# Sugar Rush (2005)

> A teenage girl who has just moved to Brighton finds herself falling hard for her wild new best friend, Sugar.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/379

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 20
- Episode runtime: 24 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, comedy
- Created by: Katie Baxendale, Julie Burchill
- Network: Channel 4
- Cast: Olivia Hallinan, Lenora Crichlow, Neil Jackson, Sarah-Jane Potts, Richard Lumsden, Sara Stewart, Kurtis O'Brien, Jalaal Hartley
- TMDB rating: 7.7/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0452568/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: cheeky, frank, bittersweet, comedic, melancholic, wistful

## Synopsis

Sugar Rush (2005-2006) is a British teen dramedy created by Katie Baxendale and Julie Burchill for Channel 4, adapted from Burchill's novel of the same name. Across two seasons of ten episodes each, the story follows Kim Daniels (Olivia Hallinan), a teenager whose family has moved from London to Brighton. Kim is dealing with the usual adolescent pressures, plus the dawning realisation that she may be gay. Her engine is an all-consuming crush on her new best friend, Maria 'Sugar' Sweet (Lenora Crichlow), a magnetic, reckless girl who keeps pulling Kim into scrapes, though Kim finds trouble on her own too. Supporting roles from Richard Lumsden as Nathan and Sara Stewart as Stella widen the circle of school, home and nightlife. Each episode is built from small social catastrophes, clumsy romantic attempts with boys, and nights out that test loyalty. The tone is cheeky and frank, with dark comedy undercutting raw adolescent longing. Fans of Skins, Heartstopper and Clueless will find resonance in its candid portrait of queer youth, friendship intensity and the chaos of growing up on the English coast.

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