Set in the near-future in 2024, the series follows a romance between a human girl named Emery and an alien boy named Roman when he and six others of his kind are integrated into a suburban high school. It is filmed and takes place in Louisiana in the fictional town of Edendale.
All the episode titles after the pilot are taken from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.
Development and production
The project was originally titled Oxygen while in development at Isla Producciones. It was then adapted for the American market by Powwow before being acquired by The CW. Star-Crossed premiered on The CW on Monday, February 17, 2014, at 8:00 pm Eastern/7:00 pm Central. The series was picked up for a thirteen-episode season. The language of the Atrian aliens, called Sondiv, was created for the program by language creator David J. Peterson.
Casting
In 2013, it was announced that Natalie Hall and Aimee Teegarden landed roles. On February 25, 2013, Grey Damon was cast as Grayson. In February, it was announced that Malese Jow would be joining, playing Julia, a girl who has an illness which may be cured by aliens. On March 5, 2013, Matt Lanter was cast as a co-star opposite Aimee Teegarden. It was announced Tahmoh Penikett will appear as SEU Officer Jack Beaumont Deena Dill was cast as Margaret Montrose along with Johnathon Schaech, who was cast as Castor.
Reception
Ratings
The pilot episode debuted on The CW on, drawing an audience of 1.28 million viewers. The second episode "These Violent Delights Have Violent Ends" debuted on, drawing an audience of 1.14 million viewers. The pilot episode is the most watched episode, drawing an audience of 1.28 million viewers, and the least watched episode, "Some Consequence Yet Hanging in the Stars" aired on, drawing an audience of 0.76 million viewers.
Critical response
David Hinckley of the New YorkDaily News gave the series 4 out of 5 stars, saying "add forbidden love, which can never escape the shadow of potential doom, and Star-Crossed could become both provocative and entertaining." Diana Werts of Newsday gave the series 3 out of 4 stars, saying "Plenty of potential, if Star-Crossed stops talking down to us". Carrie Raisler of The A.V. Club gave the series a positive review. Jeanne Jakle of the San Antonio Express-News gave a positive review, particularly of Aimee Teegarden's performance, saying "Just as she was so heartbreakingly natural as young Julie Taylor, she also comes across refreshingly unpretentious in Star-Crossed — which, actually, may be the best reason of all to watch the CW drama." Gail Pennington of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch gave the series 2 of 4 stars signaling mixed reviews, saying "Star-Crossed doesn't aim as high as those, Lanter does get a few witty lines " but the tone is mostly dreary and the plot with few exceptions goes precisely where you expect. Only if the romance proves genuinely heart-stopping to young fans will this one be a hit." Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times gave the series an mixed review, saying "It's the usual dance of insiders and outsiders, mean kids and weirdos, of Sharks and Jets, Montagues and Capulets biting their thumbs at one another in the school corridor while one special guy and girl fall in love. There are the good ones and the bad ones, and the bad good ones, and the good bad ones. Adults, as always in these things, are no help at all." David Wiegand of the San Francisco Chronicle gave it a negative review, writing: "The title is Star-Crossed because it's about an alien boy who falls in love with a human girl, a repurposed 'Romeo and Juliet', without the poetry. Or drama. Or credibility." Robert Bianco, of USA Today, saying "As vapid as it is unoriginal, Star-Crossed is sadly typical of a network that continually underestimates its audience. Teenagers may not be smarter than they were when the WB was at its peak, but it's unlikely they're dumber. So why does CW treat them as if they are?" Matt Roush of TV Guide gave a negative review, saying "Star-Crossed lacks humor, suspense or even heat."
