My So Called Life

This ground breaking television series never made it to Australia, possibly because it was cancelled after only one season. Engaging, warm and ahead of its time in many ways, the show developed a passionate following but was too outside the square for network television. The main teen characters at first glance may seem like stereotypes – the dumb cool guy, the slut, the overachiever and the nerd. But all of them have hidden depths and quirks and there is also a sexually ambiguous teen and several fully realised parents. All revolve around Angela, the smart, sensitive, weird, difficult, beautiful 15-year-old as she navigates the trials and tribulations of adolescence. High school crushes, zits, pressure to have sex, homelessness, changing friendships, hair dye – large problems and small are covered without becoming ‘issue of the week’. A perfect showcase of early 90s life, including the terrible grunge fashion, the show kick-started the careers of Claire Danes and Jared Leto. Most episodes are painfully real, but also contain humour. You don’t always know where a story is going or how it will be resolved. Quite a lot of the school scenes take place in the girls’ toilets, which is often funny and always real – who knew girls actually pee! In some ways it’s a pity that no more series were made, but it’s also great that the show didn’t outstay its welcome, like so many that jump the shark. It remains a perfect limited edition that has become a classic. After all, how many TV series made in the 90s are still available on DVD?