CliqueClackVH1’s Hit the Floor should hit the showers
VH1’s new drama, ‘Hit the Floor,’ is like ‘Bring it On’ meets ‘Smash.’ But that isn’t a good thing.
VH1’s Hit the Floor surrounds ingénue dancer, Ahsha Hayes (Taylour Paige). After graduating from college, she blows off a sensible job interview to audition for the Devil Girls basketball dance team. However, it isn’t all sunshine and lollipops. The head cheerleader, Jelena (Logan Browning), has it out for her. Plus, her mother, Sloane (Kimberly Elise) a former Devil Girl, fears the NBA lifestyle could detrimentally affect her daughter. The show seems better-suited for MTV than VH1, but I’m up in the air about it. While it features Dean Cain and the amazing Kimberly Elise (John Q, The Manchurian Candidate), a woman whose early career seemed Oscar-bound; the writing veers towards the hackneyed and stereotypical. The show itself has surprisingly low production value considering it could appeal to the MTV generation, The Game viewers and Bring It On lovers.
The Bad
When at its worst, Hit the Floor channels Smash – soap opera-y, over-dramatic and wasting the talent of older cast members. Like Smash, we have a head mean girl desperate to protect her top spot from an encroaching newcomer. Like Smash, the new girl has an established boyfriend but feels drawn to a character with higher ranking. Like Smash, there’s too much insecure verbal signposting from the writers. EVERY SINGLE character compliments Ahsha’s dance style so that we know she’s good. Personally, I was disappointed. The dance style was more athletic with hints of classical dance. Her dance-off solo consisted of a series of fouettes and cartwheels. Is it impressive? Sure. But, it didn’t fit in with the aggressive hip-hop, attitude-laced dance style of her teammates.
Like Smash, we have a newcomer enamoured with the genre, without having done ANY research on it. Ahsha’s mother CONSISTENTLY analogizes the Devil Girls with several layers in hell. So, of course, Ahsha is SHOCKED when the team captain targets her. Why does TV consistently believe we need a naïve female protagonist who lacks common sense? Ahsha is like Gidget on steroids. The stumbling/giggling is adorable at first, but, after awhile you hope she toughens up. We’re supposed to believe she’s smart, but she blows off a job interview IN THIS ECONOMY? Has anyone heard of rescheduling? I would’ve preferred Ahsha joining the team to unmake her mother’s bad memories or joining because the Devil Girls represent the strongest dancers/most challenging choreography out of existing NBA professional dance teams. Instead, she just wanted to join … just because. Considering the other characters have clear goals – the single mother needs the job, the former stripper hates dollar tips and the head cheerleader wants a legacy, I would’ve loved a similar goal from our lead character.
Dean Cain doesn’t just phone it in, he telegraphs it in using two cans tied together with string. It’s like he’s done so many made-for-TV rom coms, he no longer cares. Then again, his dialogue is run of the mill nice guy blandness to the point of unreality. It’s awesome having an anti-sexual objectification basketball coach, but I doubt any former NBA player would complain about cheerleader commodification. He supports the single mother dancer and is a single guy undergoing divorce yet fears moving forward. Of course he is.
Dance-wise, I’m glad they cast speaking cast members with dance backgrounds. But, Jelena’s intimidation dance solo primarily consisted of hair flipping and floor humping. While she does the hot girl in motion well, I wanted to see more of a technical dance skills competition between herself and her newfound rival.
The Good
Concerning dance, the professional dance cast is amazing. The group dance and first round audition routines rocked the party. The only solo that stood out came from a non-speaking dance cast member. If you’re a red-blooded male/female looking for a show with eye candy, this is an incredibly hot cast. ALL of the women are incredible-looking. And, not just the speaking characters or the younger characters, EVERYONE in the cast looks like a Megan Fox or Meaghan Good doppelganger. Plus, the 40-something “adult” cast including Charlotte Ross, Dean Cain and Kimberly Elise look like they’re in their early-to-mid-30s. If your friends have low self-esteem, don’t watch it with them. Trust me.
Lest I’m all doom and gloom, the show has potential. Taylour does the bubbly girl next door well. Kimberly Elise is amazing. If Dean Cain stops phoning it in from his barcalounger, he and Kimberly Elise could have amazing chemistry. Jonathan McDaniel as Ahsha’s boyfriend brings a great, adorable, guy next door charm. You want these two crazy kids to work. But, Derek Roman is hot as Ahsha’s temptation. Katherine Bailess worked as the bitchy former stripper. We’re supposed to believe her character’s a weak dancer. While her dance-off solo was bad, there are a couple crowd shots where she works it.
Hit the Floor isn’t my cup of tea, but I’ll probably continue watching it because I love dance. If you liked The Game, Bring it On or Smash you might like this. But, if the show wants to improve, it should continue to up the self-awareness. The cheerleading coach admits Ahsha’s bubbly dance style is less sexual, but feels it’ll attract different followers. Also, producers/writers/directors please make your lead more realistic and less naive, up Dean Cain’s charisma, and stop making the same mistakes as Smash’s writers. Despite Glee’s success, the American public really doesn’t want bad acting set to music. Just ask Smash.
Hit the Floor officially premieres May 27. You can check out the full video on-line https://www.vh1.com/shows/hit_the_floor/series.jhtml.
