My So-Called Life (1994; 30th anniversary)
My So-Called Life (1994; 30th anniversary)
"My So-Called Life" is an American teen drama television series created by Winnie Holzman and produced by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz.
It originally aired on ABC from August 25, 1994, to January 26, 1995. It is distributed by The Bedford Falls Company with ABC Productions .
Set at the fictional [If East Liberty, it is based on the real Peabody HS in Pittsburgh] Liberty High School in a fictional suburb near Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , called Three Rivers, it follows the emotional travails of several teenagers in the social circle of main character Angela Chase, played by Claire Danes .
The show was officially canceled on May 15, 1995, despite being critically praised for its realistic portrayal of adolescence and the commentary of its central character Angela, and the series' reception of several major awards, which included a Golden Globe Award for Danes.
Ed Zwick Remembers Making Of ‘My So-Called Life’: “I Vowed To Portray Real Adolescence”
What happened on the last episode of My So-Called Life?
The final episode of the series, "In Dreams Begin Responsibilities" is notable for featuring a moment in which Ricky says out loud that he's gay — "a first for both the character and network television." While doing publicity for the show at the time, Cruz made a point of communicating that he was gay in real life.
‘My So-Called Life’ debuted 25 years ago and still may be the best teen drama ever (2019 post)
When my “My So-Called Life” premiered in 1994, Angela Chase (played by a 13-year-old Claire Danes) and her circle of friends made a generation of teens feel not so alone.
Prior to the series, which lasted for one season, young audiences had teens?living in Beverly Hills ?and girls who looked like?Kelly Kapowski .
The groundbreaking ABC teen drama lasted for only one season, but what the producers and actors accomplished in those 19 episodes still speaks to what it means to be a teenager in America. The show portrayed confused – and smart – teenagers searching for love and acceptance while working through family troubles, substance abuse, homophobia, unrequited love and dealing with school violence.
My So-Called Life: What the show meant to me then and now
October 17, 2023
What made the show different (spoilers ahead!)
The show was different because Angela’s voiceover gave the show more depth and was unlike anything I’d seen before. Plus, the characters felt so real to me, like they could have been plucked from any high school. They looked like regular kids, not all supermodel gorgeous, but attractive in their own unique ways. Plus, not everything worked out by the end of the episode. The teens weren’t perfect, and neither were their parents. Nothing was sugar-coated.
WIRED Binge-Watching Guide: My So-Called Life
Grab a flannel, your favorite pair of Doc Martens, and your teenage ennui—it's time to binge-watch My So-Called Life.
‘My So-Called Life’ Cast Reunites Virtually After 26 Years
My So-Called Life Cast: Where Are They Now?
Claire Danes, Jared Leto and other 'My So-Called Life' stars have all grown up since the '90s cult classic ended