Staying In

A while ago, a friend brought up the show Young Americans and it all started to rush back to me.

It’s been almost ten years since the WB series premiered in the summer of 2000, but thanks to its prolific cast, I couldn’t stop thinking about the show these past couple of months. Every time I turned on the TV, there they were.

Ian Somerhalder is biting up a storm on the CW’s Vampire Diaries. Katherine Moennig is saving lives on CBS’ Three Rivers. Matt Czuchry is also on the eye network, playing a lawyer on The Good Wife. Even Mark Famiglietti has been haunting me recently with a guest spot on ABC’s FlashForward and the rebroadcast of the short-lived ABC series Eyes on DirecTV. Kate Bosworth, of course, is a movie star, some would say. The only cast member who seems to be languishing in unemployment is Rodney Scott, whose Will was the jumping off point for the series.

It’s been a very long time since the series aired and it’s never been released on DVD, so it’s all very fuzzy in my mind. But I do remember this:

• Will appeared on Dawson’s Creek as a childhood friend of Pacey’s we had never heard of before. He flirted with Andie, but in the end, he was only there to get one thing: His own spinoff! And so was born Young Americans.
• There was a lot product placement for Coca-Cola.
• The last episode was hilariously titled “Will Bella Scout Her Mom?” We’ve already covered Will. Bella was played by Bosworth. Scout was the name of Famiglietti’s character.
• Jake and Hamilton were the best thing about the show.

For those who don’t remember, a recap: Jake (Moennig) was a girl pretending to be a boy at an all boys schools. Hamilton (Somerhalder) was a boy who suddenly found himself attracted to another boy, with no idea that Jake was really Jacqueline.

After talking with my friend, I went to YouTube and happily found that someone had uploaded all of their scenes together! After my trip down memory lane, I was struck by just how refreshingly carefree and nonjudgmental the relationship was. Instead of running away scared, Hamilton planted one on Jake and hilariously declared, “Oh my God, that was… We’re gay.”

The secret romance also provided a lot of comedy since everyone else at the school assumed Jake and Hamilton were in the closet, unbeknownst to them. The looks on Will and Scout’s faces when they saw Jake as a girl for the first time, mini skirt and all, was priceless.

And as much as I enjoy Somerhalder as the snarky, bad boy vamp Damon on Vampire Diaries, I think Young Americans may have been one of his most fun roles. He was playful, sweet, caring, a little clueless and youthfully hot. He and Moennig had terrific chemistry together and provided a real bright spot of entertainment amid the teenage shenanigans.

Did you watch Young Americans? What’s one of your favorite memories from the show? Am I right about Jake and Hamilton? And why isn’t it available on DVD?