Daria (Created by Glenn Eichler Susie Lewis Lynn, 1993-1997)

Genre:Contemporary

Honors:None Found.

Review: Daria is a cynical, intelligent, and strangely likable teenager that spends most of her time feeling superior to most of her classmates.  She has a very popular sister, Quinn, and the two are so different they are constantly getting in each other's way.  Jane, Daria's best friend, is a talented artist and is equally fed up with the status quo.  Each episode of this animated series shows Daria in a teenage situation and includes a creative array of teenagers and the adults that torment them. 

Opinion: This is hilarious! Daria is witty and rude, but I love her.  While I think I'd have to be teenager to truly enjoy her angst, it is not wasted on adults.  Teens, especially, those that do not consider themselves part of the "trendy" group will relate to Daria and her comedic situations. 

Ideas: Have a Daria costume contest.  Who can look most like the real Daria or Jane?  (Nerd glasses are in style right now, Daria would fit right in!)

Too Fat for Fifteen: Fighting Back (Style Network, 2010)

Genre: Reality Television; Drama

Honors: None Found (new show)

Review: Watch overweight and obese teenagers flourish and improve themselves at Wellspring Academy in North Dakota.  Viewers observe a mixture of personal interviews with overweight teenagers and their counselors, nutritionists, and teachers and actual daily events occurring in the academy.  Events include the dreaded weekly weigh-in's, group activities, and the daily routine at the academy, which does occasionally include some major drama.  Viewers, even those with a healthy weight, will relate to the struggles of these young people and understand that even the most difficult problems can be solved through perseverance and hard work. 

Opinion: This show is surprisingly inspirational.  While there is some drama and tears, this is far surpassed by the joy of accomplishment.  I found myself pushing for these teens to succeed and was truly happy for them as they met their goals.  There are some very likable teenagers on this show and they show genuine vulnerability and determination.  The adults at Wellsprings are kind and caring and seem very invested in their students.  Several times while watching this show I thought that it would actually be an interesting and rewarding job to work at Wellspring Academy.  This is one of the better shows on TV today, instead of exploiting people's  problems and belittling them, and therefore trying to encourage hateful drama as many reality shows tend to do, this show actually focuses on positive goal-setting, hard-work, and accomplishment.  

Ideas: This is a fantastic addition to a health education class, especially since obesity is a big health problem today.

Parenthood Produced by Dylan Massin (Imagine Television,Universal Media Studios, 2010)

Genre: Drama

Honors: None Received (New Series)
 

Review:Live vicariously through the Braverman family and witnesses the day-to-day struggles of being a parent and the equal struggles of actually having a parent.  The Bravermans are a family of two men and two women, their parents, and their respective families.  Challenges include a boy with Asberger's Syndrome, two teenagers living without their father, parent/child conflicts, and pressure to perform well in school and in work.  Underneath all of these struggles is a close family connection and each episode ends with the family coming together and enjoying each other's company.

Opinion:It is just too much drama to be thoroughly enjoyable.  I like some aspects of the show and some of the characters.  I especially think the boy with Asperger's Syndrome is interesting and I think it is good to have this televised to encourage people to learn more about this condition.  Overall, I don't really care for the series, just too much drama and conflict and not enough pay-off to make it worthwhile. 

Ideas: None

Freaks and Geeks Produced by Judd Apatow (Apatow Productions, 1999-2000)

Genre: Humor, Drama

Honors: Emmy for Outstanding Casting

Review: Take a trip back to the 1980's and join the cast of Freaks and Geeks as they fumble through the maze of high school.  In general there are two groups of characters that star in this witty and fun series; "The Freaks", those that flunk out of school and smoke cigarettes, but are cool, and "The Geeks", those that play dungeons and dragons and are definitely not cool.  Lindsay, former Mathlete, used to be part of the geek squad but has recently started to hang with the freaks, much to the disappointment of her geek brother. Viewers get to watch the variety of adolescent situations that occur due to the mixing of these two cliques creating a realistic representation of the compartmentalization of people that often occurs in high school. 

Opinion:  I watched the entire DVD which includes the entire first (and only) season and it was great.  The characters are well-developed and the situations are realistic and often very humorous.  This is a great TV series and is well worth watching.  Teens will relate to the characters and the situations they encounter.

Ideas:  It would be fun to display this DVD set in the library with CD's from the 80's and books about fashion from that time period; "The Eighties" are, like, totally trendy right now.