# Blue Mountain State
**Blue Mountain State** is an American television comedy series that ran on Spike TV for three seasons, from January 2010 to November 2011, following the on- and off-field antics of three incoming freshmen at a fictional college football powerhouse[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1344204/). It was Spike TV's first original scripted comedy series, produced by [Brian Robbins](https://www.edgepedia.org/brian-robbins) and Sharla Sumpter Bridgett's Varsity Pictures with Lionsgate[2](https://ir.paramount.com/news-releases/news-release-details/spike-tv-takes-field-new-original-scripted-comedy-series-blue). The series follows backup quarterback Alex Moran ([Darin Brooks](https://www.edgepedia.org/darin-brooks)), his mascot friend Sammy Cacciatore ([Chris Romano](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-romano)), and team captain Thad Castle (Alan Ritchson) as they juggle football, girls, classes, and nonstop hazing[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1344204/). Critics rated it poorly, but it built a lasting audience and has been followed by a feature film and a sequel series in development at Amazon MGM Studios[3](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/blue-mountain-state/critic-reviews/?season=season-1) • [4](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/blue-mountain-state-sequel-gains-183515414.html).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | Spike TV comedy series, three seasons of 13 episodes each, 39 total, TV-MA[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1344204/) • [5](https://www.tvweek.com/broadcast/2012/02/spike-tv-cancels-comedy-series/) |
| Creators and production | Created by Eric Falconer and Chris Romano; produced by Varsity Pictures and Lionsgate[2](https://ir.paramount.com/news-releases/news-release-details/spike-tv-takes-field-new-original-scripted-comedy-series-blue) |
| Main cast | Darin Brooks (Alex Moran), Alan Ritchson (Thad Castle), Chris Romano (Sammy Cacciatore), Ed Marinaro (Coach Marty Daniels)[6](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/blue-mountain-state/cast/1000409950/) |
| Setting | Fictional Blue Mountain State University and its football team, the Mountain Goats, a college football powerhouse; shot in Montreal[7](https://www.spoilertv.com/2012/02/blue-mountain-state-cancelled.html) • [8](https://thetvdb.com/series/blue-mountain-state) |
| Ratings growth | Season 2 delivered +33% in Men 18-34, +50% in Men 18-24, and +14% in Men 18-49, earning a third-season pickup[9](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/spike-tv-scores-another-13-episodes-of-original-scripted-comedy-blue-mountain-state-120791564.html) |
| Critical reception | Metacritic Metascore 38/100 from four reviews; Rotten Tomatoes season 1 Tomatometer 13% against an 89% Popcornmeter[3](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/blue-mountain-state/critic-reviews/?season=season-1) • [10](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/blue_mountain_state/s01) |
| Audience rating | 8.3/10 on IMDb from about 65,000 votes[11](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1344204/ratings/) |
| Afterlife | Feature film *Blue Mountain State: The Rise of Thadland* made without studio or network attachment; sequel series in development at Amazon MGM Studios with Alan Ritchson returning[12](https://www.filmfad.com/exclusive-the-guys-of-blue-mountain-state-give-explicit-insight-into-rise-of-thadland/) • [4](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/blue-mountain-state-sequel-gains-183515414.html) |
## Premise and characters
The series is set at Blue Mountain State University, a fictional college football powerhouse whose team is called the Mountain Goats[8](https://thetvdb.com/series/blue-mountain-state). Three incoming freshmen must quickly adapt to college life while juggling football, girls, classes, and nonstop hazing[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1344204/). One description of the show places the campus in the [Midwestern United States](https://www.edgepedia.org/midwestern-united-states)[13](https://www.theaterbyte.com/blue-mountain-state-season-one-blu-ray-review/), while reports on the series at cancellation identify it as a Pennsylvania college football program[7](https://www.spoilertv.com/2012/02/blue-mountain-state-cancelled.html) • [14](https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/blue-mountain-state-canceled-season-four-22175/comment-page-1/).
**Alex Moran** (Darin Brooks), played by Emmy Award-winner Brooks, is an underachieving second-string quarterback who is satisfied with his backup status and spends his time partying with his best friend[15](https://ir.paramount.com/static-files/e04a2b06-f3ce-4349-956c-5320ac931712) • [6](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/blue-mountain-state/cast/1000409950/). In the third season he has to step up from fun-loving second-string to starting quarterback[9](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/spike-tv-scores-another-13-episodes-of-original-scripted-comedy-blue-mountain-state-120791564.html). **Sammy Cacciatore** (Chris Romano) is Alex's awkward best friend and the team's mascot[6](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/blue-mountain-state/cast/1000409950/) • [10](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/blue_mountain_state/s01). **Thad Castle** ([Alan Ritchson](https://www.edgepedia.org/alan-ritchson)) is the team captain, who relishes hazing the incoming freshmen[10](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/blue_mountain_state/s01). **Coach Marty Daniels** ([Ed Marinaro](https://www.edgepedia.org/ed-marinaro)), a former NFL running back and veteran actor, is the no-nonsense coach of a perennial winner for whom losing is not an option[9](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/spike-tv-scores-another-13-episodes-of-original-scripted-comedy-blue-mountain-state-120791564.html). Other cast members include [Sam Jones III](https://www.edgepedia.org/sam-jones-iii) as top-rated freshman running back Craig Shilo, Page Kennedy as quarterback Radon Randell, Denise Richards as the coach's wife Debra, and Frankie Shaw as Sammy's sister Mary Jo[6](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/blue-mountain-state/cast/1000409950/) • [16](https://www.thewrap.com/kennedy-shaw-join-blue-mountain-state-18090/).
The comedy centers on drinking, sex, hazing, and bodily-function humor rather than football itself. Common Sense Media described it as following the *Animal House* model, in which the "educational experience" seems to center on getting drunk and having sex, with athletes at the school treated like celebrities who can do no wrong[17](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/blue-mountain-state). Episodes carry the TV-MA rating and run about 22 minutes[18](https://www.cwtv.com/series/blue-mountain-state/).
## Production
Spike TV announced the series in December 2009 as its first original scripted comedy, ordering 13 half-hour episodes from Varsity Pictures and Lionsgate[2](https://ir.paramount.com/news-releases/news-release-details/spike-tv-takes-field-new-original-scripted-comedy-series-blue). Co-creator Chris Romano described the pitch as an "Animal House" set in Division I college football, mixed with personal experiences of the creators and their friends[12](https://www.filmfad.com/exclusive-the-guys-of-blue-mountain-state-give-explicit-insight-into-rise-of-thadland/). Although the story is set at a Pennsylvania school, the series was shot in Montreal[7](https://www.spoilertv.com/2012/02/blue-mountain-state-cancelled.html).
## Broadcast and cancellation
Spike TV announced a premiere of two back-to-back episodes on Tuesday, January 12, 2010[2](https://ir.paramount.com/news-releases/news-release-details/spike-tv-takes-field-new-original-scripted-comedy-series-blue), although episode listings at Rotten Tomatoes and Common Sense Media record the first episode as aired on January 11, 2010[10](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/blue_mountain_state/s01) • [17](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/blue-mountain-state). Season 1 ran in early 2010, season 2 from October 2010 to January 2011, and season 3 from September to November 2011, each 13 episodes[8](https://thetvdb.com/series/blue-mountain-state).
The comedy performed decently for Spike in season one and grew in season two: the network reported a 33% increase among men 18-34, a 50% climb among men 18-24, and a 14% increase among men 18-49, which earned a third-season pickup of 13 episodes in April 2011[9](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/spike-tv-scores-another-13-episodes-of-original-scripted-comedy-blue-mountain-state-120791564.html) • [14](https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/blue-mountain-state-canceled-season-four-22175/comment-page-1/). Viewership fell in season 3 to an average of about 900,000 viewers per episode, and Spike declined a fourth season in February 2012[5](https://www.tvweek.com/broadcast/2012/02/spike-tv-cancels-comedy-series/). Some season 2 episodes had drawn 1.25 million viewers, while at least one season 3 episode drew half that[14](https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/blue-mountain-state-canceled-season-four-22175/comment-page-1/). Lionsgate considered shopping the show to another outlet but did not, and the cast, including [Denise Richards](https://www.edgepedia.org/denise-richards), Darin Brooks, and Ed Marinaro, was released to other projects[5](https://www.tvweek.com/broadcast/2012/02/spike-tv-cancels-comedy-series/).
Producer Eric Falconer disputed the ratings explanation, saying the show "wasn't cancelled because of a drop in ratings"; he stated that season 3 was actually up more than 20% in all male demographics versus season 2 and that the cancellation was a budget issue[14](https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/blue-mountain-state-canceled-season-four-22175/comment-page-1/). The summer before, a Spike TV executive had told Variety that the channel would focus on non-scripted programming for the immediate future[14](https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/blue-mountain-state-canceled-season-four-22175/comment-page-1/).
## Reception
Professional critics rated the show poorly. Metacritic gave season 1 a Metascore of 38 out of 100 from four reviews, with three negative and one positive[3](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/blue-mountain-state/critic-reviews/?season=season-1). Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times called it "dumb even by frat-boy standards"; Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe called it an amateurish take that felt like a string of failed "Funny or Die" sketches; Brian Lowry of Variety wrote that the network put "the bodily function/semi-nudity cart before the sitcom horse"[3](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/blue-mountain-state/critic-reviews/?season=season-1). The one favorable review came from Mark A. Perigard of the [Boston Herald](https://www.edgepedia.org/boston-herald), who found it "frequently funny in a raunchy American Pie way"[3](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/blue-mountain-state/critic-reviews/?season=season-1).
**Audience response diverged from the critics.** Rotten Tomatoes recorded a 13% Tomatometer for season 1 against an 89% Popcornmeter from more than 50 user ratings[10](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/blue_mountain_state/s01), and IMDb users have given the series 8.3 out of 10 from about 65,000 votes[11](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1344204/ratings/). French-speaking users on AlloCiné gave the series an average spectator rating of 4.0 out of 5[19](https://www.allocine.fr/series/ficheserie-4427/critiques/).
The show's content ratings reflect its material. IMDb's parent guide lists severe alcohol, drugs, and smoking content and moderate sex and profanity, with a US TV-MA certification and stricter adult ratings in several other countries, including R16 in New Zealand and VM18 in Italy[20](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1344204/parentalguide/). Plugged In's review described it as a "bawdy romp through locker rooms and dorm parties" regurgitating "the boozing, bonging, pill popping and sexing escapades" usually reserved for R-rated comedies[21](https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/bluemountainstate/).
## Film and sequel
After the series ended, the cast and creators produced a feature film, *Blue Mountain State: The Rise of Thadland*, made without any studio or network attached to its development or production, which Romano described as freeing for the comedy[12](https://www.filmfad.com/exclusive-the-guys-of-blue-mountain-state-give-explicit-insight-into-rise-of-thadland/).
A sequel series reuniting the original cast has been in development since the mid-2020s. In February 2025, Alan Ritchson said at a [Daytona 500](https://www.edgepedia.org/daytona-500) press conference that the follow-up was being set up with Amazon, where he has a first-look deal through [Amazon MGM Studios](https://www.edgepedia.org/amazon-mgm-studios), saying "we are going to make a fourth season happen"; reporting at the time said development had been fast-tracked, with a greenlight decision expected within a month or two[4](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/blue-mountain-state-sequel-gains-183515414.html). Lionsgate's fiscal 2025 filings listed Blue Mountain State among its television properties in development for Amazon[22](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/929351/000092935125000069/starz-20250729.htm).
## References
1. [Blue Mountain State (TV Series 2010–2011), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1344204/)
2. [Spike TV Takes to the Field With New Original Scripted Comedy Series 'Blue Mountain State', Paramount press release](https://ir.paramount.com/news-releases/news-release-details/spike-tv-takes-field-new-original-scripted-comedy-series-blue)
3. [Blue Mountain State Season 1 Critic Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/blue-mountain-state/critic-reviews/?season=season-1)
4. ['Blue Mountain State' Sequel Gains Momentum At Amazon, Yahoo Entertainment/Deadline](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/blue-mountain-state-sequel-gains-183515414.html)
5. [Spike TV Comedy Series Canceled, TVWeek](https://www.tvweek.com/broadcast/2012/02/spike-tv-cancels-comedy-series/)
6. [Blue Mountain State Full Cast & Crew, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/blue-mountain-state/cast/1000409950/)
7. [Blue Mountain State - Cancelled, SpoilerTV](https://www.spoilertv.com/2012/02/blue-mountain-state-cancelled.html)
8. [Blue Mountain State, TheTVDB.com](https://thetvdb.com/series/blue-mountain-state)
9. [Spike TV Scores Another 13 Episodes of Original Scripted Comedy "Blue Mountain State", PR Newswire](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/spike-tv-scores-another-13-episodes-of-original-scripted-comedy-blue-mountain-state-120791564.html)
10. [Blue Mountain State: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/blue_mountain_state/s01)
11. [Blue Mountain State Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1344204/ratings/)
12. [The Guys of 'Blue Mountain State' Give Explicit Insight Into 'Rise of Thadland', FilmFad.com](https://www.filmfad.com/exclusive-the-guys-of-blue-mountain-state-give-explicit-insight-into-rise-of-thadland/)
13. [Blue Mountain State: Season One Blu-ray Review, TheaterByte](https://www.theaterbyte.com/blue-mountain-state-season-one-blu-ray-review/)
14. [Blue Mountain State: Cancelled; No Season Four, TVSeriesFinale](https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/blue-mountain-state-canceled-season-four-22175/comment-page-1/)
15. ["Blue Mountain State" is Spike TV's first original scripted comedy series that follows the on-and-off field antics of three freshmen as they learn to adapt to life at a fictional college football powerhouse. The series stars actor and former NFL player Ed Marinaro ("Hill Street Blues"), Emmy® Award-winner Darin Brooks ("Blue Crush"), Sam Jones III ("ER"), Alan Ritchson ("Smallville"), Romanski ("The Sarah Silverman Program") and Gabrielle Dennis ("The Game"). Thirteen half-hour episodes of "Blue Mountain State" are being produced for Spike by Brian Robbins ("Varsity Blues," "Smallville") and Sharla Sumpter Bridgett's Varsity Pictures and Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF).](https://ir.paramount.com/static-files/e04a2b06-f3ce-4349-956c-5320ac931712)
16. [Kennedy, Shaw Join 'Blue Mountain State', TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/kennedy-shaw-join-blue-mountain-state-18090/)
17. [Blue Mountain State Parents' Guide & TV Review, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/blue-mountain-state)
18. [Blue Mountain State episode listings, The CW](https://www.cwtv.com/series/blue-mountain-state/)
19. [Critiques de la série Blue Mountain State, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/series/ficheserie-4427/critiques/)
20. [Blue Mountain State Parents guide, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1344204/parentalguide/)
21. [Blue Mountain State review, Plugged In](https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/bluemountainstate/)
22. [Lionsgate (Starz) fiscal 2025 annual report, SEC EDGAR](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/929351/000092935125000069/starz-20250729.htm)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Sitcom and comedy series › American sitcoms and comedy series › 2010s cable and streaming comedies*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license