The series centers around "Tower Prep", an isolated boarding school for teenagers with supernatural abilities. The protagonist (Ian Archer) and a group of friends (Gabe Forrest, Suki Sato, and CJ Ward) are unwilling students at the institution, with no memory of how they got there. Throughout the series, they explore the mysteries of Tower Prep in the hope of escaping and returning to their normal lives.
Characters
The cast of Tower Prep (from left to right): Drew Van Acker as Ian Archer, Dyana Liu as Suki Sato, Ryan Pinkston as Gabe Forrest, and Elise Gatien as CJ Ward.
Main
Ian Archer (Drew Van Acker) – Ian, the rebel, has the ability of "Preflex", seeing and reacting to events before they occur,[3] which lets him excel in martial arts.
Candice "CJ" Ward (Elise Gatien) – CJ, the popular girl, has the ability of "Perception", which lets her read people's intentions from their body language.[4]
Gabriel "Gabe" Lexington Forrest (Ryan Pinkston) – Gabe, the class clown, has the ability of "Hypersuasion", which let him talk people into doing whatever he wants.[5]
Suki Sato (Dyana Liu) – Suki, the quiet one, has the ability of "Mimicry", which lets her perfectly imitate any sound she has ever heard.[6]
Tower Prep staff
Headmaster (Ted Whittall) – The mysterious head of Tower Prep, eventually revealed to be CJ's father.
Coach (Dan Payne) – A former student of Tower Prep and a test subject for Corvus H-40, a performance-enhancing substance.
Dr. Specs (Alek Diakun) – Responsible for wiping the memories of new students.
Whisper 119 (voiced by Peggy Jo Jacobs) – The AI responsible for managing the school and contacting new students. Later upgraded to Whisper 120.
Ray Snider (Richard Harmon) – A student with the ability of "Hyper-strength".
Calvin "Cal" Rice (Izaak Smith) – A jock with the ability of enhanced hearing who bullies Ian.
Conner Owens (Andrew Dunbar) – A member of a secret group who assists Ian and his friends.
Cornelius Augustus Tower (David Smith, Matthew Thiessen) – A former magician, WWI fighter pilot, and jazz artist, who founded Tower Prep.
Fenton Capwell (Charlie Carrick) – An opera-loving student.
Emily Wright (Jodi Balfour) – The former class president of Tower Prep.
Minor
Don Finch (Calum Worthy) – Ray Snider's best friend.
Shinji Sato (Terry Chen) – Suki Sato's older brother.
Emerson Poencet (Jeffrey Ballard) – A student with the ability of microscopic vision.
Howard Gilmore (Jarod Joseph) – A student with the ability to see in the dark.
Ross Anderson (Kacey Rohl) – Emily's ruthless campaign manager.
Production
Paul Dini wrote the first episode of Tower Prep, drawing on his own experiences of "strangeness" and "alienation" at prep school. Cartoon Network picked up the series as part of their initiative to develop live action programming for a family audience.[7] The pilot was shot in 2009, and full production of the first season began in 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia.[8] Former X-Files writer Glen Morgan was hired as executive producer and showrunner, joined by a writing team including Dini, Glen's brother Darin Morgan, Riley Stearns, Aury Wallington, Jeff Eckerle, and Marilyn Osborn.[8]
The promotion for the series began with a fictional storyline, in which Cartoon Network published vlogs from the four main characters. Prior to the series premiere, a sneak peek of the show was released for free download on the iTunes Store featuring half of the first episode. To promote the premiere, the network announced a giveaway of 1,000 iPod Touch devices that would take place during the show. The song "Unstoppable" by Foxy Shazam was used in network promos and in the episode "Trust".
Cancellation
The last two episodes of the first season aired on December 28, 2010. On March 23, 2011, Cartoon Network announced their new and returning programs for the remainder of 2011 and Tower Prep was not mentioned as one of the returning series.[9] In October 2011, Cartoon Network removed all Tower Prep content from its website.
In December 2011, Paul Dini announced that the series would not return for a second season.[10][11] Dini continued to comment on the series over the next several years, saying that he was "sworn to secrecy" about the ending,[12] that Cartoon Network decided not to air a second season despite talk of foreign financing,[13] and that he was never given a reason for the cancellation of the series.[14] Dini speculated that a primary reason for the cancellation was that Tower Prep drew a primarily female viewership, and that Cartoon Network wanted to instead target young male viewers for their merchandising.[14][15][16]
Ian Archer (Drew Van Acker) is suspended for fighting while defending another student. That night, he loses consciousness and wakes up at a mysterious school called Tower Prep. In the process of attempting to escape, he joins forces with fellow students CJ Ward (Elise Gatien), Gabe Forrest (Ryan Pinkston) and Suki Sato (Dyana Liu). The group's plans are thwarted by "gnomes", creatures living in the forest around Tower Prep.
Ian must defend himself against accusations of theft in a school tribunal, while Gabe, CJ, and Suki work to prove his innocence. Ian discovers a secret tunnel entrance in his room, which Howard Gilmore, Gabe's roommate, was using to frame him for the thefts.
Ian, Gabe, CJ, and Suki attempt to track down the author of a mysterious note. In the process, they encounter Whisper 23, an older version of the school AI, who forces them to play a deadly video game.
Ian sacrifices a chance to join the school sports team in order to help his friends investigate Coach History's connection with the mysterious "gnomes", who turn out to be Tower Prep students.
As Gabe runs against Emily Wright for class president, students begin to lose their powers. Ian discovers that Ross Anderson, Emily's campaign manager, has been using the campaign buttons to infect the students.
During a Biology field trip into the woods, Ian and Cal discover an underground gnome lair. They meet Philips, or "Redfang", leader of a mysterious group dedicated to saving students from becoming gnomes.
When Ian, Gabe, and Suki have dreams about a mysterious yellow elevator, they search for it in the tunnels. They observe a new student (Conner) being brought out of the elevator. Conner, who becomes Ian and Gabe's new roommate, can infiltrate dreams. The group investigates the office of Cornelius Tower, founder of Tower Prep. Conner escapes the school.
Conner returns to the school to help the group escape. Ian investigates West Campus and finds a way out. Headmaster is revealed to be CJ's father.
13
"Fathers"
Dwight Little
Glen Morgan
December 28, 2010 (2010-12-28)
N/A
Gabe is sent to West Campus. Ian rescues Suki from her father, and defeats Headmaster in a fight. The group rescue Gabe and escape through a vent Ian found in West Campus, before meeting a hologram of Whisper 120.
Reception
Critics commented on the show's low production values and murky fight scenes, but praised its overall concept, writing, and cast.[28][29] Brian Lowry of Variety said the show's mysteries might appeal to both children and adults, calling it "a series that points the way toward a best-case scenario" for Cartoon Network's live-action programming.[30]
In the 2011 Leo Awards, Brenton Spencer was nominated for Best Direction in a Youth or Children's Program or Series for the episode "Dreams".[31]
Notes
^ abcdeexecutive producer for Cartoon Network Studios
