''Make It or Break It'' ( ''MIOBI)'' is an American teen/family

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

television series that focused on the lives of teen gymnasts who strived to make it to the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

in 2012. The series was inspired by Touchstone's 2006 teen comedy-drama film ''

Stick It Stick or the stick may refer to: Thin elongated objects * Twig * The weapon used in stick fighting * Walking stick, a device to facilitate balancing while walking * Shepherd's crook * Swagger stick * Digging stick * Swizzle stick, used to stir d ...

''. It premiered on

ABC Family The American cable television, cable and satellite television network that is now known as Freeform (TV channel), Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through several different owners (and s ...

on June 22, 2009, with 2.5 million viewers.The series ended after Season 3. The show was picked up for an additional 10 episodes on July 27, 2009, which started airing on January 4, 2010, bringing the total number of episodes in the first season to 20. In January 2010, the show was renewed for a second season, which premiered on June 28, 2010 at 10 pm. Starting on July 13, 2010, new episodes aired following ''

Pretty Little Liars ''Pretty Little Liars'' is an American mystery teen drama television series based on the novel series of the same name written by Sara Shepard. Developed by I. Marlene King, the series was broadcast on Freeform between June 8, 2010, and June ...

''. The show's second season resumed after a six-month hiatus on March 28, 2011. The series was renewed for a third season on September 16, 2011, which premiered on March 26, 2012. It was announced on April 26, 2012, that the series had ended and the third season would be the final season. The series finale aired on May 14, 2012. Internationally, the show aired on E4 in the United Kingdom,

Zee Café Zee Café is an Indian pay television channel owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. The channel mainly syndicates popular American and British television shows to appeal to the English-speaking population of India. History Zee English was ...

in India, Fox8 in Australia,

ABC Spark ABC Spark is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. The channel was launched on March 26, 2012, replacing the declining channel Dusk. ABC Spark is based on the U.S. subscription channel Freeform (previously ...

in Canada, RTM2 in

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

, and on TV2 in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. ''Make It or Break It'' was created by

Holly Sorensen Holly Sorensen is an American film producer and screenwriter. Biography Holly Sorensen was born and raised in Montana, and was given scholarships to the Annie Wright School in Tacoma, Washington and Dartmouth College, where she studied philoso ...

who, along with

Paul Stupin Paul Stupin is an American film and television executive. Biography After graduating from Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, Stupin went to Los Angeles to work for NBC in series development. In 1986 he became a vice president for p ...

and John Ziffren, served as the show's executive producers. The

stunt double In filmmaking, a double is a person who substitutes FOR another actor such that the person's face is not shown. There are various terms associated with a double based on the specific body part or ability they serve as a double for, such as stunt ...

s were former elite, Olympian or NCAA champion gymnasts.

Plot

Payson Keeler (

Ayla Kell Ayla Marie Kell (born October 7, 1990) is an American actress. She is best known for the role of Payson Keeler in the ABC Family series ''Make It or Break It''. Career Kell began studying ballet at a young age and danced with the American Ba ...

), Kaylie Cruz (

Josie Loren Josie Loren Lopez (born March 19, 1987) is an American attorney and former actress, best known for the role of Kaylie Cruz in the ABC Family series ''Make It or Break It'', and as FBI Agent Michelle Vega in the TV series ''The Mentalist''. Pers ...

), Lauren Tanner (

Cassie Scerbo Cassandra Lynn Scerbo (born March 30, 1990) is an American actress, singer and dancer. She was one of the members of the all-girl pop band Slumber Party Girls in the CBS children's music variety series ''Dance Revolution''. In acting, she star ...

), and newcomer Emily Kmetko (

Chelsea Hobbs Chelsea Hobbs (born February 18, 1985) is a Canadian actress. She is known for roles such as Gerda in the 2002 television film '' Snow Queen'' and Emily Kmetko in the ABC Family teen drama ''Make It or Break It''. Early life Hobbs attended an ...

) are elite-level gymnasts training for the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

at a gym called "The Rock." The girls' futures are thrown into turmoil when their head coach, Marty Walsh (

Erik Palladino Erik Palladino (born May 10, 1968) is an American actor known for his portrayal of Dr. Dave Malucci in the NBC medical drama '' ER''. He is also known for his recurring roles as Lt. Michael Daghlian in ''Joan of Arcadia'', Vostanik Sabatino in ...

), is blackmailed out of his job and is forced to move to a rival gym. It is revealed later that Kaylie's mother (

Rosa Blasi Rosa Blasi (born December 19, 1972) is an American actress, author, model and therapist. She is known for her roles as Luisa Delgado in the Lifetime medical drama series '' Strong Medicine'' and Barb Thunderman in the Nickelodeon series ''The Th ...

) and Marty were having an affair and he left to keep the secret from being exposed. All four girls harbor secrets they must conceal for the sake of their athletic careers. Eventually, they put aside their differences in time to leave for nationals. Payson is favorite to win, but after a fall on the uneven bars, she fractures her spine and is told she can never do gymnastics again. The other three receive spots on the National Team, but clash with the head of the National Gymnastics Committee, Ellen Beals (

Michelle Clunie Michelle Renee Clunie (born November 7, 1969) is an American actress and former ballet dancer. A native of Portland, Oregon, Clunie studied ballet from an early age, earning a scholarship at the Academy of Professional Ballet. In 1992, she starre ...

), who prizes obedience to her authority and feels threatened by The Rock girls' independence. To get The Rock girls recognized as being international standard, The Rock holds a private meet between them and the Chinese National Team. Working together, the girls get five medals, more than the U.S. National Team got in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. In the second season, the girls are joined at The Rock by superstar male gymnast Austin Tucker (

Zane Holtz Zane-Ray Brodie Holtz (born January 18, 1987) is a Canadian actor and model. He is best known for playing Richie Gecko on the El Rey Network television series '' From Dusk till Dawn: The Series'' (2014–2016) and K.O. Kelly on The CW ''T ...

). Payson, who has undergone surgery, attempts to revitalize her gymnastic career and becomes romantically involved with her coach Sasha Belov. The Kmetko family struggles financially with the loss of Emily's scholarship. The girls compete at trials for the World Championships and all four make the Worlds team. Emily is forced to wear an ankle monitor due to her probation after being caught stealing. The other girls train for the World Gymnastics Competition, a task made harder by the presence of their arch enemy, Kelly Parker, at The Rock. In the season two finale, the four girls lead the team to the World Competition in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

, where they win team gold. Season Three opens with Payson, Lauren, and Kaylie heading to the American Olympic Training Center as they prepare for the 2012 London Olympics. They deal with a new coach and teammates, including up-and-coming gymnast Jordan Randall, whose presence causes tension within the group. Coach Mac pairs up the girls, forcing Kaylie to live and work with Kelly Parker and Lauren to work with Payson. Kelly is not good enough for the Olympics and leaves gymnastics. Austin does not make the Olympic Team and blames Kaylie. Jordan reveals that a former coach molested her when she was young. Desperate to ensure her spot on the team, Wendy drugs Kaylie with a cold medicine containing a banned substance. After Austin and Kaylie reunite, then Lauren, Payson, and Jordan tell the NGO that they are boycotting Olympic tryouts unless Kaylie is allowed to perform. Lauren discovers the secret Wendy has been hiding and exposes her, getting Wendy kicked out. The season three finale culminates with the five girls, Payson, Lauren, Kaylie, Jordan, and Colleen, being chosen to represent the U.S. in the Olympics.

Cast and characters

Main cast and characters

Recurring cast and characters

Episodes

U.S. Nielsen ratings

The following is a table with the average estimated number of viewers per episode, each season of ''Make It or Break It'' on

DVD releases

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc., doing business as Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, is the home entertainment distribution arm of The Walt Disney Company. The division handles the distribution of Disney's films, television series, an ...

released the first ten episodes in a set entitled ''Make It or Break It – Volume 1: Extended Edition''. Bonus material includes deleted scenes, the never-before-seen extended finale, and the featurette, "Making It", which shows how the stars manage the acting with the difficult stunts they do.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{Freeform 2009 American television series debuts 2012 American television series endings 2000s American teen drama television series 2010s American teen drama television series ABC Family original programming English-language television shows Gymnastics mass media Television series about families Television series about teenagers Television shows set in Colorado Television series by Disney–ABC Domestic Television