Young Adult TV Show

I recently purchased the first three ‘chapters’ (DVD sets) of Greek, the little show that proved ABC Family could come up with quality programming, despite not being particularly family-friendly.  Greek follows the college adventures and drama of sister/brother pair Casey and Rusty Cartwright (Spencer Grammer and Jacob Zachar) who are both part of the Greek system on campus.  Various other main characters include Rusty’s socializing big brother, Casey’s best friend, little sister, and rival in the sorority, and various Greek and non-Greek students on campus.   Coming from a Greek background in college, I found the portrayals accurate, at least moreso than the typical Animal House-style antics seen in films and TV shows.  The fresh-faced cast have fun in their roles, adding genuine emotion behind the sometimes-silly setups.

Genre: Dramedy

Original Run: July 9, 2007 – present

No. of Seasons: 3

No. of Episodes: 44

Network: ABC Family

Created by: Patrick Sean Smith

Pluses

• The casting is spot-on with characters looking and acting their proper age.  No 90210-style older-age ‘teens’ to be found here.
• Numerous secondary characters populate the campus, creating a vast world for the fictional college.
• Incidental music in the show is poppy and appropriate.

I've been told I'm the spittin' image of this guy.

Deltas

• Time seems to jump around sporadically in the series, with some seasons encompassing semesters while some are simply a couple of months.   How long was Rusty a pledge again?
• Greek system realism is sometimes pushed aside for an interesting plot point.
• The cinematography is typical ABC Family ‘point and shoot’ fare with few creative camera moves.  Later seasons attempt bigger challenges.

This DVD Closet is for friend and fan Bryan, who says that his favorite posts are the DVD Closets.  Thanks for reading, neighbor! 

As the name implies, Degrassi: The Next Generation is a reboot of the original late-80s franchise simply titled Degrassi Junior High.  This new version has become very popular, spanning at least eight seasons and over 50 original characters.  The stars of the show are approximately 20 teens (surprisingly actors who are the actual age of the characters!) and some of their parents and teachers, many of whom were teens in the original series.  The series has become well-known for dealing with high school and college issues in honest and thought-provoking ways.  In addition, Degrassi: The Next Generation covers the gambit of teen romance and relationships as well as goofier plots such as setting bugs loose in the cafeteria.  In Season 8, the series got another reboot, introducing an all-new freshman and sophomore class as well as retaining some of the college-aged kids.

Genre: Teen Drama

Original Run: October 14, 2001 – present

No. of Seasons: 8

No. of Episodes: 165

Network: CTV (It’s Canadian, eh!)

Created by: Yan Moore and Linda Schuyler

Pluses:

• The series doesn’t mind using its many characters in small background or one-line roles when they aren’t the focus of the story.  It adds great continuity and realism to the school setting.
• Typical high school issues are often deal with in non-traditional ways.  In addition, the writers don’t mind poking fun at the show with in-jokes about the over-the-top nature of the series.
• In more recent seasons, directors have experimented with more creative camera angles and effects.

Deltas:

• The cast grew too big for the show, and many fan-favorite characters were dropped in later seasons without much explanation.
• It can add charm to the show, but obvious editing mistakes and acting flubs are present in almost every episode.
• The acting prowess of the child actors is often debated, some of them praised with many of them panned.  This is especially true in earlier seasons

This show is a favorite for my entire family, but unfortunately few of my friends have ever heard of it.  The show stars the dark-funny Christopher Titus in a series that parodies his actual family life.  His real-life father even coached Stacy Keach (who played Titus’ on-screen father).  The sitcom often dealt with gritty issues such as child abuse, spousal abuse, divorce, adultery, murder, and homophobia.

On a Sirius Radio Interview on Raw Dog 104, Titus said the show got canceled due to an argument with executives. They wanted to split up Titus and Erin because the show Dharma & Greg had done similar. Upon Titus’ refusal, on-air promotion ceased and the show was soon canceled.

Genre: Comedy

Original Run: March 20, 2000 – August 12, 2002

No. of Seasons: 3

No. of Episodes: 54

Network: Fox

Created by: Christopher Titus, Jack Kenny, and Brian Hargrove

Pluses:

• TV veteran Cynthia Watros (Erin Fitzpatrick) steals the scene as the lovably goofy and straight-edge-with-a-bite girlfriend of Christopher Titus.
• The show plays on standard sitcom narration by showing Titus in a black and white neutral space where he shares his thoughts and feelings before returning to the full color scenes.
• Guest stars such as the gorgeous Elizabeth Berkley (playing Titus’ sister) grace the show often in roles that are completely opposite of their normal on-screen personas.  This adds a welcome surrealism to the show.

Deltas:

• As the show progressed, episodes got goofier, losing their hard edge.  It seemed like they were running out of ideas for issues they could honestly portray.
• Many episodes were censored and shown out of production order, especially in the last season.  The show normally treated continuity respectfully, so this was off-putting for fans of the series.
• The color scenes were filmed mostly in wide shots like a live stage play.  When several episodes are seen in a row, it gets repetitive.

One of the most prized DVDs in my collection is my Complete Series Collection for Life As We Know It, a little-known show that premiered several years ago.  Unfortunately, this great show only aired 11 of its 13 produced episodes.  I hadn’t seen it before making the purchase, but it soon grew to be one of my all-time favorite programs.  Everyone I’ve let borrow the discs has given rave reviews.  It’s definitely worth checking out if you get the chance.  (And yes, I’m aware that Kelly Osbourne is a key cast member, but if you forget your pre-conceived notions about her, she’s incredibly endearing in the show.) 

Variety called it “a sly, sweet look at high school… so good that you immediately make room on your shelf for the cult-fave DVD because you know this is the kind of show that gets cancelled after five episodes.”

Genre: Drama

Original Run: October 7, 2004 – January 20, 2005

No. of Seasons: 1

No. of Episodes: 13

Network: ABC

Created by: Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah

Pluses:

• The acting is strong and the cast members are utterly likeable.  You’ll find yourself rooting for all of them.
• Our own crew at YA described the cinematography as “more like a film than a TV show!”
• Episodes experiment with camera angles, story lines, and new characters, refreshing itself as needed. 

Deltas:

• The character of Sue (Jessica Lucas) doesn’t get developed until a few episodes in.  The cast/crew even jokes about it in a DVD audio commentary.
• I’m never a fan of “older teacher/young student relationship” plotlines because they all end the same.  This one is portrayed honestly, but still doesn’t have anywhere to go.
• The show ends on a major cliffhanger with no resolution, which is a sad way to end a great drama.

In my opinion, you can’t make good TV if you don’t know good TV.  Fortunately, I like both good and bad TV.  I have no preference for genre: I like ‘em all.  This has led to a huge DVD collection sitting on my shelves and mantels.  With each of these shows, I’d like to examine three good aspects of them as well as three things that could use some improvement.  Thanks to TV Shows on DVD, I’ll also be able to provide you with some HQ images of the DVD box art.  If you haven’t given that site a gander, do yourself a favor and spend some time there.

Show: My Boys

Genre: Comedy

Original Run: November 28, 2006 – present

No. of Seasons: 3

No. of Episodes: 40

Network: TBS

Created by: Betsy Thomas

Pluses:

• The show has a distinct voice and tone.  The main character is identifiable with any adult tomboy with primarily male friends.  Ishu definitely found some commonalities!
• Jim Gaffigan does what Jim Gaffigan does so well, and it works seamlessly with the other actors and plot.  I love him and every second he’s on screen.
• The show does a great job at referencing past episodes and events.  After two seasons with the show, you feel like the characters have a unique world.

Deltas:

• In some episodes, the voiceover narration comparing the protagonist’s life to sports gets tiresome.  It works sometimes; other times it feels forced.
• Many times the camera movements don’t feel justified, like they’re just having movement for the sake of having movement.  It can be distracting once you notice it.
• TBS doesn’t know what to do with this sitcom, abruptly putting it on hiatus and bringing it back.  Unless you watch it online, you’ll never be able to catch new episodes.