‘Caitlin’s’ Debut Tells Whole Tame Tale

Nickelodeon--where preschoolers dote on “Blue’s Clues” and preteens diggreen slime antics and adolescent aliens--is going for a harder edge with a new live-action series, “Caitlin’s Way.”

The show, launching tonight with a one-hour special subtitled “Stray,” written by Jana Veverka and directed by Nicholas Kendall, introduces Caitlin, a rebellious urban 14-year-old orphaned girl who’s sent to live with distant relatives in Montana.

(It also features “NewsRadio’s” Andy Dick and SCTV’s Dave Thomas, remarkably wasted and out of place as buffoonish horse thieves.)

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Edginess comes in degrees. Nickelodeon isn’t venturing into the sexualized territory of “Dawson’s Creek” or the deep adolescent angst of “My So-Called Life.” It has terrific Big Sky scenery and an attractive lead (Lindsay Felton), but even Caitlin’s failed foster care life in Philadelphia--which propels the plot--is buffered to avoid any bruising reality.

That’s fine. Nickelodeon, admirably, wants this to be safe, innocent turf for kids. And the scenes on those not-so-mean streets have an energy that’s missing later. The skewed camera angles, quick cuts and driving rock beat define Caitlin--angry, isolated and good-hearted in her black leather jacket, with rings on every finger and a passion for photography.

In that comfortably declawed world of graffiti-scarred walls and street folk, Caitlin is an appealing loner, observing her surroundings through a camera lens and sharing her thoughts (via voice-over) with the audience.

Soon though, after a run-in (very tame) with the police and an ultimatum from Child Services, Caitlin is moved to a Montana ranch with relatives she’s never heard of--”the cop, the vet and the geek”--where her rebel qualities are watered down even further.

The geek, Griffen (Jeremy Foley), a boy her age, protests her living there, but their mutual rancor is unconvincing; “the vet” (Cynthia Belliveau), her dead mother’s long-lost cousin, is serene, caring and understanding; and “the cop” (Ken Tremblett) is a nice guy.

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After Caitlin’s non-intense confrontations with suspicious peers at her new school, encounters with a rabid wolf and a comforting bonding with a wild horse, the resolution is filled with smiles and understanding. The series, created by Tommy Lynch, seems to have nowhere to go.

In two upcoming episodes, that cycle of anger, confrontation and understanding simply repeats within the context of mild new conflicts. That’s not a compelling enough reason to tune in, especially because possibilities for a tough-shelled loner’s continuing progress and self-discovery seemed more vibrant and creative in Caitlin’s short-lived urban Philadelphia setting, even a cleaned up one.

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* “Caitlin’s Way: Stray,” Nickelodeon, tonight at 9; repeats Sunday at 4 p.m. The series begins in its regular half-hour time slot Sunday at 8 p.m. The network has rated it TV-Y7 (suitable for children 7 and older).