Samantha Best

I bought this series at a DVD blowout for (cheap), for two seasons. I was hyped! Something new and I love getting quirky cancelled shows for my collection of failed series.

Then I watched the first episode. I sat back and thought "Just my luck: I never would have watched the second episode if I had seen this on T.V." Unfortunately, I had opened the DVDs so no returns. I was determined to get hours of entertainment for my money! I stuck through the bad all the way to the end, and actually found some good.

I think the really good part of the show was lost on its audience: the changes from, shall we say, Santa's Nice to Naughty List and back. Sure, everyone appreciates some of the witty lines (not many, but the ones in there have made their way into my conversations... it's not like anyone has seen the show so no one knows I'm stealing). However, the real intelligence of the series lies in how the heroes and heroines would be the put-out or even victims one week, then the next week even deserve the observations from their comrades in story lines over fluid refreshment: "you do know you're the @$$h0le in your story, right?" (pretty sure that was a direct quote; if not, it is definitely something everyone with real friends will hear after a 'debriefing' at some point in life.) Yes, the "evil" trouble-makers would have reasons, and the saints proved to be less than saintly; we know this. More importantly, the protagonists would be honourable one week and downright mean or selfish the next, making all sorts of wrong decisions. That is people, that is life and that is certainly university. It is a lesson the younger people could have used and us older people could have used a reminder. Mostly, I just like how it actually reflects life.

However, this show should have been cancelled. It was overly dramatic from the beginning. That can be okay, if you just commit to the idea that sometimes people end up in extreme circumstances, but then humongous events would just drop from consciousness where they would, in reality, form the basis for very different behaviours. I found myself wanting to scream at the screen (because writers and producers can hear you through the television) "you just established why that character wouldn't do that!" Also, the characters they lost from the first season to the second took away from the show; I hope they lost the actors to other projects, because they were seriously wrong if they thought that was a good writing decision.

Bottom line: the show had a lot of potential but decided to never live up to it. Oh, wait, maybe that is many university students... nah, the show was written by adults: they could have done much better.

Samantha Best (Charity Shea) is a college freshman in Boston. She must navigate her way thru school and personal obstacles.

The first problem is that Charity does not look like a teen college freshman. She was 23 at the start of the show, and she looked at least that age if not older. That goes for most of the other cast members also. The second problem is the soapy stories in an all too fake college environment. The pilot started with an interesting and daring plot line. But it devolves into nothing more than just another college soap opera. The third problem is the many actors turnovers. Siu Ta was a major character and a major storyline. But she's ejected midway in season 1, and never heard from again. And that's not counting the big turnover from season 1 to 2.

Now the good, the actors are a likable lot. Even with mediocre material, they made some watchable TV. To be realistic, 21 episodes is more than enough for this show.

I just happened to see a few episodes of this particular show and when I found out it was a show made in Canada about Americans going to a prominent College in the USA I was surprised. It's bad enough that there are so few Canadian dramas and or comedies on TV without having to deal with Canadian shows that are about "Americans Livining in the USA." The female lead-I think she was called Charity Shea-is obviously a talented new actress who didn't seem to do anything else after this show was canceled/canceled, however you want to spell it. I detected more than a slight sense of the show being an 'Ode to Daddy Warbucks' type of thinking which I thought was a bit off target where the modern nuclear family is concerned-no matter where its located. I guess you can't win them all.

ii have been waiting for a whole year for this show to come back on... and the N had the nerve to cancel it... ii don't understand why because it was like the best show ever... ii mean ii loved it... ii hope they change their minds and bring the show back for many seasons to come... ii mean ii was actually home in time to watch this show every week... ii seriously hope that the N realizes what a great show they had and they bring it back... ii think ii speak for a lot of people when ii say ii miss coming home to watch "The Best Years" every Friday.. to all of the cast of this show ii wish you well and ii hope to see you on the N soon...

Wow. I cannot believe that The N canceled this show! The characters in the show were amazingly developed and the drama was real. All of the cast definitely played their roles well. Many of the characters were likable and there was always a feeling of relativity to at least one character. The N truly made a mistake in saying this show non demographic. It's really disappointing that this gem was scratched off the board before even giving it a decent run. Hopefully this doesn't happen to Degrassi or South of Nowhere. They better come out with a DVD for the series. Good luck to the cast. We miss you guys!

BRING THE SHOW BACK!