Faking It (U.S. TV series)

Last updated
Faking It
Faking It US series title card.png
Intertitle from the premiere episode
Genre
Created by
  • Dana Min Goodman
  • Julia Wolov
Developed by Carter Covington
Starring
Composer(s) Andrew Dost
Country of originUnited States
Original language(s)English
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes38 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)Carter Covington
Producer(s)
  • Nellie Nugiel
  • Stefanie Leder
Production location(s) Glendora, California
Cinematography
  • Doug Emmett
  • Massimiliano Trevis
Editor(s)
  • Robin Katz
  • Thomas M. Bolger
  • Gabriel Fleming
  • Brad Katz
  • Robert Lattanzio
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time22 minutes
Production company(s) Viacom Media Networks
DistributorViacom Media Networks
Release
Original network MTV
Picture format 1080i (HDTV)
Original releaseApril 22, 2014 (2014-04-22) –
May 17, 2016 (2016-05-17)
External links
Website

Faking It is an American single-camera romantic comedy [1] series that premiered on MTV on April 22, 2014, starring Rita Volk, Katie Stevens, Gregg Sulkin, Michael Willett and Bailey De Young. [2] The series was created by Dana Min Goodman and Julia Wolov. Carter Covington developed the series and serves as the executive producer. [3] An eight-episode first season was ordered by MTV in October 2013. [4] MTV announced a 10-episode second season set to premiere on September 23, 2014. [5] [6] In August 2014, the show won a Teen Choice Award for "Choice TV Breakout Show". In October 2014, MTV ordered 10 more episodes, meaning season two would have a total of 20 episodes. [7] The series features the first intersex main character on a television show, [8] and included television's first intersex character played by an intersex actor. [9]

Romantic comedy film genre

Romantic comedy is a genre with light-hearted, humorous plotlines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. One dictionary definition is "a funny movie, play, or television program about a love story that ends happily". Another definition suggests that its "primary distinguishing feature is a love plot in which two sympathetic and well-matched lovers are united or reconciled".

MTV American pay television channel

MTV is an American pay television channel owned by Viacom Media Networks and headquartered in New York City. The channel was launched on August 1, 1981, and originally aired music videos as guided by television personalities known as "video jockeys" (VJs). At first, MTV's main target demographic was young adults, but today it is primarily teenagers, particularly high school and college students.

Rita Volk Ukrainian American actress

Margarita Volkovinskaya, known professionally as Rita Volk, is an Uzbek-American actress. She is known for her role as Amy Raudenfeld in the MTV romantic comedy series Faking It.

Contents

In April 2015, it was announced that the second half of season two would air from August 31, 2015, as well as being renewed for a third season which premiered on March 15, 2016. [10] [11] In May 2016, MTV announced that Faking It had been cancelled after three seasons. [12]

<i>Faking It</i> (season 3) season of television series

The third and final season of Faking It, an American single-camera romantic comedy, premiered on March 15, 2016, on the MTV network. The show was renewed for a third season on April 21, 2015. Ten new episodes were produced.

Synopsis

At Hester High School in the suburbs of Austin, being different is popular. After many failed attempts to stand out, Karma Ashcroft (Katie Stevens) and her best friend Amy Raudenfeld (Rita Volk) are invited to a house party hosted by popular gay student Shane Harvey (Michael Willett), who is under the impression that the girls are a lesbian couple.

Austin, Texas Capital of Texas

Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. It is the 11th-most populous city in the United States and the 4th-most populous city in Texas. It is also the fastest growing large city in the United States, the second most populous state capital, and the southernmost state capital in the contiguous United States. As of the U.S. Census Bureau's July 1, 2017 estimate, Austin had a population of 950,715 up from 790,491 at the 2010 census. The city is the cultural and economic center of the Austin–Round Rock metropolitan statistical area, which had an estimated population of 2,115,827 as of July 1, 2017. Located in Central Texas within the greater Texas Hill Country, it is home to numerous lakes, rivers, and waterways, including Lady Bird Lake and Lake Travis on the Colorado River, Barton Springs, McKinney Falls, and Lake Walter E. Long.

Katie Stevens singer

Katherine Mari Stevens is an American actress and singer best known for finishing in eighth place on the ninth season of American Idol and starring as Karma Ashcroft in the MTV series Faking It and Jane Sloan in Freeform's The Bold Type.

Michael J. Willett American actor

Michael James Mansel Willett is an American actor and musician. Willett is known most for his roles as Lionel in United States of Tara and Tanner in G.B.F.. He starred in the MTV show Faking It from 2014 until its cancellation in 2016.

At the party they are subsequently outed as the school's first lesbian couple and unwillingly nominated for homecoming Queens. Continuing the charade as their popularity soars, Karma attracts the attention of the popular and handsome Liam Booker (Gregg Sulkin), while Amy becomes aware of her growing romantic feelings for Karma and a rivalry with her new step-sister, Lauren (Bailey De Young), who discovers that they are faking it.

Gregg Sulkin English actor

Gregg Sulkin is an English actor. He made his film debut in the 2002 Doctor Zhivago mini-series. He later landed the starring role in the 2006 British release Sixty Six, and subsequently became known for appearing in the Disney Channel comedy series As the Bell Rings and Wizards of Waverly Place. In 2010, he starred in the Disney Channel television movie Avalon High. He also appeared in the television special The Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex. He starred on MTV's show Faking It as Liam Booker from 2014 until its cancellation in 2016. He also appeared on Pretty Little Liars as Ezra's brother, Wesley "Wes" Fitzgerald. In 2016, he starred in the role of Sam Fuller in the horror-thriller film Don't Hang Up. He is currently starring as Chase Stein in the TV show Runaways, based on the Marvel Comics series of the same name.

Bailey De Young actress

Bailey Marie De Young is an American actress and dancer most well known for playing the characters Ginny Thompson on Bunheads, Lauren Cooper on Faking It, and Imogene Cleary on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Cast

Main cast in September 2014. L to R: Bailey De Young, Rita Volk, Katie Stevens, Gregg Sulkin and Michael J. Willett Bailey De Young, Rita Volk, Katie Stevens, Gregg Sulkin and Michael J. Willett at Paleyfest 2014.jpg
Main cast in September 2014. L to R: Bailey De Young, Rita Volk, Katie Stevens, Gregg Sulkin and Michael J. Willett

Main cast

Intersex Innate variations in sex characteristics such that individuals differ from norms for male or female bodies

Intersex people are individuals born with any of several variations in sex characteristics including chromosomes, gonads, sex hormones, or genitals that, according to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit the typical definitions for male or female bodies". Such variations may involve genital ambiguity, and combinations of chromosomal genotype and sexual phenotype other than XY-male and XX-female.

Recurring cast

Introduced in season 1

  • Rebecca McFarland as Farrah, Amy's mom, a local television reporter who holds conservative views, and is shocked to learn of Amy's sexual orientation.
  • Senta Moses as Penelope Bevier, Hester school Principal, later Vice-Principal after the school drug bust.
  • Erick Lopez as Tommy Ortega, Lauren's ex-boyfriend.
  • Courtney Kato as Leila, a friend of Lauren.
  • Breezy Eslin as Elizabeth, a friend of Lauren.
  • Anthony Palacios as Pablo, Lauren's dance partner and Shane's ex-boyfriend.
  • Amy Farrington as Molly, Karma's mom.
  • Lance Barber as Lucas, Karma's dad.
  • Dan Gauthier as Bruce Cooper, Lauren's dad, who originally tried to hide the fact that his daughter was intersex.
  • Courtney Henggeler as Robin Booker, Sqwerkel representative and Liam's sister (later revealed to actually be Liam's biological mother).
  • August Roads as Oliver Walsh, a friend of Amy, who shows interest in her.

Rebecca McFarland is an American actress.

Senta Michelle Moses is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her co-starring role as Phoebe, the lab assistant in the children's series Beakman's World.

Amy Farrington is an American actress and model that is best known for her role as Stacey Devers on The Michael Richards Show. She was born in Boston, Massachusetts but raised in Garland, a suburb of Dallas, Texas. After attending a musical theatre conservatory program, she worked in local and regional theatres before moving to Chicago. In Chicago, she performed at several theaters including The Bailwick Repertory, The Court Theatre and the Steppenwolf Theatre. Twenty plays later, she moved to Los Angeles. Her first job was as a series regular in a pilot for NBC, followed by the series, "The Michael Richards Show" (2000), for the same network. She then went on to star in pilots for several networks and guest-starred and recurred on numerous sitcoms including "Will & Grace" (1998), "Just Shoot Me!" (1997), "Malcolm in the Middle" (2000), "Two and a Half Men" (2003), "The King of Queens" (1998) and "The New Adventures of Old Christine" (2006).

Introduced in season 2

  • Yvette Monreal as Reagan, a DJ/waitress and Amy's ex-girlfriend.
  • Keith Powers as Anthony "Theo", a friend of Liam and Shane and a love interest for Lauren. He is later revealed to be an undercover police officer.
  • Bruce Thomas as Max Booker, Liam's adoptive dad, CEO of Skwerkel who is later revealed to actually be Liam's grandfather.
  • Skyler Maxon as Duke Lewis Jr., a MMA fighter and Shane's ex-boyfriend.
  • Chloe Bridges as Zita Cruz, a new socialite friend for Liam
  • Bernard Curry as George Turner, the new Principal of Hester High following the school drug bust.
  • Parker Mack as Felix Turner, a new student at Hester High and the son of Principal Turner.
  • Ed Quinn as Hank, Amy's dad.
  • Cameron Moulène as Wade, the show's first bisexual identified character.
  • Lindsey Shaw as Sasha Harvey, Shane's older sister and a love interest for Liam.

Introduced in season 3

  • Jordan Rodrigues as Dylan, Karma's new, laid back, Hawaiian boyfriend, whom she met while lifeguarding over the summer.
  • Elliot Fletcher as Noah, the show's first transgender identified character, who is a member of the band, "Noah's Arc", and is a love interest of Shane's.
  • Sophia Taylor Ali as Sabrina, a childhood friend and love interest of Amy.
  • McKaley Miller as Rachel, Liam's coworker and love interest, and the daughter of a rabbi.
  • Alice Lee as Keiko Flynn.

Guest cast

Broadcast

Faking It premiered on April 22, 2014, and ran for eight episodes. On June 9, 2014, the series was picked up for a second season of ten episodes, [5] [6] which premiered on September 23, 2014. This was later expanded to a twenty episode season on October 21, 2014. [7]

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 8April 22, 2014June 10, 2014
2 2010September 23, 2014November 25, 2014
10August 31, 2015November 2, 2015
3 [14] 10March 15, 2016 [11] May 17, 2016

Reception

Critical response

Faking It received generally favorable reviews from critics, receiving a 71 score on Metacritic, as well as a 71% for season 1 on Rotten Tomatoes based on seven reviews.

CinemaBlend.com said, "About as relevant to the gay lifestyle as Modern Family , Faking It shoots for the stars, but only hits a bunch of brightly colored rainbows on "Vote for Me" posters." [15] The New York Times wrote, "Faking It isn't anything more than a smarter-than-average high school comedy, but there's a freshness to it, perhaps because so many of the key people involved are relative newcomers." [15] New York Daily News said, "The engine driving this show is female friendship, the kind strong enough to get you through even high school. For Amy and Karma, we want that." [15] TV Fanatic said, "It could be an interesting twist for Amy to stop pretending to be gay and suddenly be pretending to be straight." [15] Common Sense Media said, "The coming-of-age-and-coming-out story is certainly a time-honored one in the LGBT cinematic canon, and having both girls playing gay-for-social-cachet is an interesting farcial spin." [15] Hollywood.com said, "Anyone following MTV's Awkward will be sure to love the new series, but even non-fans won't fake their enjoyment of the new show." [15] Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said, "While the show's premise seems like it could be difficult to maintain, Faking It holds up in two early episodes sent for review." [16] Boston Globe said, "Faking It is an odd, interesting, lightly subversive, and potentially offensive concoction from MTV. It's a twisted comedy that has charm, but also a premise that could be insulting if not handled intelligently." Boston Herald said, "There's something hilarious and twisted about outcasts and untouchables running a school while making some of the same mistakes their 'normal' peers made. Faking It is the real deal." [16] Entertainment Weekly said, "Credit the winning cast, especially Volk, and executive producer Carter Covington's sweet/snarky tone for a half hour viewers won't have to pretend to love." [16]

In an average review to the show, Philadelphia Daily News said "For Stevens' character, Karma, kissing her best friend, Amy (Volk), is a way --admittedly not the most direct way--of getting closer to Liam, a cute guy (Gregg Sulkin) with commitment issues. For Amy, though, it's more complicated, and that's where Faking It begins to seem less like a joke, as the shift in a relationship stirs up feelings that move her into the "questioning" column of LGBTQ." [16]

Awards

YearAwardCategoryNominee(s)ResultRef
2014 AfterEllen Visibility AwardsEditor's Pick for Favorite Tweeter Yvette Monreal Won [17]
Favorite Fictional Lesbian Couple Rita Volk / Yvette Monreal (Amy and Reagan)Nominated [18]
Favorite Lesbian/Bi Character Rita Volk (Amy Raudenfeld)Won
Favorite TV Actress Rita Volk Won
Favorite TV ComedyFaking ItWon
Teen Choice Awards Breakout Show Faking ItWon [19]
2015 GLAAD Media Awards Outstanding Comedy SeriesFaking ItNominated [20]
People's Choice Awards Favorite Cable TV ComedyFaking ItNominated [21]
Teen Choice Awards Choice Summer TV Show Faking ItNominated [22]
Choice Summer TV Star: Male Gregg Sulkin Nominated
2016 AfterEllen March Madness 2016 Best Actress in a Queer Role Rita Volk Nominated [23]
The Girl Crowd — LGBT+Favorite LGBT ShipKarmy (Karma Ashcroft / Amy Raudenfeld)Won [24]
GLAAD Media Awards Outstanding Comedy SeriesFaking ItNominated [25]
People's Choice Awards Favorite Cable TV ComedyFaking ItNominated [26]

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<i>Faking It</i> (season 1) season of television series

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<i>Faking It</i> (season 2) season of television series

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References

  1. ↑ "Faking It: Official website". MTV. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  2. ↑ "MTV Announces Premiere Dates for Returning and New Comedy Series at Winter TCA Presentation". The Futon Critic. January 10, 2014. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  3. ↑ Hale, Mike (21 April 2014). "Their Surprise Route to Popularity". The New York Times. Retrieved April 24, 2014. Correction: April 22, 2014 - An earlier version of an information box with this review misidentified the creators of the show "Faking It." As the review stated, they are Dana Goodman and Julia Lea Wolov; not Carter Covington. (Mr. Covington is the show's executive producer.)
  4. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (October 18, 2013). "MTV Picks Up Comedy Pilots 'Happyland' & 'Faking It' To Series". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  5. 1 2 Lesley Goldberg (2014-06-09). "'Faking It' Renewed for Second Season at MTV". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  6. 1 2 Ossad, Jordana (July 11, 2014). "'Catfish' Is Returning For Season Four — Plus More Premiere Dates Announced!". MTV.
  7. 1 2 "MTV Orders 10 More Episodes of 'Faking It' for Season 2 | Variety". Variety. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Meet Television's Groundbreaking Intersex Character".
  9. ↑ ""Faking It" Breaks New Ground With First Intersex Actor To Play Intersex Character On TV". LOGO News. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
  10. ↑ Petski, Denise (21 April 2015). "MTV Greenlights New Late-Night Talk Show, Renews 'Faking It', More — Upfronts".
  11. 1 2 Swift, Andy (January 12, 2016). "MTV Sets Premiere Date for Awkward's 'Final' Run and Faking It Season 3". TVLine. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  12. ↑ Swift, Andy; Swift, Andy (13 May 2016). "Faking It Cancelled After 3 Seasons".
  13. 1 2 3 Goldberg, Lesley (August 23, 2013). "'Wizards' Alum Gregg Sulkin, 'Bunheads' Star Headline MTV's Carter Covington Comedy (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  14. ↑ Denise Petski. "MTV Upfronts: 'Faking It' Renewed, New Late-Night Show Gets Green Light - Deadline". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Faking It: Season 1 - TV Reviews - Rotten Tomatoes". rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  16. 1 2 3 4 "Critic Reviews for Faking It (2014) Season 1 - Metacritic". metacritic.com. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  17. ↑ "The 2014 AfterEllen Visibility Award Winners". afterellen.com. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
  18. ↑ "10th Annual AfterEllen Visibility Awards".
  19. ↑ "MTV Teen Choice Awards".
  20. ↑ "2015 GLAAD Media Awards".
  21. ↑ "2015 People's Choice Awards".
  22. ↑ Johnson, Zach (July 8, 2015). "Teen Choice Awards 2015 Nominees: Wave 2 Revealed!". E! Online . Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  23. ↑ "VOTE NOW! AfterEllen March Madness 2016: Round One - AfterEllen". AfterEllen. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
  24. ↑ "March Bracket TGC #lgbt". Woobox. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
  25. ↑ "GLAAD Media Awards Nominees #glaadawards". GLAAD. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
  26. ↑ "People's Choice Awards: Fan Favorites in Movies, Music & TV - PeoplesChoice.com". www.peopleschoice.com. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
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