Higher Ground

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 Christiense] pre-[[Star Wars|Anaki]; [[Jewel Stait] pre-[[Firefly|Kayle]; [[Kyle Downe] pre-[[Lizzie McGuire|Tudgema]; A.J. Cook pre-JJ; and [[Kandyse McClur] pre-[[Battlestar Galactica|Duall].

No relation to the [[Crowning Music of Awesome|song with the same nam] by ~~[[Red Hot Chili Pepper]~~ [[Stevie Wonder|Stevi] [[Covered Up|Wonde].

Tropes used in Higher Ground include:

[[A Day in the Limeligh] used to explain a few of the character's backstories
[[Abusive Parent]
The Alcoholic both of Daisy's parents...to the point of them breaking perfume bottles to get their fix
[[Amazing Freaking Grac] The sheet music was part of Daisy's solo trek package; Jewel Staite sings it at the end of the ep.
[[Backstor] 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 Ou] Scott near the end of the last episode
- Daisy does this to her dad over her mother's (fresh) grave.
[[Cloudcuckoolande] David, who actually has ADD
[[Cut Shor] subverted, in that the series was canceled after its first season and still managed to wrap up all the major plot threads.
[[Deadpan Snarke]: Daisy and Ezra.
[[Dogged Nice Gu]: Ezra. He plagiarized [[Romeo and Julie] so he'd impress Daisy. She does not reciprocate.
[[Golf Clubbin] 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.
[[Jerkas]/Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Shelby. Possibly Scott as well, though he's generally a bit nicer.
[[Law of Inverse Fertilit]: 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 Dyslexi]: Auggie, who is nearly illiterate, is discoverd to be dyslexic by Hannah in an early episode.
[[Loveable Rogu] Ezra
[[Parental Inces] step-parental incest, actually
[[Popularity Food Chai]: Discussed a few times; the Cliffhangers are fully aware that, at any other school, Lovable Jock Scott and [[Spoiled Swee] Juliette would not be friends with, much less dating, say, white trash Shelby or [[Delinquen] Auggie.
[[Rape as Backstor] Scott, Shelby, and her younger sister Jess.
[[School Pla] [[Romeo and Julie], as rewritten by Ezra; Scott and Shelby, of course, play the [[Star-Crossed Lover]
[[Self-Har]: Juliette is a cutter.
[[Six-Student Cliqu]:
- Scott -- The Brains
- Auggie -- The Brawn
- Ezra -- The Quirk
- Juliette -- The Pretty One
- Shelby -- The Smart One
- Daisy -- The Wild One
- Kat -- [[The Obi-Wa]
  - Flipped a little bit as Scott and Shelby line up rather than Scott and Juliette.
[[Stepford Snarke]: Daisy and Shelby often use sarcasm as a defense mechanism. Ezra could qualify as one, but he's probably better described as a [[Sad Clow].
[[Too Soo] / [[Out of Orde]: "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 Cut] EVERYBODY
[["Well Done, Son" Gu] Peter's father
Why Couldn't You Be Different?

[[Category:Canadian Serie] [[Category:Live-Action TV of the 2000] [[Category:Western Animatio]