Hellcats
Hellcats
Pre-law student Marti Perkins' world is flipped upside down when she loses her scholarship, and realizes the only way she can stay in school is by reigniting her dormant teen gymnastic skills to win a place on Lancer University's legendary cheerleading team.
Callum reviewedOctober 28, 2025
⭐⭐⭐½ (out of 5) Hellcats – Pom-poms, pressure, and perfectly safe teenage drama.
“Hellcats” is essentially Bring It On turned into a TV series — all the spirit fingers and backflips you could want, but stretched across a season and laced with a little more sadness. The story follows a law student who loses her scholarship and, in a twist of campus fate, has to join the college cheer squad to stay in school. Cue the tumbling, twirling, and team bonding.
If you’re a fan of cheerleading, this is an easy watch. If not, well… it’s still a show filled with athletic routines, bright smiles, and a cast designed to draw an audience. There’s no real violence, barely a curse word, and almost no sex — just good, clean, competitive fun. The kind of show your teenage son could watch without you worrying what he’s seeing.
Ashley Tisdale, fresh off High School Musical, brings charm even if the material feels like a downgrade from her Disney fame. Aly Michalka makes an impression too — she’d later find her stride in iZombie, a definite tonal shift but proof she had more range than this light drama allowed.
Cancelled after one season, Hellcats probably hit its natural limit. A second could have been great; a third would have been stretching it thinner than a cheer skirt on finals week. Sometimes it’s better for a show to bow out gracefully — and this one did just that.