Fifteen (known as Hillside in Canada) is a teen drama television series that aired on YTV in Canada and on Nickelodeon from February 3, 1991 to April 25, 1993. Created and produced by John T. Binkley, the series was Nickelodeon's only teenage soap opera. The show was shot on videotape, similar to most daytime dramas.
The series was first conceived as Hillside in an improvised form for The Disney Channel, where a 13-episode pilot series was produced and tested in the United States. After Disney decided not to proceed with the project, Nickelodeon and Canadian partners joined Binkley in producing the series; which was known in its first and second seasons as Hillside in Canada, and throughout the 65-episode run as Fifteen in the United States.
The show was subsequently syndicated around the world, with runs in Germany and Israel, among others. Rerun rights are held by the Peter Rodgers Organization, which has made all four seasons available for free on Prime Video.
The series features a large ensemble cast that underwent several changes over the show's four-season run. Notable cast members include Laura Harris, Enuka Okuma, and Ryan Reynolds (Reynolds later admitted to disliking working on the show so much that he briefly considered quitting acting altogether).
Contents
Plot
Fifteen followed the students of fictional Hillside School and dealt with a variety of issues including dating, divorce, alcohol abuse, infidelity and friendship. The show played heavily into stereotypes, including two characters named Dylan and Chris, who wore leather jackets to show off their toughness, but which could not completely disguise their inner selves. At one point, they play a gig with their band Teenagers in Love at the local eatery and hangout spot The Avalon.
Cast and characters
Laura Harris as Ashley Frasier – Ashley is a soft-spoken honor student who struggles to balance academic expectations with personal relationships. Though considered wholesome, she occasionally makes bad decisions to spite her image. She's the longtime on-again, off-again girlfriend of Matt Walker.
Todd Talbot as Matt Walker – The captain and star player of the school's basketball team, Matt struggles with substance abuse throughout the series which harms his relationships and school reputation. He loves Ashley, but he and she continue to break up. They finally break up for good and he moves away.
Ryan Reynolds as Billy Simpson – The younger brother of Courtney, Billy frequently hangs around Dylan and looks up to him. After facing family problems and personal betrayal (as well as numerous romantic rejections), Billy turns to bullying to mask his emotions. An intervention from Dylan finally gets through to Billy and he makes amends for his bullying streak.
Chris William Martin as Dylan Blackwell – The mysterious rebel of the school, Dylan aspires to become a musician. He's often stuck managing conflict within his band, has a troubled relationship with his parents and later drops out of school. He had a fractious rivalry with Matt at first, but they became friends as the series went on. He and Ashley have feelings for each other and finally explore them.
Robyn Ross as Brooke Morgan (seasons 1–3) – Brooke is the self-centered and mean-spirited antagonist who often inserts herself into other's business where it's not warranted. She is arrogant, spiteful, cruel, and manipulative, but her self-centered ways come back to haunt her on more than one occasion. She's at odds with her sisters, whom their father seems to favor more than her. Brooke eventually leaves in the third season and moves to France.
Sarah Douglas as Courtney Simpson (seasons 1–3) – Courtney is the modest best friend of Ashley. She navigates a difficult relationship with her brother Billy during their parent's separation. She tends to be naive and meek at times.
Ken Angel as Jake Deosdade (seasons 1 and 3) – Jake is a good friend to many students at Hillside but fancies Courtney in particular. He has feelings for Courtney and the two eventually start dating. Absent in China through season 2, Jake returns to Hillside for season 3. He is also Matt's best friend.
Episodes
The entire first season is available for download from iTunes. The first season was previously on Hulu and the entire series currently streams on Amazon Prime Video.
As of 2021, all four seasons are available through FilmRise on devices such as Roku and Amazon Fire TV. All four seasons are also available through FilmRise for streaming on IMDb TV, now known as Freevee.
Production notes
The series' head writer for all 65 episodes was Ian Weir, who wrote all but five episodes. Its director was Michael Berry.
Season 1 was taped from September to October 1990. Season 2 was taped from June to July 1991. Season 3 was taped in December 1991. Season 4 was taped from August to September 1992.
The first season of the show was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, while the second season was filmed at the studios of CJOH-TV (where fellow Nickelodeon series You Can't Do That on Television was also based) in Ottawa, Ontario. The third and fourth seasons were taped at Nickelodeon Studios at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. Both Seasons 3 & 4 were taped in Nickelodeon Studios' Stage 18.