Higher Ground

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Top: Sully--er, Peter, Sophie, Anakin--er, Scott, JJ--er, Shelby, Dualla--er, Kat; Bottom: Auggie, Juliette, Tudgeman--er, Ezra, Kaylee--er, Daisy, Joe--er, Frank.

Airing in 2000, Higher Ground broke the conventions of a high school drama focusing on just the most troubled kids by giving them their own school. Mount Horizon is a rehabilitation school in the Pacific Northwest where troubled teens who have been abused, involved in drugs, prostitution, or gangs learn to grow in a safe environment. The series focuses on a group of students called the Cliffhangers, each with their own story and troubles.

Originally a Joe Lando vehicle, the series may be more well known for some of the actors who played the Cliffhangers: Hayden Christiensen pre-Anakin; Jewel Staite pre-Kaylee; Kyle Downes pre-Tudgeman; A.J. Cook pre-JJ; and Kandyse McClure pre-Dualla.

No relation to the song with the same name by Red Hot Chili Peppers Stevie Wonder.

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The show provides examples of

• A Day in The Limelight used to explain a few of the character's backstories
• Abusive Parents
• The Alcoholic both of Daisy's parents...to the point of them breaking perfume bottles to get their fix
• Amazing Freaking Grace The sheet music was part of Daisy's solo trek package; Jewel Staite sings it at the end of the ep.
• Backstory each of the Cliffhanger's pasts, as well as the reasons for their being sent to Horizon, are gradually revealed over the course of the series
• Calling the Old Man Out Scott near the end of the last episode
  • Daisy does this to her dad over her mother's (fresh) grave.
• Cloudcuckoolander David, who actually has ADD
• Cut Short subverted, in that the series was canceled after its first season and still managed to wrap up all the major plot threads.
• Deadpan Snarker: Daisy and Ezra.
• Dogged Nice Guy: Ezra. He plagiarized Romeo and Juliet so he'd impress Daisy. She does not reciprocate.
• Golf Clubbing Daisy's sent to Horizon after hitting her father in the head with a seven iron.
• Goth Daisy; forced out of the makeup and black hair dye on Day 1.
• Hollywood Tone Deaf Averted. Peter loses a bet and has to sing YMCA; he clearly mostly knows the song, but he just isn't quite hitting the notes.
• Jerkass/Jerk With a Heart of Gold: Shelby. Possibly Scott as well, though he's generally a bit nicer.
• Law of Inverse Fertility: Sophie very loves Peter and wants kids with him...the problem is, she has severe endometriosis, which pretty much rules out her getting pregnant. She actually refuses Peter's marriage proposal at first because of this.
• L Is for Dyslexia: Auggie, who is nearly illiterate, is discoverd to be dyslexic by Hannah in an early episode.
• Loveable Rogue Ezra
• Parental Incest step-parental incest, actually
• Popularity Food Chain: Discussed a few times; the Cliffhangers are fully aware that, at any other school, Lovable Jock Scott and Spoiled Sweet Juliette would not be friends with, much less dating, say, white trash Shelby or Delinquent Auggie.
• Rape As Backstory Scott, Shelby, and her younger sister Jess.
• School Play Romeo and Juliet, as rewritten by Ezra; Scott and Shelby, of course, play the Star-Crossed Lovers
• Self -Harm: Juliette is a cutter.
• Six-Student Clique:
  • Scott -- The Brains
  • Auggie -- The Brawn
  • Ezra -- The Quirk
  • Juliette -- The Pretty One
  • Shelby -- The Smart One
  • Daisy -- The Wild One
  • Kat -- The Obi-Wan
    • Flipped a little bit as Scott and Shelby line up rather than Scott and Juliette.
• Stepford Snarker: Daisy and Shelby often use sarcasm as a defense mechanism. Ezra could qualify as one, but he's probably better described as a Sad Clown.
• Too Soon / Out of Order: "Hope Falls" was originally supposed to be aired fifth, but was pushed back a month because its main plot, a student committing suicide, coincided with a high-profile teen suicide. The problem? It's also the episode where Daisy is introduced.
• Troubled but Cute EVERYBODY
• "Well Done, Son" Guy Peter's father
• Why Couldn't You Be Different?