The WB’s “Young Americans” To Air In A Special Monday Broadcast

(August 15, 2000 – Burbank, CA) — The WB’s summer series “YOUNG AMERICANS” will air an original episode in a special broadcast on Monday, August 21, in addition to its regular Wednesday 9:00 p.m. ET airing. Entitled “Free Will,” the new episode finds Will (Rodney Scott) in the enviable position of poetry tutor to the girl of his dreams, Caroline Busse (guest star Michelle Monoghan), but his nightmare begins when he learns that an obnoxious upperclassman, Ryder (guest star Charles Hunnam, “Queer as Folk”), also has his eye on the prize. Meanwhile, the surprise of a lifetime comes for Bella (Kate Bosworth) on her 16th birthday, and rumors fly about Hamilton (Ian Somerhalder) and Jake’s (Katherine Moennig) clandestine love affair. Since its premiere on July 12, “YOUNG AMERICANS” has been a strong summer performer for The WB on Wednesday nights, consistently building on its “Dawson’s Creek” lead-in and scoring solid numbers in its target demos of women 18-34 and female teens. In its most recent airing on Wednesday, August 9th, the boarding school-set drama delivered its best rating yet among women 18-34, notching a 2.6/8 to improve +18% over the time period season average and tie for #3 in the time slot. That evening's episode also excelled among females 12-34 (2.6/8) and female teens (2.6/10). The series will end its first season on Wednesday, August 30 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET) with a finale filled with adventure, revelations and confrontations. Starring Mark Famiglietti, Rodney Scott, Kate Bosworth, Ian Somerhalder, Katherine Moennig and Ed Quinn, the provocative new one-hour drama delves into what happens when blue blood meets blue collar and town clashes with gown, where kids who come from different pasts and face different futures are thrown together to prepare for the rest of their lives. “YOUNG AMERICANS” was created by feature film writer Steven Antin, who serves as executive producer along with Joe Voci and Scott Sanders. The series is produced by Mandalay Television in association with Columbia TriStar Television. # # #