparison is Dance Academy.
If you have not seen Dance Academy you need to, it is brilliant and grand at what it does. Far warning though, there are more, for lack of a better term, mature themes like eating disorders and heavy loss present. Yet it is done tastefully.
And I am getting off topic; my point it does remind me of Dance Academy in terms of the atmosphere. The school in Dance Academy came across as being strict, a place for those who were very series and driven to have a real career in their craft strive to be on top. Where being cut and the worst in the class where painted as very real fears and sometimes even close to some character’s realities. What we see and hear in the trailer reminded me of such.
And to be very honest, I like that greatly. Light-hearted is great, and even needed. But it is also nice to see things willing to be as series as what the reality of what they are showing is like. Even though it is likely to be a far lesser extent.
As of now we really know little of how this is to play out. A lot can happen and I for one want to see what this series will do and how it will all work. There is more than a lot of potential here.
With new acquired series like Mako Mermaids and now Backstage it seems that Disney Channel is changing in a way. Offering more content that comes across as teen drama rather than pure family fun comedy. Is this the start of a new change? Perhaps it is too soon to say. Or I am, per usual, reading too far into things. Regardless that cannot be helped I am afraid.
Join the conversation: What do you think of Backstage? And what about this possible shift on Disney Channel?