Point Pleasant



Point Pleasant was a fairly standard Teen Drama in the vein of The OC and Dawsons Creek, with one fairly small difference: the central character?

She's the Antichrist.

Having given her dad the slip, a teenage girl named Christina Nickson washes up in the Quirky Town of Point Pleasant, New Jersey, a place with a dark and mysterious history resulting from the various demonic influences. Unfortunately, her dad is the ultimate Meddling Parents, Satan, and he's sent his various representatives to ensure that her life circumstances inevitably direct her toward growing up to be an Antichrist that Daddy would be proud of.

Created by former Buffy the Vampire Slayer writer Marti Noxon, this supernatural teen drama initially drew in much of that show's fandom and enjoyed a popular premiere. However, Point Pleasant's soapy, Omen-meets-OC vibe was drastically different from that of Buffy, turning off much of the show's built-in audience. The show only made it halfway through its first and only season before falling off the face of the Earth.

This show provides examples of:

 * The Antichrist: Christina, a rare female example.
 * Anti Anti Christ: And she's got a foster family and a Catholic priest trying to keep her from turning evil.
 * California Doubling: For New Jersey... and it shows. Point Pleasant is a family-oriented beach resort, has no piers, and about the only thing it shares with Orange County, California is its political conservatism. As a matter of fact, nothing about this show seems to represent any understanding of either the town or the Jersey Shore in general. Local residents -- and the entire state for that matter -- were not pleased, to say the least.
 * Cosmic Deadline: This arguably worked out for the best. When it became evident that the show was going to be cancelled, the writers started rushing to resolve things, and the results were actually kind of thrilling. Prior to this, the show had featured a demon-sponsored dance-off with the characters facing the horror of... a disco ball coming unscrewed.
 * Joisey: It was a big deal in New Jersey that this show was set on the Shore. Then we found out that they Did Not Do the Research, and that Hollywood's idea of the Jersey Shore was basically "Southern California, but with lighthouses and boardwalks instead of palm trees."
 * It could have been worse. This could have come out after MTV's Jersey Shore and gone with the "hair gel and fist pumping" image of the state. Then again, come to think of it... the Antichrist vs. guidoes... and in an age where supernatural teen dramas are more popular... this show needs a remake.
 * Meaningful Name: Christina. And her last name, Nickson, literally means "Nick's son" (or daughter, as is the case here).
 * Meddling Parents: Perhaps the ultimate meddling parent.
 * Number of the Beast: The strange birthmark on Christina's eye is three sixes merged together into a ring-like shape.
 * Screwed By the Network: They gave it 13 episodes, then killed it. Fair enough given its less-than-spectacular Ratings, but certainly fitting given that Tru Calling, which had most of the same cast and director, was sacked similarly.
 * Sexy Priest: Father Thomas
 * Sign of the Apocalypse: It's a joke...I think...
 * Supernatural Soap Opera
 * Villain Protagonist: Christina at the end of the series.
 * Walking Wasteland: Happens briefly to the potted plants in one scene where Christina is walking out of a hospital.
 * X Meets Y: Early ads for this show advertised it as "The Omen meets The OC," a comparison also used on this very page.
 * You Can't Fight Fate