“My So-Called Life” (1994)

I had such a big crush on Jared Leto when he was Jordon Catalono but no more. The show did such a great job capturing teenage longing and the warm thrill of crushes with the flip side of despair.

[quote] The show did such a great job capturing teenage longing and the warm thrill of crushes with the flip side of despair.

I think it did an equally stellar job the angst and despair of middle age.

I've said this before - while at the time it seemed tragic that it only lasted for one season and fans then and now naturally wanted more and have all sorts of ideas for where it could have gone - MSCL actually works brilliantly as a 19 episode limited series. I recognize that whenever I rewatch it every couple of years.

Patty is a great character, well-written and acted. She's so identifiable as the annoying, often harping, usually uptight, frau-ish mom. Yet, there's layers, other sides to her - I didn't hate her, or even dislike her.

Patti reminded me of my mom, the fading beauty queen who wanted to care less about her looks, but couldn’t. So she saddled her daughters with her conflict.

[quote] MSCL actually works brilliantly as a 19 episode limited series. I recognize that whenever I rewatch it every couple of years.

I have to agree with you. I dust it off every couple of years and there is this wonderful and wistful inevitability to it. It’s hard to describe. I do wish they’d do a reunion 6-episode miniseries. Get the cast and all of the original writers back.

This show never gets old for me, though. Even with all of the 90s grunge fashion and muted lighting, it’s aged beautifully. Some shows that I love that came after, and which it totally inspired and influenced, e.g. Dawson’s Creek, Felicity, Party of Five, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Freaks and Geeks, have aged worse and never reached the peaks or reality of My So-Called Life.

Anywho, I cherish my Shout! Factory boxed set like an heirloom.

[quote] Patty is a great character, well-written and acted. She's so identifiable as the annoying, often harping, usually uptight, frau-ish mom. Yet, there's layers, other sides to her - I didn't hate her, or even dislike her.

I always said that if they had done a spinoff show focused on Patty, I would’ve watched the shit out of it. Like you pointed out, she was such a layered and just so damn likable a character.

Bess Armstrong was amazing. I only wish she would have worked more.

I found this on YouTube (a recording of a 1981 production of Barefoot in the Park with Bess and Richard Thomas) and may actually watch it just for her.

I was 35yo when this came out and didn't have time for TV, but I always watched this in hotels on the road.

It was my guilty pleasure. Like the Seinfeld episode about Melrose Place, I wouldn't admit it.

OMG is Jordon retarded or what? Ricky is so sweet, please don't kill yourself.

i never liked it. everyone seemed to have deep emotional problems. it was depressing.

[quote]60yo eldergay=14yo girl

What a cutie you are!

I didn't relate to it. I guess it was well made and well acted. But it seemed to be about a teen and family life other than mine - and I wasn't very far removed from being a teenager at the time.

I related to Ricky, Angela, and Rayanne the most. I have a bit of all three in me still.

I always wanted to be Patty and Graham’s child.

And, of course, I wanted Jordan’s cock in me.

"I didn't relate to it. "

Is that a requirement? I enjoy plenty of shows I don't relate to.

I watched this whole show during its original run, and now I feel bad that I don't remember a thing about Patty. I didn't even remember her name was Patty -- she was just Angela's mom. But I was a kid when it aired, and most adult characters might as well have been Charlie Brown's mom back then.

it was aa 1990's version of Family which I also didn't like. So fucking heavy and intense.

A bunch of weirdos.

[quote] I watched this whole show during its original run, and now I feel bad that I don't remember a thing about Patty. I didn't even remember her name was Patty -- she was just Angela's mom. But I was a kid when it aired, and most adult characters might as well have been Charlie Brown's mom back then.

Of course you would have focused more on the adolescents; you were young. I did, too, but always did love the adults.

I’ve found that one of the beautiful and brilliant aspects of this show is how the parents and adults draw you in the older you get. It’s a show that grows up with you.

Suddenly, you’re in your late-twenties, or late-thirties, and you understand Patty and Graham’s oncoming tragedy, and the catalyst that is the hopelessly and tragically ebullient Hallie Lowenthal; you get Amber’s (Rayanne’s mom) addiction to avoidance and her subtle recklessness; you are pained by Mr. Kaminsky’s plight...

It really is a brilliant show. You should watch it again.

I always liked Rayanne and fantasized that she was my best friend.

It was such a great show. The most fleshed-out, real characters at that time, especially Patty. She was really on a roller coaster. Like the whole episode with Rayanne overdosing, and her conversation in the car about her old friend who OD'd. Just the way she turns to Angela & says "... except she died." 😭 Also the "weekend" episode where Patty gets shitfaced at the B&B. Very real. This show really showed that parents are human and can fuck up and be vulnerable.

I was thr same age as Angela when the show aired & was in a similar situation enter I had a friend & group of kids I was with, then we were in two different worlds. I was lost & was seeing my old group of friends move on without me. It was painful. The way they portrayed Angela & Sharon's relationship was really well done.

Not sure what I was doing in 1994 but it wasn't watching this series, I found it later as usual on some heavy rotation after the fact. The first time around the character of Angela's mom was rarely anything but irksome or worse, the parent more needy than the child. Allowing some leeway for the parents viewed through their child's eyes made them more sympathetic but both were still insufferable at times, as parents are.

I have empathy for teenagers because it's such a difficult time in life and adults usually have all the wrong things to contribute, but I have only so much empathy for middle aged parents of adolescents. They owe their kids more than ceaseless self-absorption and stupid moves. For me the show is a great success in its focus on the young characters, not so outstanding with the parents.

I loved this show. It was like perfect.

This show was amazing. Where can we watch it?

It was really, like, you know, a really annoying show because, you know, it was like, all the teenagers talked, like, you know, like this.

We had a time.

Loved it! So real and who knows if it would have gone to shit if given a second season...

I've watched it during the pandemic for the first time in over 10 years. Perfect show, great visuals and storyline.

Watching this show as an adult, even though I'm not a father, I began sympathizing with Patty more, Angela could be a pain in the butt sometimes. I see a lot of my 13 year old niece in Angela, that episode where she helps with Rayanne's birthday but refuses to help her mom with their parent's anniversary is priceless storytelling, the moment she tells Angela in the car she was best friends with a Rayanne that actually died is heartbreaking, I got a lot of sympathy for Patty after that and it was even brilliant that after a couple of episodes Rayanne finale thanks her for saving her life. Such beautiful moments in this show.

[quote] This show was amazing. Where can we watch it?

If you're in America you can watch all episodes at the abc.com site or you can catch it on Hulu. There's a very active torrent on Piratebay where you can download the series too, the quality is great.

R23 Like, it was profound.

Angel’s Fable:

"Once upon a time there lived a girl. She slept in a lovely little cottage made of gingerbread and candy. She was always asleep. One morning she woke up, and the candy had mold on it. Her father blew her a kiss and the house fell down. She realized she was lost. She found herself walking down a crowded street, but the people were made of paper, like paper dolls. She blew everyone a kiss goodbye, and watched as they blew away."

R22 You can also watch it on Amazon Prime and YouTube.

“It had become the focus of everything. It was all I could feel, all I could think about. It blotted out the rest of my face, the rest of my life. Like the zit had become … the truth about me.”

“It just seems like, you agree to have a certain personality or something. For no reason. Just to make things easier for everyone. But when you think about it, I mean, how do you know it’s even you? And, I mean, this whole thing with yearbook — it’s like, everybody’s in this big hurry to make this book, to supposedly remember what happened, but it’s not even what really happened, it’s what everyone thinks was supposed to happen. Because if you made a book of what really happened, it’d be a really upsetting book. You know, in my humble opinion.”

“Hatred can become, like, food. It gives you this energy. You can, like, live off it.”

“I cannot bring myself to eat a well-balanced meal in front of my mother. It just means too much to her. I mean, if you stop to think about, like, chewing — what it really is — how people just do it, like, in public.”

“It’s such a lie that you should do what’s in your heart. If we all did what was in our hearts, the world would grind to a halt.”

“When you call someone’s name, like, kind of loud, and they don’t hear you, it makes you feel really lonely.”

Sorry, I had to get those quotes off my chest or was going to, like, die or something.

I wanted Graham's cock

I always loved Rayanne.

But can we please talk about how the HOT actor who played Angela’s dad is bisexual in real life?

R35 Oh my god, me too! Daddy was [italic]hot[/italic].

Yes, Graham and his cock. Let’s talk.

[quote] the HOT actor who played Angela’s dad is bisexual in real life?

What?!

Good choice! Love this show too. It captured how teens actually acted and thought, and also made you care for the adults! Ricky was a beautiful character too, as was Rayanne.

[quote] I've said this before - while at the time it seemed tragic that it only lasted for one season and fans then and now naturally wanted more and have all sorts of ideas for where it could have gone - MSCL actually works brilliantly as a 19 episode limited series. I recognize that whenever I rewatch it every couple of years.

This is what Holzman said she had planned for the second season of the show:

"I pictured a situation where Angela and Jordan are an item, Delia and Brian are an item, and Angela and Brian are constantly looking to each other for advice and help with their respective dysfunctional relationships.

"Ricky would be living with Mr. Katimski [the drama teacher who took Ricky in when he was homeless], and it would come out that Mr. Katimski was gay. And the whole school would be polarized…this was a different time, remember. I was thinking that Sharon's mother would want him out of the school, and her friendship with Angela's mother would go on the line for it. In other words, it would become the fulcrum of a polarizing school issue, and Ricky would be right in the middle of it.

"And Angela's parents would have split up, and I was going to have her mother go into some kind of depression, and Angela would have to take over running the household. I literally have no idea what I was thinking of for Rayanne, but I think it was getting her in some kind of real trouble. And I was going to get Sharon pregnant—that was a thought, anyway. I mean, obviously none of it was carved in stone, but I think I would have jumped off on some of that stuff."

I thought for sure it run for more than 1 season. they might as well have billed it is as a mini-series.

Rayanne grew up to be a Countess, you know.

Always better to do two few episodes/seasons than too many.

It's well known today that Claire Danes didn't want to come back for a second season because she wanted to focus on her film career and that ABC was seriously considering renewing the show. Claire usually downplays her role in the cancellation but Holzman has said she didn't want to do it anymore once she learned Danes wasn't into it anymore. They're still good friends so I don't think this was personal issue.

[quote] the HOT actor who played Angela’s dad is bisexual in real life?

I always thought Tom Irwing was gay, I've never heard any rumors about him though. Are you privy to some info? Please share, he's still hot.

I have to say I'm surprised so many people here like Patty, as I'd consider her to be the definition of a frau.

I was under the impression that it was canceled because of low ratings. I remember reading about it during its first run in Entertainment Weekly (don’t judge me, I was Angela’s age at the time), and I seem to remember them saying it was too depressing to catch on with a wider audience. I was guilty of not caring about it until it was canceled. Then MTV showed the full series, and I watched every episode from the first to the last, and it made a huge impression on me. Like, I cried over it and shit.

Tom Irwing was said to have hit on a guy in an adult video store here in NYC, I think it was just after the series had finished. Pretty sure I read about it on Datalounge, but could be wrong. I understood him to be sort of a closeted bisexual. If anyone knows anything else, spill it!

The Christmas episode - “So-Called Life” - is shattering.

Perfect for this season.

R41 Okay, I would’ve loved this.

[quote] 'm surprised so many people here like Patty, as I'd consider her to be the definition of a frau.

Patty is the only acceptable frau.

Having Patty go into a depression would have been interesting, since she was so Type A. I would have liked to see Amber maybe play a role in helping her through it, since according to Amber they were in the same karass lol. That would have given Patty an opportunity to understand Amber’s life as a single mom more.

R50 I [italic]love[/italic] this idea. And I just realized, Patty was NOT a frau.

She was an independent working woman with frau-like tendencies. But she was way above being a frau.

Jared Leto apparently hates this show to a point that he and his brother Shannon once got aggressive with and stole a tape recorder from an interviewer for bringing it up instead of talking about Jared's film career. The interview is gone now. I tried to find it online again and couldn't.

R51 another major sign of Patty not being a frau: she made Graham help Danielle with her Girl Scout cookies because she was too busy. I think that might even be the same episode where she laments that the family, “needs a mom,” because she’s so busy with the print shop!

R52 Unbelievable. What a douchebag. It’s the best thing he’s ever done.

R53 Yes!

[quote] Jared Leto apparently hates this show to a point that he and his brother Shannon once got aggressive with and stole a tape recorder from an interviewer for bringing it up instead of talking about Jared's film career. The interview is gone now. I tried to find it online again and couldn't.

He has said he doesn't hate the series but he's embarrassed of his acting on the show. Shannon was a PA for the Bedford Falls Company after the show ended, so that would show great ingratitude.

Danes is close to literally all the cast members, they even went to her induction at the Hollywood walk of Fame, so I think there's something there. Let's nor forget Danes was 13 when she shot the pilot and 14 when they started production and Leto was 23.

Most people don't realize Jordan was meant to be 20, as he was left back twice. Would this even be allowed today? A 14 year old kissing a 23 year old?

R55 I never knew [italic]any[/italic] of this. And let’s get real, this would [italic]not[/italic] be allowed now.

Jared could pass for late-teens though.

I only watched for Jordan Catalano. But looking back now, dude was retarded. So a generation of teenage girls and gays were swooning over his retarded ass. Most high school shows that came after couldnt decide if they wanted to be MSCL or Beverly Hills 90210 soap opera. Which is why they were forgettable and dated.

I enjoy that AJ Langer is now Countess of Devon.

Danes winning her first major award (Golden Globe) for her brilliant work on the show.

I only watched for Ricky. Omg I felt for him so much. Even though my experience was nothing like his, I felt for him.

I also would not have believed then that Jared Leto will win an Oscar before Claire Danes. Claire Danes was such a critic’s darling in the 90s.

[quote] I enjoy that AJ Langer is now Countess of Devon.

if you watch the extra features from the DVD you see that AJ is your typical potty mouth woman, she swears a lot. I can only imagine how that went with the family. She seems like the kind of woman I'd love to be friends with. She's so authentic.

R62 Didn’t Holzman say that she started writing for the actors and catering to their personalities?

Incidentally, I hadn’t realized she wrote for [italic]thirtysomething[/italic], [italic]Once and Again[/italic], and co-wrote [italic]Wicked[/italic] for Broadway!

Speaking of creep, how about this Letterman interview with Claire when she was 17?

I loved this show, I was just coming out when it aired. Yes, i wanted Jordan too (Leto was beautiful in the role). At the time I had a major crush on a straight friend - the scene where Angela gets "over" Jordan helped me. She dances on the bed to "Blister in the Sun" and I blasted that song for months afterward.

I also love that AJ Langer is the Countess of Devon. There's an hour long show with Mary Berry (a limited series where Mary goes to great houses and cooks for the family), and they do a session with AJ and her husband at Powderham Castle. Their kids are featured and since they grew up in the US they have American accents - too funny as their son will be the 20th Earl of Devon.

R17, I would be interested in revisiting a few episodes again, just to see how it holds up and how my initial impressions of characters compares.

WHET to the actress who played Rayanne?

R66 See R65

[quote] WHET to the actress who played Rayanne?

Nevermind! R65 answered.

[quote] Didn’t Holzman say that she started writing for the actors and catering to their personalities?

She did there are a couple of great articles on the oral history of MSCL and Senta Moses who played Deliah says she talked to her about having a crush on Wilson Cruz and that turned out to be the scene where Rickie finally comes out as gay.

On the DVD Devon Odessa also says they intended Sharon to be very nerdy but because she was used to playing bad girls and was perkier, they re wrote Sharon to suit her. She also originally auditioned for Rayanne, it would've been interesting to see that.

As a side trivia, Odessa and Langer played mean girls on an episode of The Wonder Years, the one about the eclipse, where they bet AJ's character (pretty much an early Rayanne Graff character named Mary Jo Janeiro) bets 20 bucks she can give a hickey to a nerdy fat kid.

I could only find this version on Dailymotion but @ 1:29 you can see "Rayanne" and this was shot 2 years before MSCL. @4:26 you can see Odessa playing the mean girl that dares her to kiss him.

Another thing I love is how well most of the cast did after the show. They went on to greater heights. And they remained tight.

Here’s a People Magazine update from 2019 on the entire cast.

R69 Interesting! I always felt [italic]The Wonder Years[/italic] was a sort of precursor to this show and that it hit many of the same notes. Of course, MSCL is better, to me at least.

It was a great show and I agree it was lucky to have a limited run. If it had been renewed the network would have fucked it up. Holzman was all over thrirtysomething and Once and Again. I have to say that thirtysomething was a guilty pleasure, as awful as it could be (esp. the later seasons and any storyline built around Hope or Ellyn), it did some things well like Nancy's cancer and the death of Michael's father.

From the People article linked above, Armstrong echoing the direction Holzman had told her she planned on taking the show:

[quote] Armstrong opened up about the defining moment in an interview with Vanity Fair, and how the twist would have influenced a second season."[Creator Winnie Holzman] had told me that, because Graham was beginning that affair, I know I was going to go into a major depression," Armstrong recounted. "I know that she told me that the thing which was going to force Angela to become more of the adult in the household. I swear on a stack of Bibles, she did tell me this. And Angela was going to be forced to become more of the adult."

[quote] Interesting! I always felt The Wonder Years was a sort of precursor to this show and that it hit many of the same notes. Of course, MSCL is better, to me at least.

Winnie Holzman wrote an episode of the Wonder Years, the one where Paul develops a crush on[[ Kevin's mom. On that video you can see why Devon Odessa was originally reading for Rayanne, she is playing the mean girl, though Aj Langer is pretty much Rayanne in that episode already.

I love The Wonder Years but MSCL is on a league of its own.

Who knew: Winnie Holzman is married to prolific character actor Paul Dooley--many years her senior.

R74 I’m going to watch that episode on Hulu now, lol.

I had such a crush on Daddy Graham. Yum.

R76 Please do and come back here to tell us if you think Rayanne was born in that episode or not. 😀

R78 lol, will do. Season 6, episode 17. I’m starting it now.

R69, that was a fun clip. But maybe because I associate Rayanne and Sharon so much with MSCL, the whole clip seemed to have '90s ethos superimposed over a supposed '60s era. If that makes any sense, lol.

I loved this show and watched it loyally every Thursday... it didn’t get the audience it deserved because it came on at the same time as [italic]Friends[/italic].

It was cancelled but ABC had a change of heart and ok’d a second season but Danes was already committed to movie projects.

I was 34 when this was on and I loved it. Yes,I originally started watching because of Leto's beauty ,but that soon became secondary as I got into all the characters . Devon Gummersall grew up very nicely !

I’m still in shock over Rayanne having sex with Jordan.

R84 That was such a pivot!

R78 I totally see it!

[quote] Wilson Cruz: Sometimes we would go to a restaurant and people would go up to Claire, obviously, or they'd come up to Devon Odessa and AJ, and even Devon Gummersall and Jared, and tell them, "Oh, I can relate to your character so much!" Nobody ever came up to me and said that. Never. So here's what happened: Those kids were about 15, 16, right? About 5 years after that, they were finally at the gay clubs. And that's when I got to hear the stories. And what I realized is, of course they weren't coming up to me and saying they saw themselves in me, because they didn't want to admit that [they were gay] yet. But at the time my feelings were hurt.

😢

[quote]Who knew: Winnie Holzman is married to prolific character actor Paul Dooley--many years her senior.

He also played Patty's dad on the show, most memorably for the family business/IRS audit episode.

[quote] and even Devon Gummersall

Fuck you!

Hey Brain.

Dear Angela,

I know in the past I've caused you pain, and I'm sorry. And I'll always be sorry til the day I die. And I hate this pen I'm holding, because I should be holding you. And I hate this paper under my hand because it isn't you. I even hate this letter because it's not the whole truth. Because the whole truth is so much more than a letter can even say. If you wanna hate me, go ahead. If you wanna burn this letter, do it. You could burn the whole world down. You could tell me to go to hell. I'd go. If you wanted me to. And I'd send you a letter from there.

Sincerely,

My cat's name is Tino

Where's Krakow?

R57 he was dyslexic!! Not retarded!

R69 The casting of Sharon was so perfect it hurts. I little heavy. Kinda cute. Kinda dumb.Big ol titties. And fell deeply in love at a young age. Older boys. Fucked in the backseat. We all knew a Sharon. I've had to help one get out of a preventable situation.

Sharon ended up pregnant in season two.

The dad was hot. I was a freshman in high school and Jordan did nothing for me. But Graham?

I was a daddy lover from birth.

R88 Yes! I love that episode.

R91 That was “Brain,” you bastard!

R92 It’s [italic]Ti-No[/italic].

R95 So true. Devon Odessa was [italic]perfect[/italic]. She was the only stuck up bitch I ever loved.

Also, her boyfriend Kyle (Johnny Green) was like porn-hot. What ever happened to him? I saw that he was in Gia

Watching “So-Called Angels” on Prime and am already tearing up!

[quote]"I didn't relate to it. "

[quote]Is that a requirement? I enjoy plenty of shows I don't relate to.

Relate to: to feel sympathy with; identify with. Respond to.

R13 That's bullshit, you have to relate to a show on some level to enjoy it. If you literally can't relate to anything you're looking at, if the characters you are supposed to be interested in repel you, or the stories you're supposed to like hold no interest, what are you watching for? The cinematography? So of course it's a requirement. For me, anyway. But you keep on doing you.

It was a show about a sensitive, young teenage girl, and her parents. I was a guy in my late 20's at the time. It held no interest for me, I see no need to apologize for my tastes. And I hated Jared Leto/Jordan Catalano

Brian Krakow was really dorky in a likeable way, but actor Devon Gummersall became sexy as he got older - the opposite of what happened to Jared Leto.

I understand, R103. Will you watch the aforementioned Christmas episode for me? I think it will warm your heart.

[quote] Plot. Christmas in Three Rivers finds Rickie out on the street after a fight with his abusive uncle. Angela, aided by a mysterious homeless girl (Juliana Hatfield), tries to help him, putting her at odds with Patty. Meanwhile, Brian faces Christmas alone.

You might fight something to relate to.

omg, Patty is looking for Angela and the part of the episode that makes me cry is coming up. My face is starting to flush. 🥺

They could never make a show like that today. People and teens are not that introspective. Angela would post one of her deep thoughts on her Instagram underneath a narcissistic selfie.

Patty: “There but for the grace of God...”

Angel: “...go I.”

(Beat.)

Angel: Go ahead, ask me.

(Beat.)

Patty:Why did you leave home?

Angel: My mother and I had a fight. The kind of fight where it seems like the fight is having you. (Beat.) So what else do you want to know?

(Long beat.)

Patty: How did you die?

(“O Holy Night” begins to swell)

😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

This was the ultimate quintessential Xennial show.

I’m so happy Brian Ingersoll grew up hot.

One of the oddities I found on this show was the episode where it was Patty -- and not Graham -- who took slight issue/discomfort with Angela's friendship with Rickie. And Graham called her on it. In that same episode, Angela declares that Rickie is "sorta bi" (sure, Jan!).

Maybe I'm misremembering -- it's been awhile!

Bess will always have LACE, r7. That alone makes her resume golden.

I, I close my door at night, but she gets in alright

R113 I bought a Buffalo Tom CD back in the day just for that song. Love that scene.

R95 this is a perfect post.

I just watched the pilot and it totally holds up. What on earth happened to American TV in the past 25 years?

R116,

That’s a pathetic theme.

R111 that scene was so well written & acted. Patty exclaiming "Bi?! Bi?!" and Danielle piping up with "It means 'bisexual'!" 🤣

R118 That scene was excellent because everyone in the family kind of had a point about each other in the argument. There was so much bubbling under that wasn't necessarily spoken.

[quote] They could never make a show like that today. People and teens are not that introspective. Angela would post one of her deep thoughts on her Instagram underneath a narcissistic selfie.

What a bunch of BS. I showed MSCL to my 14 year old niece and nephew they both loved it. Introspective people will always exist, sometimes I read some comments here and I kind of suspect some posters are either retarded or on the spectrum, that's the only explanation for some kind of the shit spouted here.

As for how introspective kids today deal with social media, they have Instagrams with few photos, usually abstract ones, like a candle blowing, the controls from a PS4, a dark wall, etc., a couple of shots of them in a different angle you can barely see their faces and their dark jacket, etc. Then, they write introspective quotes in their Stories with a video, a sad song or some image. This is literally how my nephew's very introspective best friend does online. He's not alone. He just turned 15.

R120 The Christmas episode ended and resurrected me yesterday, and left me with a taste and craving for the show.

I’m going to watch the entire series between now New Year’s Eve.

Wilson Cruz was on a podcast I've listened recently and he talks about this Christmas episode. He says he came out in between starting shooting the pilot and his father kicked him out and he was living in his car till the pilot was shot three months later. His dad then watched the episode and called him to make amends, they're now very close and he is a champion of his work. It's a very beautiful story.

He also talks about the Pulse massacre and how he lost an aunt in that shooting, he comes across as very sweet and engaging. I wonder if anyone here had him. Is he a top, bottom or vers? Is it true he hangs out a lot with The Rock?

I usually don't go for the more fem guy, but I'd hit that.

[quote] I just watched the pilot and it totally holds up. What on earth happened to American TV in the past 25 years?

This pilot is perfection, it was even shot in 35mm the style of this pilot still holds a lot, it works perfectly as a short film too. It is funny how this show was cinematic and as Todd Holland says in the extras, it allowed 2 actors to exist in a single frame, it does have a film language that is hard to see today, even on streaming shows.

R122 I never knew that. Love it!

Wasn't Patty the parent who made the bulk of the household money, and her job sort of stressed her out? She ran the printing shop her dad owned and Graham did what? Didn't he work there and then he was going to start a restaurant with his near-affair, Hallie?

R125 Yep. Patty was badass. Graham was the frau.

More great MSCL casting - Mary Kay Place.

Danielle is fairly forgettable, yet absolutely necessary. I love that voice over at the end of the episode where the parents are out of town and Rayanne is handcuffed to the bed.

Angela's voice: "This is the worst weekend of my life" (something like that).

Danielle: "This was the best weekend ever."

Lisa Waltz was also pitch perfect as Hallie Lowenthal, who we’re supposed to dislike at some point. I found her sweetly tragic.

Graham had a type. Patty and Hallie seem like opposites, and they are in many ways. But, they have one thing in common - they run the show. Graham seems to like that in his partners.

r6 Must order this box set! Xmas gift to myself.

R130 I concur.

People here are comparing MSCL to the Wonder Years.

They certainly have the hot dad thing in common. Different types of hot, but still - both hot. I would LOVE to see the father from the Wonder Years have sweaty sex with a guy.

I hate when this masterpiece gets compared to Freaks and Geeks which, though amusing, was nowhere near the level of MSCL.

In fact, it was reductive.

The Kim Kelly is my Friend episode with aunt Lydia always reminds me of Rayanne and her mom. I think it would fit perfectly within the MSCL universe. I prefer MSCL but FG also has a soft spot in my heart because of the humor in it. The last episode where Daniel plays D&D with the Geeks is a very sweet moment that is also reminiscent of MSCL.

As for the Wonder Years, Holzman's episode Cocoa and Sympathy is obviously very MSCL-ish, no wonder I loved that episode even before I got to know MSCL.

Holzman wrote another show with her daughter Savannah, called Huge, that entire show is MSCL with fat people trying to lose weight at a fat camp. I wonder if it's available somewhere. I think it aired on ABC Family.

I had all the episodes but I lost my hd, too bad it was actually a great show. It starred Nikky Blonsky and David Hasselhoff's daughter, whatever's her name.

“My So-Called Ratings”

Huge is available on DVD, who knew? This is no question the only TV show that one could say is like MSCL, it really is, and they even hinted on a trans character like 10 years ago. Paul Dooley also plays yet another cranky father figure of a black counselor in that show. Very underrated show.

R136 I’ll have to check it out!

And how [italic]did[/italic] MSCL do in the ratings? Too lazy to check.

[quote] And how did MSCL do in the ratings? Too lazy to check.

MSCL was literally the first teen show to focus on teen girls without sexploitation, it came before networks understood teen demographics, so it did poorly, as it went against Friends of all shows. Its ratings would still be huge by today's standards which says a lot about how far we've come. 90210 was already on but it played on a completely different genre.

It was a show ahead of its time and it is studied in film/tv schools as an example of how demographics shouldn't be the only factor while measuring ratings. This was filmed before the CW.

UPN and The WB premiered right after MSCL was cancelled. So the market just didn't understand or know how to market this series because they didn't think teen girls were a profitable market. It would take another year for the market to catch up.

I have the lunchbox/DVD set ☺️

I've found one clip from the DVD extras, it talks about the genesis of the show. Too bad I can't find the other extras, there are featurettes for the family, the friends, the music, a conversation between Holzman and Marshall Herskovitz, one between Claire and Holzman and another one just with Danes. It's a very well made DVD.

The lunchbox edition which I also own has a very lengthy impromptu conversation with Holzman and the creators, it's even better than the official DVD.

Enjoy.

I can upload the dvd extras if there's real interest. Like this comment if you'd like to see them. I'll procure a video platform that won't delete it if you want to watch it.

r139 Omg so jealous!

r139 I'm down!

^ I meant r141

This show captured angsty Xennial coming of age zeitgeist like no other. It is so particular to the Xennial experience. I'm glad that it exists.

R142 You are too cute. And yes, please do.

R139 I had that set sans lunchbox! I got rid of it when I got the Shout! edition.

Speaking of Tom Irwin, I have friends (a straight couple) who have known him since their early Chicago theater days and they know he must be gay but he has never come out. He continues to just be an old school “confirmed bachelor.” They feel sad because they’re waiting for him to just start living his life openly but he can’t seem to get there.

There was a paperback based on the series - and a sequel as well, called "My So-Called Life Goes On."

I never got past the first chapter or two of the first book because the writing is so horrible.

I was recently going through a box of old clothes at my parents' home and found my official "SAVE MSCL" T-shirt from the fan campaign (26 years ago!) to keep the show on the air when it was on the bubble. It really was such a great series.

I’m wait for my extras, R140.

I loved when Patty was surprised that Graham knew who RuPaul was.

Gurrrrl

Finished my rewatch. ❤️

Sorry for the delay, I didn't have time to post the extras. I'll try to upload them tomorrow. Can anyone here recommend a good video service that won't strike the videos for copyright? My upload is fast, but dailymotion seems clunky.

R155 You just reminded me!

I loved the Life of Brian episode. He was really such a funny character with his neuroses. I feel like that episode where he decides not to take Delia to the dance was very much like an episode of The Wonder Years.

The dance episode is Life of Brian. I find it funny that Jason Katims who wrote the episode where we first see Rickie interested in another guy, would later straight-wash that real life gay teacher in that failed NBC show, whatever it was called, under the excuse he didn't know how to write a gay storyline. I was very disappointed to read his excuse. His show Relativity was pretty good and had a main lesbian character played by Lisa Edelstein, which also featured the first lesbian kiss on prime time. I don't get his reaction at all.

[Quote] His show Relativity was pretty good

His version of Roswell wasn't too bad either. The actor who played Brian showed up in season 2.

[quote] His version of Roswell wasn't too bad either. The actor who played Brian showed up in season 2

Yeah Devon Gummersall married Manjandra Delfino from Roswell and later divorced her after two months. 🤷🏻‍♂️

There is an episode where someone tells Angela to talk to Jordan. She gets upset and says she afraid that if he's NOT interested in her she will have no one to daydream about ALL DAY. That was such a funny and relatable thing to say. I watched the show months after it went off the air 1995/96 and there was a guy I'd see in this bar who was VERY good looking and COOL looking like Jordan Catalano and I obsessed about him all the time which made Angela's obsession with Jordan SO relateable.

R157 I love “Life of Brian.” It’s such a bittersweet episode with the most pleasant tinges of melancholy. Urge Overkill’s “Dropout” and and Haddaway’s “What is Love” add to the atmosphere.

This show had one of the best soundtracks ever. I remember when I first discovered “Dreams” by The Cranberries, which was my favorite song for a longtime.

This song both buoys and and saddens me. It’s strange.

Dreams.

Never on the show but it should’ve been....

R160 maybe Majandra was rebounding from Brendan.

Wasn't Patty the parent who made the bulk of the household money, and her job sort of stressed her out? She ran the printing shop her dad owned and Graham did what? Didn't he work there and then he was going to start a restaurant with his near-affair, Hallie?

That's one of the things I remember about the show; it would've been easy to make Patty the shrill harpy & Graham the "Cool Dad", but eventually Angela comes around to the idea that her mom (however annoying she may be) is the one that gets shit done & hold the family together. As others have noted, as much as the show was about "teen angst", I think it was about angst in general.

Its funny no one talks about Billy Pilgrim, the folk duo whose song Try sets the tone of the whole episode and ends the World Happiness Dance. Very underrated song. Perfect lyrics too.

[quote] Watch the lights flash by my window Throw ghosts on the wall And every room in my house Answers back when I call Trace the outline within Trust in dreams to begin Try to keep it all in sight And try to work it all out Try if you will, try if they won't You're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't Try

Since we're doing this, here's Sunscreem's Pressure, the song that plays when Angela confronts Jordan at the dance.

[quote] Wasn't Patty the parent who made the bulk of the household money, and her job sort of stressed her out?

Exactly. Patty was not a frau; she just needed her cock sucked and I would have obliged!

I've heard people comparing Graham and Patty to Michael and Hope from Thirtysomething and I can see a lot of them in the Chases. Herskovitz and Zwick always write cool dad figures with harpy wives, I wonder why.

R171 Patty was not a harpy; she was a big-dicked alpha woman.

She was both. She was harpy and she had some frau tendencies, but in other ways she was sort of anti-frau.

God I am rewatching this and am shocked that the Patty character is so loved. She is constantly on Graham like a true frauhen. I don't blame him for wanting to step out on her.

I wish that they would have made Jordan more unattainable. I didn’t like the storyline where he and Angela were hooking up in the down low. It would have been better to just have her pine for him as most people do with their high school crush.

Angela did help Jordan a lot, so in a sense he was reattributing that favor. My experience is that older people rewatching the show, specially the ones with kids, tend to like Patty more as they see the show as grown ups. Graham can be very needy and childish too.

I rewatch the show every couple of years and did a rewatch last week when I noticed the show is now on Hulu. In all these years this is the first time I thought about the difference between the only two teachers with their own storylines, Mr. Racine and Mr. Katimski.

Mr. Racine (Vic) and his toothpicks encouraged his students to think and question everything and Jordan says he was the best teacher he ever had but he also abandoned his family, changed his name, dodged child support and told Angela to drop out of high school (and didn’t even remember her name). On the other hand, Mr. Katimski and his dramatic pauses is Mr. Katimski and he takes in Ricky who was abandoned by his family. Mr. Racine is a substitute English teacher and Mr. Katimski is a permanent English teacher and Katimski is obviously the better person but I lean toward Vic in terms of who actually taught them the most. Idk.

R177 Vic taught them how to think outside of the box. Katimski taught them how to be human beings.

Really, both great side characters. Katimski, obviously, was around a lot more; Vic was there and gone. The one thing I like about the Vic arc is it captured how kids, really people generally, can have a spark lit by the right person. Vic wasn't even that out there, but he just communicated in a way that spoke to some of the students and he simply did the "big" thing of encouraging them to think for themselves - taught them that things could be questioned and not everyone thinks the same even it often seems that way.

R179 His arc also speaks to how appearances can be deceiving and disillusioning.

Very good point, R180

And I guess also that people can be great in some ways and awful in others.

[quote]Vic taught them how to think outside of the box. Katimski taught them how to be human beings.

Agreed, but when I said “actually taught” I was specifically talking about teaching in the classroom, I should have been clearer.

[quote]His arc also speaks to how appearances can be deceiving and disillusioning.

Yup, he taught them to question everything, including him, which Angela did.

Mr. Racine - straight character played by gay actor

Mr. Katimski - gay character played by straight actor

R183 Get out of town!

Someone posted the extras on Youtube, that's not me, but now you can watch the behind the scenes.

Enjoy!

Behind The Scenes Part 2 - Angela

Bess Armstrong was amazing. Such an unhappy woman who just wanted to do the right thing by other people, but her fears and inhibitions kept getting in the way.

Behind The Scenes Part 3 The Chase Family

Behind The Scenes Part 4 The Friends

Behind The Scenes Part 5 The Music

They should do a reboot with Angela being a single widowed mom raising a bunch of teenagers. No just kidding.

R191 They should definitely do a one season/miniseries reunion. Leto is out so they could OD him. The rest of the cast would come back, I’m sure. It would be a great way of honoring the show and hooking new fans.

Thank you for sharing the links to the extras, Ti-no!

😘

My two favorite short scenes were the first (good) kiss between Angela and Jordan, and the hand-holding hallway scene that someone posted above. They still give me chills at 41. But, as a whole, it was one of the best series I've ever seen, and when I reach the end of episode 19 whenever I watch through every so often, I feel sad. I would love to see a short series reboot of where they are now, but Jared Leto would most certainly NOT take part, which could take it down a tiny bit.

Also, did anyone else love Angela's house? It was so quaint and cozy with great lighting. I can almost smell the warmth and the great food her Dad cooked.

Behind The Scenes: A Conversation with Marshall Herskovitz and Winnie Holzman.

R195 I love this interview. So revealing. It’s on the Shout! Factory release along with the other features.

It was a small point, but Patty was adopted. That explained a lot about her drive, her idealistic and unrealistic concept of family, and her textbook combination of bitchiness and neediness.

The show made you feel like all of the characters not played by Claire Danes had very full lives outside of the camera frame.

But, there's non-adopted women just like Patty.

Patty's abandonment issues play a great part into her neurosis. It's literally talked about by Rayanne's mom when she's reading her tarot cards and it's shown by her relationship with her dad and mother.

Angela also references this in the pilot, when she says "My mom was adopted, for a while she was looking for her real parents, I guess that's what everyone is looking for".

[quote] It was a small point, but Patty was adopted. That explained a lot about her drive, her idealistic and unrealistic concept of family, and her textbook combination of bitchiness and neediness.

So true. I love Patty.

Behind The Scenes: Winnie Holzman & Claire Danes (In Conversation)

My so-called Life Live Panel [1995]

Thanks for sharing all the extras!

Here's sort of a reunion from 2013.

Who is this cutie sharing all the goodies?

[quote] Who is this cutie sharing all the goodies?

I was trying to upload the extras but Youtube would censor the audio and somehow this woman posted them so I asked her to upload all that she has, so she did. She's a huge fan of the show. That's all I know.

R206 I’m referring to [italic]you[/italic] as the cutie, cutie.

This tidbit from a Howard Stern interview where Claire talks about Jared is the only gossipy thing about this show I've ever found.

Jared has a reputation of being a creep, something tells me she's not a fan of his by the way she answers here, this answer seems very rehearsed and polite. She's friends with everyone from the cast still so maybe there's something there.

As for the kiss, I doubt they could get away with a 14 year old making out with a 23 year old today.

R208 I love Claire.

bump