{alltv} ABC Family's 'Huge' tackles issue of teen obesity

In a medium where thin is the norm, Huge stands out.

The ABC Family drama, premiering Monday night (9 ET/PT), focuses on a camp where teens go to lose weight and gain friends, romance and a better sense of themselves in the process.

"We're the first full plus-size cast, I think, in the history of TV. It's so amazing and so groundbreaking and such an honor to be part of it. We're showing the world most of America is not a size 2," says Nikki Blonsky, who plays Willamina, or Will, a not-so-happy camper.

Will, sent by her parents against her wishes, is just one of many personalities at Camp Victory, some more eager than others. The sarcastic teen is a far cry from Blonsky's upbeat Hairspray character, Tracy Turnblad.

"Having me, the usually perky, bubbly one, play the kind of down-in-the-dumps, get-me-out-of-here type of character is so much fun," Blonsky says.

Large characters are not alien to TV, but they traditionally have not been the center of attention. That's starting to change. A plus-size lawyer is the heroine of Lifetime's Drop Dead Diva, and a new CBS fall comedy, Mike & Molly, features a couple who meet at an Overeaters Anonymous meeting.

Savannah Dooley, who developed Huge with her mother, Winnie Holzman, from the novel of the same name, says weight is a delicate topic. (Dooley's father and Holzman's husband, actor Paul Dooley, plays the camp's cook, and Holzman's brother, Ernest Holzman, is Huge's director of photography.)

"I was interested in doing something I could feel wasn't offensive but that was in-depth and real," says Dooley, who had her own struggles with body image growing up.

Having multiple campers offers a chance to present varying viewpoints. "When I was writing this, I was reading a fat-acceptance blog and the fat-acceptance movement has reclaimed the word fat. I have Will say 'fat' instead of 'overweight,' because for her that's almost like a slur she has reclaimed," Dooley says. "There are (other) characters who would never dream of using the word 'fat.' "

Although weight and its attendant issues are central to Huge, the show is about much more than that, Holzman says.

"I think we've always seen the show as being about transformation. It's about the idea that you could potentially transform yourself into a version of yourself that you dream of. Obviously, that doesn't pertain just to weight," she says. "Our picture of the show was that it's this experience of leaving your typical life (and) sort of reinventing yourself."

Gina Torres, who plays camp director Dr. Rand, credits Huge's writers with taking on a major health issue without lecturing viewers. "To address it in a way that's not preachy, that puts a very human face on this issue, is so seductive that I couldn't not want to be part of it," she says. "You very quickly become enamored of these people you've spent this hour with and want to know more about them."

ABC Family is launching a "Live Huge" campaign, on topics from self-esteem to healthy living and featuring recipes from Jamie Oliver. It complements the show, ABC Family executive vice president Kate Juergens says, which is about "self-acceptance, but also ... coming to terms with taking care of yourself. You want to be the healthiest version of yourself possible, mentally, emotionally and physically."

"People should be taking (away) the fact that you should be who you are," Blonsky says. "At the same time, you see us working out, exercising. Lead a healthy life, because you want to be around to enjoy it — and to watch Huge."