TV Review - Julie and the Phantoms

This series is an adaptation of a Brazilian show on that country's Nickelodeon cable channel. The premise is about a teenage girl who meets three, slightly older, male ghosts and they inspire her to get back into music. Producing and writing partners, Dan Cross and David Hoge adapted the series. Cross and Hoge are two guys whose career together have been working on TV shows aimed at children. Their previous series, which they created, was Pair of Kings (2010), a series that aired on Disney XD. That series focused on teenagers. One of whom came from Hannah Montana, a popular teen sitcom. However, Cross and Hoge's work for the most part is aimed at kids who aren't even teens, but from teens to kids as young as 7. As such, their work is very silly, juvenile and the humor is very elementary school. As such, this series is perfectly fine as a diversion for people under the age of 14. It still doesn't compare to Glee (2009). Yet, if you're a person who is a fan of Hannah Montana, then this series is right up your alley.

It's not up my alley, so I'm more inclined to criticize. However, the direction of Kenny Ortega (High School Musical and Gilmore Girls) is superb. The look and the feel of the series is on point. Ortega has a long career, over 30 years, of being a choreographer and working on films and concerts for huge musical acts. Therefore, the musical numbers here are very well done. Namely, the songs and the performances are solid to top-notch. For example, the first track we hear is "Now or Never" and it's a very catchy and strong song. Even for one who isn't a fan of punk or rock music, the song is very much enjoyable and convinces you that care was taken into this soundtrack.

Madison Reyes, in her screen debut, stars as Julie Molina, a teenage musician who can play the piano and has a great voice. Yet, she's reluctant to use that voice or play her instrument because her piano actually belonged to her mother. Sadly, her mother has passed away. Her mother was the one who likely taught her how to play music, so Julie feels not inclined to go back to it. Her friend tries to encourage her, but she holds back. She even has a crush on a boy who is an athlete and a musician, not unlike the character played by Zac Efron in High School Musical. Julie's crush even looks like a young Zac Efron from that movie. She's too shy to tell him how she feels. It doesn't help that her crush is dating a mean-girl cheerleader.

Things change when Julie finds a music CD that when she plays summons the ghosts of three young musicians who died in 1995, exactly 25 years ago. The three musicians are part of a rock band called Sunset Curve. They're all white and they all look in their early 20's. Julie is Latina or Hispanic and she's in high school, probably 14 or 15 but no older than 16. Obviously, there are plenty of teenage girls around her age who are musicians who play shows or concerts with band members who are older. Hannah Montana was a series that starred Miley Cyrus who herself became a musical performer when she was that young, but the people around her had more awareness of the band members. The premise here is that Julie is the only one who can see and talk to these young men who can just pop into her bedroom any time they please. The idea of a 14-year-old girl being around college-age boys might be a little odd for some.

Charlie Gillespie (Charmed and Degrassi: Next Class) co-stars as Luke, the lead singer of Sunset Curve. Even though the actor is in his early 20's, Luke is supposed to be 17 or 18, so not technically college-age or that much older than Julie. He and his band die in 1995. Even if he were only 17, if he had lived, he would be around the age of Julie's father. The show doesn't push the flirtation between them too far in this first season, but it's obvious that's where they're going. At first, it doesn't seem like much of a romance when the two literally can't touch each other, but the end of the first season eliminates that problem.

As a fan of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer (1997), I suppose I can't complain too much about a teenage girl's relationship with an older guy who's supernatural. Buffy and Angel's relationship was meant to be darker and more challenged. It ultimately became untenable while Buffy was still in high school and even after she got older, that relationship was abandoned. Given the guys in Sunset Curve are mostly asexual in their actions and depictions, it's not as much of a concern.

Owen Joyner (Knight Squad and 100 Things to Do Before High School) also co-stars as Alex, the drummer of Sunset Curve. Alex is openly gay, which is a character trait you don't normally get for shows on Nickelodeon from where Joyner originates or even most shows on Disney Channel. The word gay is never spoken, but Alex's interest in boys and not girls is very clear and the show handles it all without an once of homophobia, unlike Glee. However, it still feels like executives at Nickelodeon and Disney are still pulling the strings here.

Yes, Alex seemingly has a romantic interest in another ghost named Willie, played by Booboo Stewart (X-Men: Days of Future Past and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse). Willie is a long-haired, fun-loving skateboarder, and the scenes between Alex and Willie are cute and adorable, but they still feel neutered and asexual enough that the two of them could still be accused of being straight and platonic friends, as opposed to potential lovers. The most they do is hug, not even a kiss. Granted, Julie and Luke never kiss either, but again that wouldn't be possible, given that he's a ghost and she's a "lifer," so she would pass through him like he's a cloud or a puff of smoke. Alex and Willie can actually touch, but they don't get to kiss, which felt incredibly lame.

Going back to the premise, the idea of these boy ghosts interacting with Julie opens up a bunch of questions that the series doesn't want to approach. It dances around the obvious question. Julie's mother died, so why does these white boys get to interact with Julie and not her mother? The gimmick is that ghosts are still on Earth and not Heaven or Hell because they have "unfinished business." It's not explored what caused Julie's mother to die, but how could she not have unfinished business? Also, the idea that these white boys are the ones who get Julie to pursue her dream of music pushes it into white savior mode a bit. Plus, the idea that in death the most important thing is these guys playing music feels like the height of frivolity.

Rated TV-G.
Running Time: 30 mins. / 9 eps.

Available on Netflix.