| My So-Called Life | |
|---|---|
Intertitle |
|
| Genre | Teen drama |
| Created by | Winnie Holzman |
| Starring | Claire Danes Bess Armstrong Jared Leto Wilson Cruz Devon Gummersall A. J. Langer Devon Odessa Lisa Wilhoit Tom Irwin |
| Narrated by | Claire Danes as Angela Chase Devon Gummersall as Brian Krakow Lisa Wilhoit as Danielle Chase |
| Theme music composer | W.G. Snuffy Walden |
| Opening theme | "My So-Called Life Theme" |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 19[1] (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Marshall Herskovitz Edward Zwick |
| Producer(s) | Winnie Holzman (co-executive producer) Scott Winant (co-executive producer) Monica Wyatt (co-producer) |
| Running time | approx. 47 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ABC[2] |
| Original run | August 25, 1994 – January 26, 1995 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Mein Leben & Ich |
My So-Called Life is an American teen drama television series created by Winnie Holzman and produced by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz.[3][4] It originally aired on ABC from August 25, 1994, to January 26, 1995 and was distributed by The Bedford Falls Company with ABC Productions. Set at the fictional Liberty High School, it follows the emotional travails of several teenagers.[5] The critically acclaimed, but short-lived, show ended in a cliffhanger with the expectation that it would be picked up in an additional season, but it was officially canceled on May 15, 1995.
The show placed #33 on Entertainment Weekly's "New Classics TV" list of shows from 1983 to 2008,[6] in 2007 it was listed as one of Time magazine's "100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME."[7] and TV Guide ranked the series number 16 on its 25 Top Cult Shows Ever list.[8]
Contents |
My So-Called Life dealt with important social issues of the mid-nineties, including child abuse, homophobia, teenage alcoholism, homelessness, adultery, school violence, censorship, and drug use. Many shows at the time used these themes as a one-time issue (a "very special episode") that would be introduced as a problem at the beginning of an episode and resolved at the end, but on My So-Called Life these issues were part of the continuing storyline. The title of the show alludes to the perception of meaninglessness that many teenagers experience and encapsulates the main theme of the series. The show depicts the teenage years as being difficult and confusing rather than a light, fun-filled time.[9][10]
The world of My So-Called Life was devoid of last-minute miracles (aside from an angel in the Christmas episode), of simple resolutions and instant revelations.
The interior voice-overs in My So-Called Life came, with three exceptions, from Angela's point of view. "Life of Brian" was narrated by Brian; "Weekend" was narrated by Danielle; "Resolutions" opened with voice-over thoughts from all principal characters as well as Sharon's boyfriend, Kyle.
For its original run in the United States, it aired on Thursday nights at 8 p.m. ET against four top-10 hit sitcoms — Mad About You and Friends on NBC, as well as the popular Martin and Living Single on Fox, undoubtedly contributing to the series' low ratings.
The producers said that they could not fault ABC for the creative freedom and support they gave them during production, as there were probably few networks that would have even put My So-Called Life on the air in the first place. However, it was clear that ABC had tremendous difficulty in effectively promoting the show.
My So-Called Life was produced before the explosion of youth and teen programming. The culture of television would change significantly in the years that immediately followed, most notably with the rise of The WB and UPN, networks that would eventually cater to the teenaged audience My So-Called Life sought, in the late 1990s and early 2000s (decade) (The WB and UPN launched just two weeks and one week respectively before My So-Called Life's run on ABC ended). Holzman never intended the show to be exclusively for teens. This may have been even more confusing for the network in terms of placement and promotion as the show clearly was of interest to a broader audience. In the end, not enough viewers of any age were watching the show during its initial network run. ABC was more focused on larger ratings numbers and wider demographics. Holzman said, "It is one thing to have huge ratings, but it is quite another to have smaller ratings but with an extremely passionate following. I don't understand why the network did not understand that."
In conversations with then ABC President Bob Iger, producers Zwick and Herskovitz told him that by broadcasting My So-Called Life the network was giving a voice to millions of young women who otherwise had no voice on network television. The show was making money for the network, and they told Iger he should keep the show on the air for no other reason than "good corporate works", yet ABC simply could not yet see the economic appeal of an audience of teenage girls. At the end of its first season's run, the series ranked at #116 with a 7.0 rating with 6,678,000 homes tuning in from 1994 to 1995.[11]
Also significant was the arduous schedule and the mental and physical demands of the production of episodic television, especially for young actors who must balance schoolwork with rehearsal and time on the set. Herskovitz said Danes and her parents approached the show's creators and told producers that she did not want to be involved with the show if it was permitted to continue for a second season.[12] Nevertheless, the producers were fully committed to continuing the show. In perhaps one of the first times in the history of the new and burgeoning World Wide Web, fans used the new technology as a tool to help mobilize grassroots support. U.S. fans also took out expensive advertisements in Variety and the Hollywood Reporter urging ABC to renew the show, yet they had no way of knowing about the internal conflict in the show's last days.
When she heard that Danes was no longer keen to continue with the show, Holzman's attitude changed as well. She said, "When I realized that Claire truly did not want to do it any more, it was hard for me to want to do it. The joy in writing the show was that everyone was behind it and wanted to do it. And I love her. So part of the joy and excitement and happiness would have gone out of me if she had not been on board 100 percent. I wasn't able to say this at the time, but in retrospect it was a blessing for it to end at a time when we all enjoyed doing it. That's not to say that if the network had ordered more shows that I wouldn't have given it my best. But there was a rightness in how short the season was. This was a show about adolescence and sort of ended in its own adolescence. There was an aura about how short the series was like all things that die young. The show ended at a point that it was still all potential."[12]
The rumors of the end of the show strongly divided its passionate fans. Flame wars raged across the Internet,[13] especially after Steve Joyner of Operation Life Support (a group that worked to save the show) and some cast members confirmed the rumors — angry themselves, in some cases. Joyner's letter was entitled "Claire Danes Brings Death to 'Life'." Fans were sharply divided between those who believed or disbelieved the reports, and those who thought it was forgivable in any event for a teenage actress to find a way out of a long contract. Others believed Danes' desire to leave was not acceptable, especially given her public stance of support for the movement to save the show. Many fans felt betrayed due to having spent significant time and money in an effort to save the show when its star was secretly working against them.
In a September 2004 edition of Entertainment Weekly, Danes admitted her role in My So-Called Life's demise, while insisting that she didn't have enough power to cause the cancellation by herself.[14] It is generally accepted that ABC seriously considered bringing the show back for a second season and may have even intended to (as then-executive Ted Harbert claims) due to its devoted fanbase, its quality and its critical acclaim. However, low ratings combined with Danes' unwillingness to return combined to end the series. ABC had no interest in getting into a public quarrel with a 15-year-old actress. Winnie Holzman theorized that the network was so on-the-fence about renewing the show that in some ways they used Danes' reluctance to return as a convenient excuse not to renew the show.[12]
| # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Production code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Scott Winant | Winnie Holzman | August 25, 1994 | 59300 |
| 2 | "Dancing in the Dark" | Scott Winant | Winnie Holzman | September 1, 1994 | 59301 |
| 3 | "Guns and Gossip" | Marshall Herskovitz | Justin Tanner | September 8, 1994 | 59302 |
| 4 | "Father Figures" | Mark Rosner | Winnie Holzman | September 15, 1994 | 59303 |
| 5 | "The Zit" | Victor DuBois | Betsy Thomas | September 22, 1994 | 59304 |
| 6 | "The Substitute" | Ellen S. Pressman | Jason Katims | September 29, 1994 | 59305 |
| 7 | "Why Jordan Can't Read" | Mark Piznarski | Liberty Godshall | October 6, 1994 | 59307 |
| 8 | "Strangers in the House" | Ron Lagomarsino | Jill Gordon | October 20, 1994 | 59308 |
| 9 | "Halloween" | Mark Piznarski | Jill Gordon | October 27, 1994 | 59401 |
| 10 | "Other People's Mothers" | Claudia Weill | Richard Kramer | November 3, 1994 | 59306 |
| 11 | "Life of Brian" | Todd Holland | Jason Katims | November 10, 1994 | 59402 |
| 12 | "Self-Esteem" | Michael Engler | Winnie Holzman | November 17, 1994 | 59403 |
| 13 | "Pressure" | Mark Piznarski | Ellen Herman | December 1, 1994 | 59404 |
| 14 | "On the Wagon" | Jeff Perry | Elizabeth Gill | December 8, 1994 | 59405 |
| 15 | "So-Called Angels" | Scott Winant | Winnie Holzman & Jason Katims | December 22, 1994 | 59406 |
| 16 | "Resolutions" | Patrick Norris | Ellen Herman | January 5, 1995 | 59407 |
| 17 | "Betrayal" | Mark Piznarski | Jill Gordon | January 12, 1995 | 59408 |
| 18 | "Weekend" | Todd Holland | Adam Dooley | January 19, 1995 | 59409 |
| 19 | "In Dreams Begin Responsibilities" | Elodie Keene | Winnie Holzman | January 26, 1995 | 59410 |
Note- In 1997 TV Guide ranked the episode Life of Brian number 38 on its '100 Greatest Episodes of All Time' list.[15]
On October 30, 2007, Shout! Factory re-released My So-Called Life on DVD in Region 1 in a 6-disc box set with a disc of special features, including an interview with series star Claire Danes. Shout! Factory is a distribution company that has released short-lived shows in the past.[16]
On September 13, 2007, Eurovideo released the complete series on DVD in Germany in Region 2; The 5-disc boxset featured German and English soundtrack but no special features. [1]
On June 10, 2008, Beyond Home Entertainment released the complete series on DVD in Australia in Region 4. [2]
On December 3, 2008, Free Dolphin released the complete series on DVD in France in Region 2, [3] with a 32-page booklet but no other special features. [4].
Atlantic Records released a soundtrack of the show, which originally released on August 25, 1994, then re-released on January 24, 1995.
| My So-Called Life (Music From the Television Series) | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album | |
| Released | August 25, 1994 January 24, 1995 (re-release) |
| Length | 34:54 |
| Label | Atlantic Records |
Music was prominent from the show's beginning; the pilot episode features "Everybody Hurts" by R.E.M. during the emotional finale, as well as a party scene where the grunge band Animal Bag performs their 1993 hit single "Everybody". The Ramones' "I Wanna Be Sedated" is also featured on the show, performed by Jordan Catalano's band Frozen Embryos.