Taina

I would just like to say that I love this show. OK its childish and a bit far-fetched at times but it is still a good kids show. The title song is also good and I like it how it is showing Latin-American culture because usually it is either Black-American, White-American, British or Black-British (I'm biased to the last one). However it shows most of the above (minus British stuff). A very good show which doesn't get the credit is deserves. *****- 5 stars.

This teen sitcom follows the adventures of Taina in high school etc. She dreams of being a famous singer one day and has to content with competition from other singers in the school and other things that come her way. But with the support of her family, her best friend Renee and the goofy Lamar and Daniel, she usually overcomes.

OK – lets look at this in a fair balanced light. This programme is for pre-teens, pre-teens don't want that don't want demanding stimulating programmes. Pre-teens like junk food, they like mass produced, manufactured food and clothes that don't make them stand out from their friends as being geeky or different in an uncool way. To meet that audience Nickelodeon produce sitcoms by formula – only changing a few basics such as setting, cast and usually ethnic make up of the cast. There's nothing wrong with that is there? If that's what the audience want then where's the harm?

OK – enough `fair and balanced' what do I think of this? I think it's rubbish – pure and simple. It's nothing more than a rehash of Moesha and every other teen sitcom ever made. The Moesha bit is recreated by Taina being an aspiring singer (clearly hoping for a real life career too) – but, oh, its different because she's Hispanic and not black – a whole new demographic group makes it a different, original show yeah? No!

The plots are the same basic set ups as in every other sitcom – they are so weak that they can barely stretch to fill the short 23 odd minute running time. Here they delivered with very little conviction either – it's like everyone knows that they just retreading old ground and are not even bothered! The recorded laughter covers the embarrassed silences well – certainly I rarely laugh out loud when the jokes are told.

The characters are cliched – Tai and Renee are `sassy and streetwise' – not exactly breaking the mould. And of course we have two goofy characters (Lamar and Daniel) who have their own short subplots to help make up the time but also provide more of the out and out comedy (in theory) beside the main comedy/message story. They also cover all ethnic bases as well.....hmmmmm....wonder if that was just a fluke of casting.....

Vidal tries hard as Taina – but she can't act….she can do the TV acting of look sad, look sassy etc but she can't do anything different from anyone else – even her songs sound just like any other teen in the charts…great, all we need is another manufactured act feeding off the publicity of a TV show…… Adams is OK but again just does what it said on her box – she is only a sassy side kick after all. Knowings and Cohen are just a waste of space – their subplots are rarely funny, rarely have anywhere to go and often just stop rather than come to a conclusion – it's clear from both of them that the casting director just wanted a black guy and a white guy who could `do wacky'. They can't even do that well.

Overall this will please the pre-teen audience it's aimed at. But really this is lazy TV making. I think that if this is what we give kids growing up then they settle for this type of manufactured dross when they get older….and that's why Baywatch and the like are the most watched TV shows in the US while Woody Allen struggles to get a hit movie (despite being the toast of the much more discerning Europe). Please – don't let this set the standard of your viewing.

I just watched the Pilot(I taped it) and it seems like it will be a pretty good Nick show. Christina Vidal plays the lead role as Taina(duh). She is a freshman in a Performing Arts Highschool in NYC(woo baby!!). She daydreams and has a very very strong desire to become famous(as do I in some respects). Being that I only have one episode to go on this is all I can give you. Christina has a very good singing voice as shown in the series(we'll get to hear more of it). The show will basically give you Taina's journey through life ,Highschool and her quest for fame. I can't really comment much on the other characters but I did notice Karen Fraction from My Brother and Me as the ballet instructor. I'll hijack Ebert and give it a thumb up.

***a little sidenote** Christina Vidal has lived Taina's life to an extent being that she is also a NYer(woo !!) and she also went to a performing arts highschool. I hope people can latch themselves onto this series because it is very good.

This is yet another cheaply produced Nick series. It is aimed at Nick's target audience, which means younger teens and below. This show isn't one of the best, not one of the worst. It really has no point, and the only reason I've seen any of it is because of the girl who plays Taina herself. She's really pretty, so it might work some people. I usually find that I need some sort of a solid story to keep watching a beautiful girl. With no story, it gets kind of old. The production values aren't very high...but it's Nick, and most kids aren't going to care, or even notice. A lot of Nick shows are decent, some even really good, but this is just lacking. 4/10

I first saw the show around episode 3 or 4, I think, and the line that had me hooked was when Renee said,"Maritza, shouldn't you slither away some where and eat your young?" [Something like that] This show is hillarious, and what makes me laugh so much more is that the show moved production to CA for their second season and I got to be an extra. They are just as funny on set as they are on the show. In some respects even more funnier. Even though I am barely legal, this show is great for all ages. I know it's cheasy but it truely is family programming, and that's one thing that Nickelodeon has always done. Thank You.