Last night, ABC Family debuted a new series about a girl who gets super genetic powers on her sixteenth birthday and then ends up having to save her whole random race of genetic mutants from some other random enhanced beings who are chasing her down (or something like that). She also can die and come back to life (supposedly nine times... because her particular superpowers are cat-like). While we enjoyed the premiere of this summer romp for what it is, it definitely brought to mind more than a handful of other series that have come before it. (Keep in mind we're basing this on the pilot of the show, not anything from the book series.)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Commonalities: Genetic powers kick in during their teenage years, shady people follow them around, people want her dead, fun non-super BFFs help out, passion can hurt someone, kick-ass moves.
Both Chloe and Buffy got their powers as teens (the ability to do a roundhouse kick is a gift that keeps on giving) and then were followed by mysterious folks who were secretly trying to keep them safe. In Buffy's case, it was the Watchers; in Chloe's, it's the other people of her Mai race. Vampires want to kill Buffy; Chloe's got a guy from a secret organization trying to push her off tall buildings. Buffy's got her Scooby gang; Chloe's got her pals Amy and Paul who end up involved in her deadly capers (albeit sometimes as bait). And while Buffy's kisses weren't deadly like Chloe's are, she did turn a vampire evil after having sex with him.
Dark Angel
Commonalities: Genetically different teens, cat-like poses, tend to seek safe haven in high places.
Both teens are genetically enhanced: Max was bred to be a super-soldier, while Chloe appears to have been pre-disposed to save her race from danger. They both do this bad-ass crouching pose and can move around super fast. And just like Chloe hikes to the top of Coit Tower in order to avoid danger, Max seems comfortable seeking refuge atop tall structures as well.
Gilmore Girls
Commonalities: Mom-daughter relationship, fast-talking.
While we expected all the genetic bad-assery, what was refreshing about Chloe King was the relationship between Chloe and her mom, which was reminiscent of Lorelai and Rory. Both pairs talk at a mile a minute, seem to have a very easy and casual friend-like relationship and apparently have no boundaries when it comes to talking about personal matters.
The X-Files
Commonalities: Trust No One.
The second we saw the message from Chloe's dad that said "Trust No One," alluding to some sort of larger conspiracy, our Mulder-loving radar perked up. While we don't need alien pregnancies, there's definitely a lot of shadiness around Chloe's adoption that has some potential for more X-Files-like moments.
Teen Wolf
Commonalities: Love interest is spawn of hunter, claws come out.
While Teen Wolf also just debuted a few weeks ago, it is a bizarre coincidence that the love interest for Scott and the love interest for Chloe are both the offspring of the men that are trying to kill them. And while Chloe's cat-like and Scott's more canine, their claws protruding and retracting into their fingers provide a similar effect.
Heroes
Commonalities: Testing of powers, indestructibility, adopted.
We know mentioning Heroes brings back some bad memories, but think back to Season 1 when Claire was just a cheerleader who found out she had powers and started tossing herself off of things to see how she'd heal. Chloe does a bit of that, too, and while she may have a limited indestructibility timeline, she does come back to life after major trauma. Also, both girls had bizarre origins, with HRG taking Claire from her birth parents to keep her safe and Chloe's own sketchy adoption. And both of them ended up questioned their parents about their abilities.
Full House
Commonalities: Shots of San Francisco.
It is admittedly a stretch, but with all the footage of the famed city and its Golden Gate Bridge, can you blame us for hoping that we get some Kimmy Gibbler action at some point?
My So-Called Life
Commonalities: Underage clubbing, never been kissed.
There was a moment where Chloe grabbed her friend to sneak into a club that really reminded us of when Rayanne dragged Angela around. What a thrill for both normally straight-laced girls to do something a little wild and break out of their molds. Also, both girls are obsessed with being kissed and just generally moon over boys.
Doctor Who
Commonalities: Limited number of lives.
While it hasn't been tested as of yet, it has been stated in the past that Time Lords like The Doctor are only able to regenerate themselves 12 times (something to do with deteriorating molecules or science-y stuff like that). And while some ancient prophecy says that Chloe gets nine lives to save the Mai, the man trying desperately to kill her says that he'll kill her as many times as it takes.
Life Unexpected
Commonalities: Annoying best friend, those awful hats.
Amy might grow into a person we can tolerate, but right now she's like nails on a chalkboard, much like Tasha. And both BFFs have a very similar look with the light skin and the dark hair. Oh, and on Life Unexpected, Lux sported those awful beanie hats while on Chloe King it's Amy's turn. Just one more reason for us to dislike her.
Did Chloe King remind you of anything? Sound off below.
See the five ABC Family characters that you'd want to have as your BFF.
Does every teenage girl really wish she had cat-like superpowers? We claw for an answer in this video:
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