'South of Nowhere': An Appreciation, Part 1 - Paley Matters
/For creator Tom Lynch, the groundbreaking teen drama was one from the heart.
Never sure if it’s a compliment or an insult to refer to a show as hugely underappreciated, but either way I’m calling South of Nowhere exactly that. Airing on The N (a nighttime programming block on Noggin that eventually mutated into TeenNick) from 2005 to 2008, the series was fearless, dauntlessly tackling a panoply of hot-button issues, including race, gun violence, addiction, abortion, and sexual identity — and that was just in the first episode (kidding!). South of Nowhere took huge, huge risks, and television is way better for it. The show preached (but in a very nonpreachy way) empathy, acceptance, and love (hmmm, maybe time for a reboot?)…