The CW's 'Glamorous' Sounds Like It Might Become Your Favorite New Drama
For generations, the CW has brought fans some of the wildest, soapiest dramas to screens all around the world. The latest entry into the legacy of Gossip Girl and Riverdale is a new show called Glamorous, and it puts a whole new twist on the genre. In fact, with all the buzz surrounding the new series, the CW's Glamorous just might be your new favorite drama.
A lot of teen dramas on The CW feature characters in traditional gender roles. There are the fashion-forward, girly socialites like Gossip Girl's Blair and Serena, and the football-playing heartthrobs like Archie on Riverdale. Glamorous, on the other hand, is taking a whole new approach to gender. Glamorous tells the story of a gender non-conforming teenager named Marco who bashes a makeup company on their YouTube channel, but ends up getting the opportunity of a lifetime as an intern at the company.
When Glamorous airs, it will be first U.S. scripted TV show to ever have a gender non-conforming lead character, meaning that the character doesn't identify as male or female. According to USA Today, more teenagers than ever before identify as transgender or gender non-conforming. About 3 percent of 9th, 10th, and 11th graders identify with a different gender than the one they were assigned at birth. It's so important for young people to be able to see themselves represented in the media, and Glamorous is taking a huge step in making TV shows look more like the world today's teens live in.
In addition to having a groundbreaking premise, Glamorous also boasts a star-studded cast and crew. Ben J. Pierce will star in the series as Marco, the lead teenage YouTube star. Pierce is pretty perfectly cast as his character. He rose to fame as a YouTube beauty vlogger himself and has used his platform to champion the LGBTQ community, even documenting his own experience of coming out as gay. Fans might recognize Pierce from his guest star role on Fuller House, playing the show's first gay character.
Peyton List, from Disney Channel's Bunk'd and Jessie, will also star in the new series. Per Deadline:
List will play AlyssaSays, an over-the-top YouTube personality with a competitive edge who finds an unexpected home at the same cosmetics firm as Marco.
It sounds like List's character will provide a bit a of conflict for Pierce's, but in real life the cast seems to already be getting close. On her Instagram, List said, "Couldn’t be more thrilled to be joining the ‘Glamorous’ fam. 😭🙈"
Glamorous has also got some seasoned pros behind it. The supermodel-turned-CEO of the makeup company will be played by Brooke Shields, who began her career as an actress in the 1980s. She played iconic teen roles in movies like The Blue Lagoon and Endless Love, so she'll probably have some tips and tricks to share with the teens working on Glamorous.
Famous faces are also working behind the scenes on Glamorous. The series is produced by Damon Wayans Jr., who many fans know from his time in front of the camera on shows like New Girl and Happy Together. Eva Longoria, who starred on Desperate Housewives for years will be directing the first episode.
There's no word yet on when Glamorous will premieres, but I know I'll have my eyes glued to the screen when it does.
