Maple Ave

- Season 1

(2004)

The Emmy® Nominated MAPLE AVE debut episode, 'Jenny's Reasons' provides a haunting look at teen depression and the often unwitting family dynamics that surround it. The powerful, award-winning short finds its main character, Jenny, in the throes of clinical depression, unable to understand the reasons she 'feels so bad all the time'. Deeply confused and desperately overwhelmed, Jenny makes plans to end her life ~ plans that are ultimately thwarted when her best friend, Tanya, confronts her and shares a dark secret of her own.

The Emmy® Nominated 2nd MAPLE AVE episode focuses on teen bullying and the tragedies inherent when parents as well as their teens unfairly label one another. Jim has reached the edge of violence after being the victim of incessant bullying. Unfortunately, Jim's family doesn't help him cope with his problems and things get progressively worse. In contrast, Jenny's family engages in healthy confrontations as they cope with their concerns following Jenny's period of depression (see 'Jenny's Reasons'). The award-winning 'Ghosts in the Hall' continues 'Maple Ave''s unique ...

In the 3rd, Award-Winning, IFC-featured MAPLE AVE episode, series character, Ashley resorts to 'cutting' to cope with an abusive father, who's regularly victimized her family as far back as she can remember. Like a growing number of teens nationwide, Ashley regularly cuts her arms and legs, substituting her overwhelming inner pain and rage with an external pain that she is seemingly better able to manage. This last illusion is finally dispelled in a heart-wrenching finale that finds a desperate Ashley reaching out to a sympathetic teacher for help.

This Award-Winning, 4th MAPLE AVE episode focuses on series regular, Tanya and the toll her family situation has taken on her in the year and a half following her older brother's suicide. During this time, Tanya has been coping by helping others, but gradually this proves not to be enough, and she turns to drinking to ease her pain (in between haunting dreams about her dead brother). Ultimately, things get out of control and her best friend, Jenny intervenes to get her friend some much-needed help.

In the 5th, Award-Winning MAPLE AVE episode, Angela and her friends take every opportunity to make Tami's life miserable, even going so far as to pose as a boy interested in Tami on a social networking site. As the story unfolds, we are also introduced to Tami and Angela's respective parents, ultimately providing clues to their behavior and various life stressors. While Tami's hyper-competitive parents continually pressure their 'A' student daughter to be the best at everything, Angela's single Mom appears more interested in being her daughter's best friend than her ...

In the Emmy® Nominated, 6th MAPLE AVE episode, Donnie is living in the shadow of his older brother's past athletic glories and ultimately turns to steroid abuse to help him 'measure up' on the basketball court. Not long after, he finds his life slowly spinning out of control as his girlfriend, Angela tries in vain to help him kick his addiction. In the meantime, Angela is also struggling to convince her friends, Dara and Lucy, that, contrary to what they've read on the internet, anorexia and bulimia are not 'lifestyle choices' but, instead, serious medical disorders. ...

In the 7th, Award-Winning MAPLE AVE episode, Ann is forced to face the grim reality that her parents' addictions (alcoholism and problem gambling) are slowly destroying her family. While her older brother Mike's quiet stoicism is sorely tested by their alcoholic mother's denial of reality, Ann's own initial reluctance is also an issue. However, after Ann's father gambles away her college fund, she can no longer avoid the truth ~ and soon grows deeply depressed. Though her brother and best friend, Tami sense something's wrong, will they be in time to avert a potential ...

The Emmy® Nominated, 8th MAPLE AVE episode focuses on dating/domestic violence from the POV of a 17 year old deceased victim named Cari. Cari was relentlessly beaten by her boyfriend, Marcos and so viciously bullied by his friends after leaving him that she, ultimately, took her own life. Now Cari finds herself helplessly watching the same thing happen all over again to another girl, Sharon (Marcos' new girlfriend). Between her manipulative and violent boyfriend and her self-absorbed parents, Sharon would appear to have the deck stacked against her - but her best ...

The Emmy® Award-Winning, 9th MAPLE AVE episode takes a haunting look at teen suicide from the perspective of Cari (see 'Loves Me Not'); a young girl who appears to have taken her life due to relentless abuse from her parents and peers. As Cari observes life from the other side, she meets Christine, an older more rebellious spirit, who reluctantly acts as her guide and confidante. Together they observe Michael, an artist friend of Cari's, who has also been the victim of bullying and abusive parents. As a desperate Michael begins to contemplate suicide, a helpless Cari ...

In this Emmy® Nominated MAPLE AVE Series installment, teen ghost Christine Dawn has her hands full when the spirit of a student recently killed by a distracted driver needs her help to find closure for his embittered, grieving sister. When Christine discovers that the distracted driver was a fellow student, she knows she has her work cut out for her in a High School turned upside down by tragedy.