You guys, Jordan Catalano Jared Leto won an Oscar and with all the mentions on TV and Social Media, I’m having My So-Called Life flashbacks. Images of the best teen drama to ever show on network TV are filling my brain.
This is a show that somehow very realistically captured the soul-crushing angst of high school. The show was able to address real issues without seeming campy and needing to hug it out at the end of an episode. In retrospect, it is surprising that My So-Called Life was able to achieve any of this without a gimmick. Nowadays, shows need a supernatural element, a rich kid/poor kid dichotomy, teenage PI, or some other type of conflict to make the social issues less upfront and in your face. Perhaps that’s why the show never lasted past a season despite being critically acclaimed. I mean, my 9th grade English teacher once taped the show for us to watch in class. It was relevant.
Watching the show now is like a weird time-warp. Perhaps it is so real to me because I was in high school at the same time of the show, but I can taste and feel the 90s grunge; the “teen spirit” is palpable. SO MUCH ANGST, YOU GUYS.
Is there an equivalent on TV that matches My So-Called Life? Can you believe that Jordan Catalano won an Oscar?
