I have to say I always had a soft spot for these "kidsshows". Sometimes it's so bad it's good, but they are fun and relaxing to watch anyway. I watching through season 2 now and are amazed over how a show for kids can involve so much sex, teen-pregnancies violence and death. It's like a soap for grown people.
The acting are in some cases not so impressive. In other cases some of these kids are brilliant. Caleb Ross and Beth Allen comes to mind. I do hope those two continue working with acting because it would be a waste otherwise. Caleb Ross drinking scenes in season 2 are my favorite part of all the plot lines.
Give this a shot. It really is captivating, after you watched it for a while.