Do You Remember?

Back in 2000, there was a short-lived TV series that aired on the Fox Family Channel, which soon became ABC Family and will soon become FreeForm on January 12.

That little remembered show was called Higher Ground.

The reason I watched this show (all 22 episodes of it) was primarily because actor Joe Lando, who starred as Byron Sully on the long-running fan favorite CBS drama Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, was the star. But, it was the supporting cast of that one-season-long series that just might surprise TV viewers.

Higher Ground focused on former Wall Street mogul Peter Scarbrow (Lando), who became headmaster of Mount Horizon, a therapeutic boarding school for teens at risk, dealing with their personal struggles with addiction, abuse and disorders.

Among the cast members were:

Hayden Christensen starred as Scott Barringer, a high school football star who fell into drugs after being abused by his stepmother. Hayden, of course, landed the role of Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars movies.

A.J. Cook starred as Shelby Merrick, who dealt with parental abuse that pushed her to become a runaway teen, which led to prostitution and drug abuse. A.J. appeared in Tru Calling alongside Eliza Dushku before landed a starring role in Criminal Minds.

Kandyse McClure starred as Katherine Ann “Kat” Cabot, who dealt with severe depression after the death of her adopted sister. Kandyse was among the cast of Battlestar Galactica, playing the wife of Lee “Apollo” Adama; and she has most recently appeared in the web series Hemlock Grove.

Meghan Ory starred as Juliette Waybourne, who also dealt with parental abuse developed bulima and would harm herself with self-mutilation. Meghan starred as Red Riding Hood on Once Upon a Time and was one of the leads in the short-lived drama Intelligence. She will next be seen in the new Hallmark Channel series Chesapeake Shores.

Jewel Staite starred as Daisy Lipenowski, who hid herself behind Goth makeup, clothing and piercings due to verbal abuse by her parents. Jewel, of course, went on to star in the pop culture favorite Firefly and had a lead role in Stargate Atlantis.

I’m sure that our readers remember these actors and actresses; and have seen them in the shows and/or movies listed – as well as many of their other shows and movies – but do you remember the show Higher Ground?