TV TUESDAY S02E03: NBC's CAMP [2013]

Hello muddah, hello faddah

Used to be, as a television viewer all you had to look forward on TV all summer were reruns.  With the advent of streaming and the constant struggle to find and keep viewers, the networks began airing original Summer programming within the last decade, giving viewers even more viewing options than ever before. For HERC, the most pleasant surprise of the Summer 2013 Viewing Season was NBC's Camp. (Don't worry if you missed the original run of 10 episodes - they are all out there, waiting for you to find them.) 

UPDATE: 
The show was officially cancelled on October 1, 2013.

Camp had the rare honor of being greenlit directly to series without first shooting a pilot, a practice which HERC is firmly against - if we shoot all the pilots, who'll fly the planes? NBC ordered 13 episodes in January 2013, then cut the order to 10 episodes to avoid delaying their fall premieres, with production getting underway by March 2013 and the first episode airing on July 10th. The cast is engaging and entertaining even if their roles are cliché and stereotypical while huge chunks of plot are borrowed from HERC's Holy Trilogy of summer camp film dramadies: Meatballs, Little Darlings, and Dirty Dancing.

camp counselor Sarah

The show is set in Michagan but was actually filmed in Murwillumbah, Austraila, with a cast including four principal actors from The Dance Academy, a popular teen drama in Australia. No word on whether will show will return for another Summer, but HERC hopes so. Meanwhile, he's seeking out episodes of The Dance Academy.

clockwise from top left: counselors-in-training Buzz, Zoe, Ione Sky Marina, and Kip

By HERC's count, there is an average of seven songs heard in each of Camp's ten episodes, making it one of the most music-filled shows ever, with more heard songs per episode than even Glee or American Idol. Music supervisor Tricia Halloran, who has done great work on shows like Castle and Life, puts together a decent mix of music that keeps the show's energy level high. Unlike a lot of teen dramas (HERC is looking at you Vampire Diaries), there isn't an abundance of downbeat, moody songs.