''Privileged'' is an American

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

television series that premiered on

The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

in the United States and

City A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

in Canada from September 9, 2008. The series stars

JoAnna Garcia JoAnna García Swisher (''née'' García; born August 10, 1979) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Sam in '' Are You Afraid of the Dark?'' (1994–96), Vicki Appleby in '' Freaks and Geeks'' (1999–2000), and Cheyenne Hart-M ...

and is based on the 2008

Alloy Entertainment Alloy Entertainment (formerly Daniel Weiss Associates and 17th Street Productions) is a book packaging and television production unit of Warner Bros. Television Studios. It produces books, television series, and feature films. Alloy Entertainment ...

book ''How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls'' by

Zoey Dean Zoey Dean is the pseudonym for the creators of ''The A-List'' series and ''How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls'', which has been renamed and turned into a TV show known as '' Privileged'' on the CW in September 2008. Zoey Dean's books are produced b ...

. The series was originally to share the same name as the book, but the name was announced at the upfronts as ''Surviving the Filthy Rich'' and later changed again to ''Privileged'' on June 24, 2008. It was produced by

in association with

Warner Bros. Television Warner Bros. Television Studios (operating under the name Warner Bros. Television; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division) is an American television production and distribution studio of the Warner Bros. Television Group division of ...

with executive producers Rina Mimoun, Bob Levy and

Leslie Morgenstein Leslie Morgenstein is the president and chief executive of Alloy Entertainment. He has been credited with facilitating the adaptation of a number of book titles into television series. Examples include '' Gossip Girl'', '' The Vampire Diaries'', ...

. Michael Engler directed the pilot. On May 19, 2009, The CW cancelled the series of ''Privileged'' after one season.

Plot

Twenty-three-year-old Megan Smith (

) has a

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

education, a relentlessly positive attitude, and a plan to conquer the world of journalism, despite the fact that she is slaving away at a tabloid rag. Megan's plan is thrown off course when, in one whirlwind day, she gets fired, meets cosmetics mogul Laurel Limoges (

Anne Archer Anne Archer (born August 24, 1947) is an American actress. Archer was named Miss Golden Globe in 1971, and in the year following, appeared in her feature film debut '' The Honkers'' (1972). She had supporting roles in '' Cancel My Reservation'' ...

), and becomes the live-in tutor for Laurel's twin teen granddaughters in heady

Palm Beach, Florida Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from several nearby cities including West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach by the Intrac ...

, a world of wealth and power. The girls, Rose (

Lucy Hale Karen Lucille Hale (born June 14, 1989) is an American actress, singer, and television personality. She has received various accolades, including seven Teen Choice Awards (the most for any actress in a single series), a Gracie Award, a People ...

) and Sage (

Ashley Newbrough Ashley Newbrough is an American actress. She is known for starring as Sage Baker in The CW drama series '' Privileged'' (2008–2009), and for starring in a number of predominantly Christmas-themed television films since 2015. Career She bega ...

), are beautiful, rebellious, and less-than-thrilled with their new tutor, but Megan is determined to win them over as she enjoys the perks of her new job: breathtaking private suite, gorgeous convertible, and live-in chef Marco (Allan Louis). Even the neighbors are fabulous in Palm Beach and Megan quickly catches the eye of Will (

Brian Hallisay Brian Hallisay (born October 31, 1978) is an American actor, known for his roles as Will Davis in the CW drama series '' Privileged'' and Kyle Parks in the Lifetime drama series ''The Client List''. He starred on the television series ''Revenge' ...

), the wealthy and attractive dilettante who lives on the estate next door and just happens to be dating Megan's estranged sister, Lily (

Kristina Apgar Kristina Mevs-Apgar (formerly Kristina Apgar) was an American actress best known for her portrayal of Lily Smith on the CW's drama '' Privileged''. Career In her teen years, Kristina was a model with the Wilhelmina Models Agency. Clients incl ...

). Completing this romantic quadrangle is Megan's best friend Charlie ( Michael Cassidy), who is secretly in love with her. Despite her own complicated romantic and family relationships, Megan is committed to making a difference in the lives of her two headstrong charges as she navigates the treacherous waters of high society in Palm Beach.

Cast

as Megan Smith *

as Rose Baker *

as Sage Baker * Michael Cassidy as Charlie Hogan * Allan Louis as Marco Giordani *

as Will Davis *

as Lily Smith *

as Laurel Limoges

Episodes

was pleased with the show's initial performance, and in November 2008, extended its original season on order by five episodes, bringing the episode total up to eighteen. The show's original timeslot was Tuesdays at 9 p.m., where The CW aired the first ten episodes. The next two episodes of ''Privileged'' were tested in a new timeslot, on Mondays, December 1 and 8, 2008, at 9 p.m. However, those episodes were also rebroadcast the following night at 9 p.m./ET, in the show's usual time slot, and ''Privileged'' continued midseason in the same Tuesday timeslot beginning January 6, 2009. The first season ended with the caption "To be continued ..." However, on May 19, 2009, The CW announced that they would not be renewing ''Privileged'' for a second season.

Streaming

The series is available to stream on

's free digital-only network, CW Seed.

References

External links

* {{The CW programming 2000s American comedy-drama television series 2000s American teen drama television series 2008 American television series debuts 2009 American television series endings The CW original programming English-language television shows Mass media portrayals of the upper class Television shows based on American novels Television series by Alloy Entertainment Television series by CBS Studios Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios Television shows filmed in California Television shows set in Florida