My So-Called Life

My So-Called Life

TV-14

Before Euphoria and Freaks and Geeks, this was the edgiest teen show on TV

7.9

TV Show

United States of America
English
Comedy, Drama
1994
A.J. Langer, Bess Armstrong, Claire Danes
48 min

What it's about

The life of a 15 year-old high school student, whose angst-ridden journey through adolescence, friendship, parents, and life teaches her what it means to grow up.

The take

Coming-of-age shows are not hard to come by these days. If anything, there might be too many, with a majority of them being hit-or-miss in terms of quality. But before all this, there was one show that tested the waters and bravely went where no teen show had gone: it was called My So-Called Life, and like anything ahead of its time, it was canceled almost from the get-go. 

The show was one of the first to forgo happy endings and neat tie-ups in exchange for depicting the messy, complicated, and real. Fifteen-year-old Angela Chase (Claire Danes) was hardly likable, what with her bouts of angst and anger, but she was always relatable, and you could rely on her and the rest of the Three Rivers gang to deliver the unfiltered truth about teenhood. Even though the '90s series didn't attract enough eyeballs to warrant a second season, it's now getting its due among modern audiences who recognize its influence in every disaffected young lead trying their best to navigate the confusing waters of youth.  

Comments

Add a comment

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

Ethos

A level of attention to aesthetics usually reserved for the most elaborate films, mixed with a complex and relevant story, make this series from Turkey unmatched in its quality

9.9

Catch Me A Killer

A sturdy police procedural based on the first profiler in South Africa

7.1

Caliphate

A psychological thriller that provides insight on what drove so many young people to ISIS.

8.9

Pretend it’s a City

A wildly entertaining series of interviews with a New York legend

9.2

Occupied

Norway's most expensive show ever is a timely thrill ride with a grim geopolitical premise.

8.7

Unorthodox

A well-acted fact-based thriller about untangling the grip of a close-knit community

8.5

Escape at Dannemora

Based on a true prison escape story, this slow-burn suspense thriller features once-in-a-lifetime performances by a star-studded cast

9.3

Chicken Nugget

A daughter turns into a chicken nugget in this absurd, bite-sized Korean drama

7.2

The Looming Tower

A well-written thriller miniseries about the rivalry between the CIA and the FBI and how they failed to prevent 9/11.

8.1

Supersex

A surprising exploration about sex and masculinity inspired by the Italian Stallion

7.0

Curated by humans, not algorithms.

agmtw logo

© 2024 agoodmovietowatch, all rights reserved.