As an author of over 50 books on television I have seen the best and worst of what television has to offer. BYU-TV's "Ruby and the Well" is among the very best! But be forewarned: there is no sex, no violence, no foul language, no nudity, no mayhem and no gore or blood. It is simply a completely entertaining, heartwarming fantasy program that is geared for both children and adults. It is set in the small town of Emerald where teenage newcomer Ruby O'Reilley (Zoe Wiesenthal) finds herself becoming "The Keeper of the Well" to an ancient wishing well that stores the wishes of people and selects a keeper to grant them. A flashing light summons Ruby to the well where, upon touching the outer stones, she receives an image of someone's wish and with her friends, Mina (Lina Sennia) and Sam (Dylan Kingwell), sets about to find that person and somehow grant the wish. The atmosphere of small town life has been captured with excellent photography and writing and Ruby, Sam and Mina appear as ordinary kids; just like real kids you may know. Adding an extra touch of charm to the series is Clayton, a mouse that seems to appear from out of nowhere as a sign for Ruby that someone's wish needs to be granted. Ruby's mother, Summer, was a children's book author and in one of her books, "Mice Who Think Twice," her mouse character was named Clayton; when Ruby first notices the mouse she names him Clayton, as a memory of her late mother. Ruby and the Well runs 45 minutes (there are no commercials) and BYU-TV should be extra proud of the fact that they produced a series that is not only entertaining but heartwarming as well; too bad the Emmy Awards will not even recognize this show.
For those not familiar with BYU-TV programming, they have other programs that fall into the same category as "Ruby and the Well," the most notable being "Holly Hobbie" (with Ruby Jay) and two foreign series, "Malory Towers" (with Ella Bright) and "Hetty Feather"(with Isabel Clifton). For family friendly shows (that also include "Heartland" and "Highway to Heaven") do check out-and enjoy-BYU-TV. You won't be disappointed.
