(S01E08) It's a bit ironic when the show that ends up being your unexpected series finale is called "Second Chances." Unfortunately there will be no second chances for Hidden Palms, and this ends up being the swan song for the series. I was fortunate enough to meet Sharon Lawrence at a party recently, and she said the show definitely isn't coming back. Curse you, CW! Now where will I turn for my need for teens in angst-ridden TV shows? Oh, thats right ... The CW.

(S01E07) Well, speak of the devil. Last episode I was wishing for Jesse Jo to pop in and drop his Southern-style of sass all over the place. Sadly, he was nowhere to be found. But this episode opens with Jesse Jo in rare form. He's having Nikki tease up his wig collection to keep her mind off of Cliff, when Cliff himself appears at the door. He asks if he can speak to Nikki, and Jesse tells him, "I wuz wonderin' what you'd look like with a round of buckshot in your narrow behind." Zing!

(S01E06) Whoa. At first I felt like I'd been riding a roller coaster during this episode, then it turned into a merry-go-round that kept spinning and wouldn't stop. Then I thought I was going to hurl. When it all came to an end, I was left feeling dizzy, lost, and confused. Probably what Johnny feels like on a daily basis.

Seriously, have you ever seen a character in a TV show who is more easy to manipulate than Johnny? Cliff sweet talks him, and he's all chummy with him again. Liza tells him something, then he's doubting Cliff once more. Greta gives him another tidbit of info, and he's not sure if he believes her or not. He's a bit like Hamlet in that respect. If he just would've listened to his dad's ghost and stayed on course, everything would have ended up a-okay.

(S01E05) We get a new guest star this week when Greta's dad (Kyle Secor) pops into town, not only does he know something about Greta's mysterious past (does anyone in town not know about this by now?), but he's a bit of a bastard as well. Suffice it to say, if you find yourself guest-starring on Hidden Palms, your character is probably going to have problems. You'll either be a substance abuser, have something to do with Eddie's murder / suicide, or you'll be part of Johnny's past ... or some combination of the three.

(S01E04) Holy cow ... this episode took a turn for the weird. I really didn't picture Liza as the weirdly stalkery kind of person. That Photoshopped picture of her and Eddie together sure was a slap in the face. Plus, what exactly is she concocting in that garage of hers? I'm a sucker for science geek girls, but I'd also hope they weren't going to end up blowing themselves up at some point, or spend too much time with toxic fumes. I thought we'd find out what Liza beneath, but what she reveals is just about the most predictable thing you could imagine. What happened to all the mystery and intrigue from the pilot?

(S01E03) And we're back! Due to a little syndrome called "My TiVo decided to record the Lifetime channel instead of Hidden Palms," this week's episode review was a bit late. Hopefully you've been tiding yourself over by watching this bee-yotch filled episode a couple of times.

Cliff managed to get popped in the face a couple of times, once by Greta and once by Johnny, but man ... I really wanted to see someone bitchslap the "hee hee I'm a drunken floozy" look right off of Nikki's face. That girl is trouble with a capital Jack Daniels. Who knew she'd be throwing a rager at Johnny's house in the short period of time he took to go see Greta. Plus, wasn't it Cliff who invited all the other delinquents? Still, all things considered, the part I felt the worst about was poor Liza getting snubbed, yet again. At least she got to rub lotion on Johnny this time.

I don't know if I had a premonition, but when I watched the Hidden Palms screener last summer I predicted that the series wouldn't last long. The CW somewhat made my prediction come true earlier this week when they announced the series would wrap up sooner.

Hidden Palms was first slated to be a mid-season show and 13 episodes had been ordered. During production, the show's episode number was lowered to 8 and CW decided to keep it for the summer.

(S01E02) Okay, I should probably point out that I live in Los Angeles, which is a mere two hours from Palm Springs. I've been out to the sunbaked resort-land of palm trees and golf courses ... and the place is hot. I mean, really, really hot. They push triple digits constantly, and everything outside is blasted by the sunlight. If you're not inside sitting inside near an arctic air conditioner, then you're outside trying to stay as submerged as possible in a (hopefully) cool swimming pool.

This episode made me feel some of that heat. When they visit the pool in this episode at the country club, you can almost feel it pouring out of the screen, and you'll start to sweat despite yourself. Am I crazy? Quite possibly. Delirious? For sure ... but I blame it on the heat.

After a few months of being in limbo, The CW's mid-season show Hidden Palms finally gets a premiere date and a timeslot. In a press release sent earlier today, the network announced that the mysterious one-hour drama would debut on Wednesday, May 30 at 8 p.m. The CW is giving this new series a big timeslot as it currently is the home of America's Next Top Model.

The network describes the series as being a multi-generational show that focuses on Johnny Miller, a teen who is struggling to come to terms with two tragedies in the strange and artificial atmosphere of Palm Springs.

When I first started watching The CW's yet-to-be-scheduled midseason replacement Hidden Palms, the first thing I said was "O.C. RIPOFF!" Then I realized that I'd said it out loud, because I was sitting in a Starbucks watching it on my laptop, trying to look like a writer-type at work. After I mumbled an "Oops, sorry ..." I screwed my earbuds back in and gave it another whirl. After two episodes, I have to say I'm sucked in and want to see more. Curse you, Kevin Williamson.