It's the last Thursday of the month. That means Thursday Movie Picks heads to the small screen. When I first saw that the topic was television series about high school that got me to thinking, would anyone watch a show about my high school? Some really interesting things happened while I was there. Some of them even have historical significance in New York City. The problem with that is, at least for me, is that I probably wouldn't be a character in this show. I wasn't involved in any of the major goings on. I wasn't with the in-crowd or one of the quirky social outcasts that desperately wanted to be part of the in-crowd. I was just kinda there. I did my time and got out. My debt to society paid.
Nonetheless, like most of you, I've watched tons of TV shows about high school. The question is: can I find any that you folks haven't watched, or at the very least, won't mention in your own post. Let's see.
Square Pegs
(1982-1983)
Remember how I mentioned in my opening I wasn't the quirky kid trying hard to be popular. This show is about exactly that, but it does it excellently. Despite being critically acclaimed, a precursor to all those beloved John Hughes movies, and being one of the earliest roles for Sarah Jessica Parker, it never caught on. These days, it's better known for the shenanigans that went on behind the scenes. Why couldn't it find an audience? It's like this. In the days before YouTube, there was a show called That's Incredible. They would get videos and/or show features of people around the world doing...um...incredible things. Pull a bus with your teeth? That's incredible! Bake muffins that look like John F. Kennedy? That's Incredible. Pick your nose with an ice pick? That's incredible! Yeah, silly human tricks. Anyhoo, that was the ratings king on the night Square Pegs aired. We've always been idiots.
Parker Lewis Can't Lose
(1990-1993)
If you take Ferris Bueller's Day Off, mix it with lots of surreal elements, and fill the dialogue with references to pop culture and current evens, and make it a weekly series, you'd have Parker Lewis Can't Lose. Parker Lewis (Corin Nemec) is our stand-in for Bueller and has made it his mission in life to be cool. It's another show that earned the praise of critics, but didn't quite earn a big enough audience to make a significant run. It's impact was felt however, as some major shows were heavily influenced by it, such as Ally McBeal, Malcolm in the Middle, and Scrubs.
Moesha
(1996-2001)
This show forgoes the whole quest to be cool and popular and focuses more on just the normalities of growing up. It focuses on Moesha, played by then-teenaged R&B superstar Brandy, her friends and family. Despite starting life as a rejected CBS pilot, it went on to become the biggest success on the upstart, but now defunct, UPN. Though it was seen by a fairly decent sized audience, but it was largely monolithic in terms of racial makeup which is a shame because it really was a show the entire family could enjoy.
I do remember those 3 shows. I've seen bits of Square Pegs in later years as I thought it was a good show. Parker Lewis Can't Lose and Moesha were shows I never watched though I've seen bits of it and couldn't get into them.
ReplyDeleteParker Lewis is one of those where I understand people not caring for it. It's an odd show.
DeleteI love it...we were always idiots. I totally forgot about the show "That's Incredible" I didn't watch it probably because I didn't want to watch anything dealing with high school since I was just finished with it at that time. I didn't watch the other 2 either but I know they were liked
ReplyDeleteI was one of the idiots. My excuse is that I was 11 so That's Incredible was right in my wheelhouse. It wasn't till a few years later that I realized how wrong I was.
DeleteI remember the guru contortionist who squeezed himself into a tiny Lucite cube.
DeleteI saw a few shows myself...sad to say
DeleteI don't remember that particular contortonist, but that was definitely right up the show's alley.
DeleteThe only one of these I'm familiar with is Square Pegs but I didn't actually watch it. Moesha should be ringing a bell for me because I really liked Brandy back in the day but for some reason it isn't.
ReplyDeleteYou may not have even heard of it if you didn't already watch something on UPN, which, not many did.
DeleteWe didn't have a UPN affiliate in my market. I remember Nowhere Man, which we got on a Fox station Sunday nights, which meant it was a variable time depending on whether football ran long.
DeleteNever saw Nowhere Man, though I remember it coming on. I'm a big football fan so I didn't mind it running long, lol.
DeleteSquare Pegs is soundly in my high school years. I remember it some. Specifically I remember an episode where DEVO showed up, and I remember the theme song performed by The Waitresses. Odd connection--both The Waitresses and DEVO were from Akron, OH.
ReplyDeleteI vaguely remember that episode, too. Had no idea who sang the theme song. Thanks for that. Go, Akron!
DeleteGood picks! I had and have friends that loved Square Pegs but even then I couldn't abide SJP so I never watched but I was an occasional watcher of Parker Lewis Can't Lose. It was on the wrong night as I recall for me to be a full time viewer in those dark days before DVR's. Decent show. I'm vaguely familiar with Moesha but didn't watch a single episode.
ReplyDeleteLove this week's theme! I've watched several shows set in high school but these three stick in my mind.
Skins (2007-2013)-British series about a group of teens in Bristol going through what is known there as sixth form which in the US would be high school. Controversial when it was showing for its graphic depictions of sexuality, drug abuse, bullying and many other issues with more than its share of nudity. Well-acted but grim. Another element of its notoriety was the casting in one of the leads of Nicolas Hoult who at the time was most well known as the youngster in About a Boy.
My So-Called Life (1994)-Regrettably short lived series that chronicled the angst filled high school life of teenager Angela Chase (Claire Danes) as she suffers the agonies of first love with the handsome but vague Jordan Catalano (Jared Leto), tests her boundaries with new friend, wild child Rayanne Graff (A.J. Langer), redefines her friendship with childhood bestie Sharon Cherski (Devon Odessa), seeks to help and protect the abused Rickie Vasquez (Wilson Cruz) while next door neighbor the brilliant but nerdy Brian Krakow (Devon Gummersall) yearns for her. At home she watches as her seemingly happily married parents Graham and Patty’s (Tom Irwin & Bess Armstrong) relationship begins to fray. Outstanding on every level.
Room 222 (1969-1974)-Pete Dixon (Lloyd Haines) is a popular young history teacher at Los Angeles’s Walt Whitman High School. Along with guidance counselor Liz McIntyre (Denise Nicholas), amiable Principal Seymour Kaufman (Michael Constantine) and eager if occasionally bumbling student teacher (over time English teacher) Alice Johnson (Karen Valentine) they deal with the issues of the students, parents and the establishment in the changing face of education in the 70’s. Excellent Emmy winning series, one of the first to honestly portray multiracial classrooms and teaching staffs, looks at a multitude of problems including early marriage, corporate irresponsibility, freedom of speech, senility, the effects of unexpected death and more with many future stars, among them Bruno Kirby, Cindy Williams, Teri Garr, Jamie Farr, Rob Reiner, Richard Dreyfuss, Kurt Russell, and Mark Hamill, passing through.
I've always been rather indifferent about SJP. Back then, I didn't even know who she was so it didn't affect my decision to watch one way or the other.
DeleteNever heard of Skins or Room 222. I am familiar with My So-Called Life, but nevr actually saw it.
My So-Called Life is on disc and probably streaming and is definitely worth checking out. Artfully done and very complex which is surely why it was critically praised and short-lived. I think you'd like Room 222, if you have the channel Aspire among your TV choices they are running a couple of episodes every day from Monday to Friday at least in my area. That's where I rediscovered it.
DeleteNever heard of Aspire, but if it's available on Roku, I can get it.
DeleteMOESHA! HELL YES! Brandy was EVERYTHING on that show. Never watched the other two.
ReplyDeleteM to the...O to the...!!!
DeleteI haven't heard of any of these before.
ReplyDeleteExactly my point!!!
DeleteExcellent job! I have not heard of any of these!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteI think Moesha is the only one I've seen, an episode here and there.
ReplyDelete