It's clearly a Sweet Valley day today! I've been asking everyone what they thought of the teen book series and now I'd like to know everyone's thoughts about the TV series that accompanied the books so we could follow the escapades of the Wakefield twins right in our living rooms!
When I was reading the books, I used to think how great it would be if they turned the books into a TV series. And then around the mid-nineties, I got my wish! I was mega excited and couldn't wait to watch it.
I didn't mind the TV series but I won't lie - I did feel quite underwhelmed by it. No one on the show looked like the characters in the book; Jessica and Elizabeth didn't seem to have any other family despite their parents and brother featuring in the books quite frequently; the acting abilities of certain people left a lot to be desired (no one names mentioned!) But most disappointingly, whereas the books dealt with some pretty heavy topics, the TV show was more like a comedy/kids TV show so it couldn't deal with those topics in quite the same way. As everyone knows, TV adaptations don't always follow the book exactly but I don't think my teen self understood that at the time.
But despite all that, I'm glad they made the show. It was interesting to see how Sweet Valley High translated onto the small screen and it was still fun to watch.
What did all you SV fans think?
I think the Sweet Valley TV show was good for what it was - a bit of trivial Saturday morning TV for the kids to enjoy. It wasn't awful - I watched more than my fair share of episodes - but I wouldn't say it was totally unforgettable either. But I did have a serious girl crush on the Daniel girls 😁 They were super famous in England when the show was on. Loads of girls I knew wanted to be like them.
I'm sorry but I really wasn't impressed. I don't think this TV show did the Sweet Valley books real justice. I think if it had been a TV series on its own, it might have worked. But because it was based on the books, those of us who read it kept making comparisons. It was like "That didn't happen in the book." "She didn't look like that in the book." "Nah, the book was better!"
And yes while the show did make stars out of the sisters who played the Wakefields, they didn't become the mega stars we all thought they'd be. I think one of the sisters is no longer in showbiz.
I do remember the Sweet Valley High TV series. I thought it was pretty cool and it was great for those of us who had been avid readers of the books to see them come to life. I do wish they'd stuck more closely to the books though but when books are adapted for film or TV these kind of changes are to be expected.
For a lazy Saturday morning it was adequate. But it wasn't one of those that I just had to watch despite being a big fan of the books. But I do remember that the actresses who played the Wakefield girls became pretty big stars in Britain. I also remember seeing them in The Basketball Diaries.
It wasn't the best kids TV show out there but it definitely wasn't the worst either. At times it did come across a bit like an unfunny sit-com without the laughter from the audience but it was just good uncomplicated Saturday morning TV. Oh and how hot was Todd? I had a massive crush on him.
I remember watching it as a kid. My older cousins were crazy about the books and while they watched the first couple of seasons, they lost interest after that because they felt the TV show had strayed too far from the books. As I got older, I did read some of the books myself, and I'd read enough of the books to know that the show was only really losely based on the books. For example the Elizabeth Wakefield on the show was definitely a lot cooler than the one in the book. Also I'm pretty sure it was Jessica who was homecoming queen to Winston's king - not Elizabeth!