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The Counteragent wins! The Counteragent beat romero-renato 15 to 14
My So-Called Life is the best teen show ever
romero-renato said
Actually, it even sounds weird calling it a teen show. The writing was just so beyond what any show of the genre had before (and that very few managed to achieve, and very rarely). It was so fresh and riveting. And oh so emotional.
Scenes like Jordan holding Angela's hand, or Angela crying in her mother's arms in the pilot... man, a lot of unforgettable moments there.
It is still the best thing Claire danes has done in her entire career (sorry Baz Luhrman!).
I'm not dimishing shows like Buffy or Gilmore Girls here (both of which are also between my favorites).
But "My So-Called Life" felt more real. Sad to think we'll never know if whom Angela would end up with.
The Counteragent said
No disrespect to My So-Called Life-it really was genius, but I'd venture to say that Josh Schwartz is an auteur of teen angst, so Gossip Girl and The O.C. rank pretty high for me. Also, Degrassi:The Next Generation may verge on silly and over-the-top, but it does cover literally every issue a teen could face and does so with grace.
romero-renato said
I think The O.C. gives you some drama, I agree. There are some great stand alone episodes throughout all seasons. But if there's something I thought O.C always lacked was a sense of direction in their story arcs. I remember almost abandoning the show for good when Marissa shot Trey. It just didn't make any sense. Felt like an appelative cliffhanger, because they didn't know what to do with the characters, and that was the only dramatic thing they could think of from the situation they created. Also, when characters changed, it was always out of nowhere (with maybe the exception of Ryan in season 1). It was never something carefully constructed. It was always an obvious easy way out for some situation or just so they could have a new conflict or even something happening at all (ex: Summer in season 4).
MSCL was very brief, it's characters had a more subtle and more developed evolution. Ricky seems like the best exemple for this. he starts the season only as the gay guy that follows Rayanne and Angela around. But then he becomes an important friend. After, we see he's problems at home. And in the end of season, we see him finally fully accepting who he is.(to be continued)
The Counteragent said
Well, The O.C. more than verged on soap opera, so it goes with the territory that ridiculous conflict will inexplicably happen.
Maybe it is the brevity of the series that poses a problem for me where My So-Called Life is concerned. In the interest of human drama, I like to see characters grow and change, especially in the vein of a teen show. Yes, Ricky went through a lot, but other characters go through more in other shows (Degrassi sure has gotten mileage out of Marco's gradual coming out, for instance).
Also, I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner, but how about Boy Meets World? Talk about watching a group of kids mature into people. Serious issues may not have been as blatantly obvious as on other shows, but I still feel like it had a lot to contribute to the genre.
romero-renato said
Forfeited Turn
The Counteragent said
So yeah....about that whole argument thing...psh, I'm tired.
If I said that Buffy was the best teen show ever, I'd totally win this. Anyone else notice the incredible amount of crazy Buffy fans on this site? Seriously!
Whatever. 26 days til Gossip Girl is back!
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Comments
sinakitty 03/16/08
It's Veronica Mars for me.
Logan Echolls is the greatest teen character ever made besides Dylan McKay
loglady 03/16/08
While i personally like watching the OC more (maybe because there's so many eps that i can really get lost in it), i have to say that MSCL was more like my world, so those few episodes meant more to me at the time. I was going through similar things at the same time as Angela (not to mention the time I awkwardly dyed my hair to match....that might be better forgotten!)
And degrassi the next gen??? That show doesn't even hold a candle to the original show? let alone another candle to degrassi jr high....the canadian broadcast version, not the USA version....
The Counteragent 03/16/08
Good call, sinakitty.
And loglady...I'm a baby! (well, 20). I haven't seen the original Degrassi or Degrassi Jr. High, sadly enough!
RobGrizzly 03/16/08
My So-Called Life isn't just the best teen drama, it was one of the best shows on TV. Period.
loglady 03/16/08
They were also very hard to get on TV in the states...yet another reason canada rules! Much of Next Gen comes from the original shows, which is why for me they'll always be the best...
Allimuffin 03/16/08
While I really enjoyed MSCL, I really like Degrassi, and Gossip Girl, loved Veronica Mars, and LOVED-LOVED Buffy.
BtVS was THE teen show (or just THE show, period) for me.
Moononastring 03/17/08
Although I LOVED My So Called Life, I think there are other shows that were equally good (if not better), in term of writing, acting,etc...shows like Buffy, Veronica Mars, Freaks and Geeks, etc. On top of that, MSCL simply didn't last long enough to judge it fairly against other shows...who knows how it would hold up if it ran longer.
Team Jen 03/17/08
4 words: SAVED BY THE BELL. Jessie Spano on caffeine pills? Best teen drama around.
OzzieAlThor 03/17/08
Saved by the bell for me too. Although no one seems to be mentioning 90210. My wife loved that show back in the day.
evilalice 03/17/08
I can't believe no one's mentioned Judd Apatow's Freaks and Geeks!
jkcampbell 03/17/08
Saved By the Bell for sure. I laughed. I cried. I learned valuable fashion and life lessons.
PopCereal 03/19/08
Freaks and Geeks rules, but James at 15 (and 16) was the godfather to all these shows.
cacklesforall 03/21/08
MSCL will always have my love, because I was in an episode. OK, *I* was not in the episode, my name was... but still, that was pretty cool for a dorky kid. What's even better is that I'm still regularly featured in MSCL fanfic: it seems I've stolen the heart of Brian Krakow.
It's sad that I even know this. :(
scarsandstories8 03/24/08
the oc, one tree hill, smallville, gossip girl, freaks and geeks, veronica mars... i could continue?
ConfidenceMan 03/24/08
Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Clarissa Explains It All, and Alex Mac. C'mon, guys.
ABCSOAPS55 03/31/08
while MSCL is by far the best teen drama ever, imho i also want to give credit to Party Of Five, Dawson's Creek, Popular and Life Goes On all of which also had some superb acting and writing and captured what it meant to be a teen.
As for teen comedy i'd say the best this far has got to be Parker Lewis Can't Loose.
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