Marti Noxon

GRADE: C-

STARS: Elisabeth Harnois, Grant Show, Dina Meyer, Samuel Page

WRITER: Marti Noxon, John McLaughlin, Ben Edlund

DIRECTOR: Tucker Gates, Marita Grabiak, Rick Rosenthal

RATING: NR

DISTRIBUTOR: Fox Home Entertainment

Apparently, the American television audience prefers that its supernatural shows and teen dramas be separate entities rather than all in one. Maybe it’s because people don’t want to see rich THE O.C.-type socialites going off CARRIE-style in their high brow mansions or at the expensive country club. Or maybe that high school romance isn’t as special when you’re throwing down telekinesis on your prom date.

The prosecution brings into evidence the brilliant yet incredibly short-lived WONDERFALLS as Exhibit A. The drama about a young twentysomething whose job at a Niagara Falls gift shop turns extraordinary when the stuffed animals and trinkets convince her to accomplish certain tasks that end up helping strangers and friends alike. The series lasted a mere four episodes on Fox - one of the shortest runs in network broadcasting history - but that doesn’t mean the show was bad. In fact, it is quite good and everyone should give it a chance on DVD. However, that said, the public didn’t bother with it and so it was yanked.

Exhibit B - TRU CALLING — a slightly longer running series but unpopular nonetheless— starred Eliza Dushku as a sexy morgue attendant (yeah right!) who discovers she can communicate with the dead. Lasting only one turbulent season and an even shakier additional six episodes, the show wasn’t bad but it wasn’t good enough for people to enjoy a “teen drama” (whose stars are all over 21) where the lead “teen” talks to stiffs.

That brings us to Exhibit C - POINT PLEASANT, a supernatural series that actually billed itself as a cross between THE O.C. and BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER. The series was about a small tranquil oceanside community (read rich) that gets visited by the daughter of ... wait for it ... Satan (but without any horns or nasty skin blemishes). The show, introduced in January of this year, lasted a mere eight episodes before getting the ax for double episodes of some bad sitcom.

POINT PLEASANT was doomed for failure from the start. Not only did the show air on Fox (which is notorious for canceling series way too early such as FIREFLY, the before mentioned WONDERFALLS, JOHN DOE and many more), the show’s pilot is a failure of craptastic proportions with inferior bits of BUFFY-like drama fused into what otherwise would be a boring television show about rich people. The show does improve a bit about half way into its run as Christina (the Devil’s daughter) begins to learn the extent of her powers and that her emotions drive them. All the while, the teen drama rages behind until the supporting characters too are drawn into the supernatural - either knowingly or unaware what is really happening in their small town.

The show built a WONDERFALLS-like cult relationship with the little fans it had and they began to push for either the show’s return or its debut on DVD. At least they got something for their troubles with the complete series out now on spinning plates.

Unfortunately, the only special feature is one behind-the-scenes featurette that functions more as a promotional piece for the series rather than giving any real behind-the-scenes action. While the creator of the show gives a bit of information behind POINT PLEASANT’S origin and how it got pushed to network executives, this is the only thing worthwhile in it.

There is an unaired pilot episode to the show with a different set of actors that never made the final cut but not even this is on the only DVD POINT PLEASANT will ever put out. Fox Home Entertainment should have at least included this on the DVD for novelty’s sake.

The DVD is offered on three dual-layered discs in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen and is presented in English Dolby 5.1 surround sound with English, Spanish and French subtitles.