You probably remember the 1999 movie. Heath Ledger singing on the bleachers, Julia Stiles' tearful poem, and the perfect late-90s soundtrack. It’s iconic. But then there’s the 10 things i hate about you tv show, a weirdly charming 2009 reboot that most people have completely scrubbed from their memory.
Honestly, that’s a shame.
The show wasn't just some lazy cash grab. It premiered on ABC Family during that golden era of "guilty pleasure" teen dramas, tucked right between Greek and The Secret Life of the American Teenager. It survived for exactly 20 episodes before getting the axe, but those 20 episodes were surprisingly sharp. It captured a specific brand of cynical, witty energy that the movie excelled at, even without the star power of Ledger or Stiles.
The Impossible Task of Replacing Icons
Let’s be real: trying to recast Patrick Verona and Kat Stratford is a suicide mission. Heath Ledger basically redefined the "bad boy with a heart of gold" trope, and Julia Stiles was the ultimate 90s alt-girl.
But the 10 things i hate about you tv show didn't try to clone them.
Lindsey Shaw took on Kat Stratford. If you grew up on Nickelodeon, you knew her as Moze from Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide. She brought a different, almost more aggressive edge to Kat. While Stiles was coolly detached, Shaw’s Kat was a fireball—a loud, unapologetic feminist who would literally lobby the school board over paper waste.
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Then there was Ethan Peck. Yes, Gregory Peck’s grandson.
He had the impossible job of playing Patrick. He didn't have Ledger’s chaotic charm; instead, he played Patrick as a deep-voiced, brooding enigma. It worked because it felt more like a real high schooler and less like a movie character. He was scary, sure, but he also felt like a kid who just wanted to be left alone.
It Wasn't Just a Movie Remake
The show took a huge risk by changing the setup. In the movie, the Stratford sisters are established at Padua High. In the series, they’re the new kids. They’ve just moved from Ohio to California, which gives the show a "fish out of water" vibe that the film never had.
This allowed the writers to build a whole new world.
- Bianca Stratford (Meaghan Martin) wasn't just a vapid girl who wanted to date; she was a social strategist. She was obsessed with climbing the social ladder at a school where she didn't know anyone.
- Cameron James (Nicholas Braun) wasn't the smooth-ish Joseph Gordon-Levitt type. He was a giant, awkward nerd. Watching a pre-Succession Nicholas Braun stumble through high school is honestly one of the best parts of the show in retrospect.
- Chastity Church (Dana Davis) replaced the movie's Joey Donner as the primary antagonist. She was the head cheerleader and a total tyrant, making Bianca’s life a living hell.
The showrunners, led by Carter Covington, really wanted it to feel like a John Hughes movie every week. They kept the rapid-fire dialogue and the biting social commentary, but they expanded on the things a 90-minute movie couldn't touch.
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Why it Actually Deserved a Second Season
Ratings. It always comes down to the numbers.
The 10 things i hate about you tv show started strong. It had the biggest comedy debut for ABC Family at the time, pulling in 1.6 million viewers. Critics actually liked it too—it currently sits with an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. People loved the chemistry between Shaw and Peck.
But then the network moved it.
When the show returned for the second half of its first season in 2010, the audience had moved on. Ratings tanked, dropping below a million viewers. On April 29, 2010, Covington announced on Twitter that the show was canceled.
The worst part? It ended on a massive cliffhanger.
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In the final episode, "The Next Big Thing," Kat and Patrick finally get together, but Bianca’s world is falling apart. Covington later revealed in interviews that if Season 2 had happened, he wanted to explore Kat and Patrick actually trying to be a couple—something the movie never got to show. He also planned to have the sisters’ mother show up, which would have explained a lot about why their dad, Walter (played by the returning Larry Miller!), was so paranoid.
The Larry Miller Connection
Speaking of Larry Miller, he was the only bridge between the movie and the show. He reprised his role as Walter Stratford, the overprotective, OB-GYN father.
"I'm pregnant!"
"No, you're not!"
Having him back gave the show a sense of legitimacy. He played the character exactly the same way—obsessed with teen pregnancy and convinced that every boy at Padua High was a predator. His presence made the show feel like a spiritual successor rather than a reboot. It was the connective tissue that kept the old fans interested while the new cast found their footing.
Why You Should Care Now
Looking back, the show was ahead of its time. It dealt with school security, environmentalism, and social hierarchies in a way that felt authentic to the late 2000s without being too "preachy."
If you're a fan of the movie, the series offers a "what if" scenario. What if Kat stayed in high school longer? What if Bianca was actually the smart one when it came to people? It’s a fun, 20-episode binge that doesn't demand much but gives back plenty of laughs and genuine heart.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans:
- Stream it on Hulu or Disney+: Most regions still have the full 20 episodes available. It’s a quick watch.
- Check out Nicholas Braun’s early work: If you only know him as Cousin Greg from Succession, seeing him as the nerdy Cameron is a trip.
- Look up Carter Covington’s interviews: He’s been very open about what Season 2 would have looked like, providing some much-needed closure for that cliffhanger ending.
- Compare the "Poem" scenes: Lindsey Shaw has her own version of the iconic "10 Things" poem later in the series. It’s worth seeing how she puts her own spin on it.
The show may be a footnote in the grand history of the franchise, but for those who watched it, it remains a cult classic that ended way too soon.