From 2005-2008, those of us who watched "The N" were blessed with the TV show "South of Nowhere." While I didn't get around to watching it until ten years after its release, I'm so grateful I did, because it helped me deal with my own coming out journey- a review I've heard from just about everyone I know who's seen it.
The more I re-watch this series, heck, the more I think about this series, the more I realize just how underrated this series was, and how ahead of its time it was. So today I'm going to share my top five reasons that you should give it a watch:
1. Spashley
Okay, let's get the obvious one out of the way first. The show centers on the adorable relationship between Ashley Davies and Spencer Carlin, as well as relevant issues in the gay community. However, one thing that's notable about Spashley is that both of them present very feminine, breaking the tired trope that one girl in a lesbian relationship should be more masculine to imitate heterosexuality. This is seen more commonly now, but not as much in 2005 when the show was released.
While it's pointed out in recent years that Ashley was probably bisexual and the show never really addressed that, the Spashley relationship was still a huge step forward.
2. Spoiler alert: no lesbians were killed in the course of this series!
While there are (spoiler) two significant deaths in the series, Spencer and Ashley both end up alive and happy in the end. This is rather refreshing considering the amount of lesbian deaths we've had to endure in the media in recent years.
3. It's not just about them!
While Spashley and Spencer's coming out journey are the main plot points in the series, it also includes other important issues, including racism, violence, teen pregnancy, and adoption.
4. It gets real.
The show includes some very real struggles of coming out and being gay among accepting family and community members. Spencer's devout Christian mother, in one episode, hires her a conversion therapist (whom her father angrily dismisses upon finding out). Fortunately, in the end, her mother learn to love Spencer for who she is- and even tells off her own mother for making homophobic comments, which is unfortunately not yet reflective of the majority of real-life situations.
5. It balances authenticity with a happy ending.
As mentioned above, the show does stay very real, but still manages to provide a happy ending without jamming any characters into a last-minute irrelevant relationship that makes no sense. Each main character stays relevant throughout the series and is given their own compelling plot lines that wrap up comfortably in the final episode.
If you haven't seen this masterpiece yet, it's a little hard to find on the internet, but you can get all 3 seasons on Amazon (as digital or physical copies). So what are you waiting for?
