Hidden Palms

Production

The CW series Hidden Palms, produced by Lionsgate Television, went into production late in 2006 under the working title Palm Springs. Before its official debut, the pilot episode found its way onto the Internet. The network initially slated the show to air on March 6, 2007, at 9:00 pm Eastern, but that slot was taken over by Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll. The series finally premiered on May 30, 2007, at 8:00 pm Eastern.

By June 12, 2007, the network announced it would end the show two weeks early and stop Sunday rebroadcasts. Filming took place at a studio in Avondale, Arizona, rather than in Palm Springs, California, due to high local labor costs. However, portions of the pilot—including downtown Palm Springs—were shot on location there. Promotional clips frequently featured mountain scenery.

The premiere aired simultaneously in Canada on City. It later reached other markets: Bulgaria on Fox Life (July 21, 2007), Brazil and Latin America on A&E Network, Hungary on Viasat3, Serbia on Fox televizija, Spain on Cuatro TV, Portugal on RTP1, Sweden on TV3, Italy on Raidue, Denmark on TV3, Norway on TV3, Poland on Fox Life, New Zealand on Prime, the United Kingdom on Sky One (September 2007), and South Africa on Go. The Nine Network in Australia secured broadcast rights. In the Netherlands, RCV Entertainment released the complete series on DVD in the summer of 2009.

Critical reception

As of June 2007, the series received mixed reviews, with a composite score of 45% based on 22 reviews at Metacritic. Linda Stasi of the New York Post called it "the best rich kid show to appear on TV since that other California show died." Diane Werts of Newsday said the show "is enough to make me forgive The CW's entire sorry first season." Conversely, Mike Duffy of the Detroit Free Press described the show as "luridly derivative" and said "there's nothing remotely hip" about it.

Charlie McCollum of the San Jose Mercury News stated the show "spends far too much time exploring the whiny angst of the teens." Tom Shales of The Washington Post remarked that "you're likely to find more fascinating figures and intriguing dramatis personae in the latest catalogue from J. Peterman." The Parents Television Council criticized the pilot as "cliché-ridden" and deemed the overall plot inappropriate for its teenage target audience due to depictions of underage drinking, parental suicide, and sex. The pilot and finale were named the most offensive television programming of the weeks of their respective broadcasts.