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Awkward (TV series)

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Awkward
GenreComedy-drama
Created byLauren Iungerich
Starring
Narrated byAshley Rickards
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons5
No. of episodes65 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
ProducerRobert West
Production locationsLos Angeles, California
Running time20–44 minutes
Production companiesRemote Productions
Mosquito Productions
Crazy Cat Lady Productions
MTV Production Development
Original release
NetworkMTV
ReleaseJuly 19, 2011 (2011-07-19) –
present

Awkward is an American teen comedy series created by Lauren Iungerich for MTV. The show's central character is Jenna Hamilton (Ashley Rickards), a Palos Verdes, California, teenager who struggles with her identity, especially after an accident is misconstrued as a suicide attempt.

The series premiered on July 19, 2011. MTV renewed the series for a second season on August 24, 2011.[1] The second season premiered on June 28, 2012 at 10:30 p.m.[2] Awkward was officially renewed for a third season with an order of 20 episodes on July 25, 2012, which began airing on April 16, 2013 at 10:0 p.m.[3] On June 26, 2013, it was announced that the show's creator Lauren Iungerich would be exiting the show after production of season three concludes on June 27, 2013. The rest of the show's third season began airing on October 22, 2013.[4]

MTV renewed the series for a fourth season on August 5, 2013, that premiered on April 15, 2014 with new showrunners, Chris Alberghini and Mike Chessler, to replace creator and former showrunner, Lauren Iungerich.[5]Awkward's first season was generally well-received with television critics praising the show's realism and writing as well as its central character, and was included in various critics' top ten lists. The show also earned several award nominations, winning one Teen Choice Award and one People's Choice Award. On October 8, 2014, Awkward was renewed for a fifth and final season, which is set to premiere on August 31, 2015.[6][7] However, in late August, reports began circulating that the show may continue past its fifth season.[8][9]

Plot

Social outcast Jenna Hamilton, after receiving a "carefrontation" letter, has an accident, looking like she tried to commit suicide. By making changes and embracing her misfortune, she becomes well-known to her peers because of the accident and begins a blog that eventually helps her grow. As she also deals with different high school issues such as boy troubles, peer-pressure, and trying to fit in throughout her years.

Synopsis

See also: List of Awkward episodes

Season 1

After losing her virginity to the popular Matty McKibben during summer camp, Jenna Hamilton continues a secret relationship with him that only her two best friends Tamara and Ming know about. Upon returning home from camp, Jenna receives a "care-frontation" letter from an anonymous source, brutally criticizing her for being a "loser". When Jenna attempts to get rid of the letter, she falls and breaks her arm, accidentally making it look like a suicide attempt. Gossip spreads fast, which makes Jenna receive unwanted attention at school, especially from nosy guidance counselor, Ms. Marks, and mean girl Sadie Saxton. Jenna decides to take the advice in the care-frontation letter to become bolder and more outgoing, and her popularity increases as a result. Jenna's growing popularity initially creates tension between her and her friends but the three eventually make up. Jenna begins to resent being in a secret relationship with Matty. Later she finds out that Matty's best friend, Jake Rosati has a crush on her. Jake breaks up with his beautiful but ditzy girlfriend, Lissa, to ask Jenna to the Winter Formal. Jenna ends her relationship with Matty to be with Jake, and both eventually agree to not tell Matty about it. After several false leads, Jenna finds out who wrote her the confrontation letter—her mother, Lacey.

Season 2

Jake falls in love with Jenna and they begin a relationship, but this leads to awkward tension between her and Matty. The two try to keep any evidence that they were together a secret. Meanwhile, Jenna makes her mother tell her father that she herself wrote the "carefrontation" letter. After that, Kevin moves out and breaks up with Lacey because he can't understand how she could have done something so cruel to her own daughter. Meanwhile, Sadie begins dating Ricky Schwartz, much to Tamara's dismay. Jenna's "Aunt Ally" returns to get married and Jenna worries that Lacey's high school boyfriend, who is invited to the wedding, will ruin her parents' chances of getting back together. Jenna intervenes and eventually Kevin and Lacey make up. Jenna struggles with her feelings for Jake and realizes she is still in love with Matty. Sadie tells Jake about Jenna's previous relationship with Matty and he breaks up with her. On his way to apologize to Jenna, he witness her kissing Matty. The two boys get in a public fistfight but eventually make up and ask Jenna to choose between them. After much deliberation, Jenna chooses Matty over Jake and the two begin their relationship anew although Jenna wonders if she made the right decision by choosing to stay with Matty instead of going to the summer trip to Europe. At the end of the year party, Jake and Tamara kiss and become a couple while Sadie is devastated to find Ricky cheating on her with another guy, Clark.

Season 3

When school starts again, Jenna is jealous to find out that Tamara has a new look and has become closer with Jake and Valerie. However, Tamara's increased popularity creates tension between her and Jake, especially when they run against each other for student body president. Ming finally finds a boyfriend and becomes head of the "Asian Mafia" although the power quickly goes to her head. Jenna starts taking a creative writing class where she meets Collin, an attractive intellectual. As Jenna gets bored with her relationship with Matty, she starts a fling with Collin.

This affair is then revealed on Jenna's 17th birthday party. Matty is willing to forgive Jenna, but she breaks up with him for Collin. Jenna becomes increasingly isolated from her friends as she spends more of her time with Collin, who encourages her to smoke pot. Eventually Jenna and Collin split after she gets suspended and realizes her mistakes. Her friends forgive her, but her actions aren't forgotten.

Ming's reign of power in the Asian Mafia eventually ends when she negotiates with Becca to keep her position as the leader as long as she leaves her and her boyfriend, Fred Wu, alone.

Season 4

Jenna is in her senior year hoping to make amends for the prior year's mishaps. She attempts at being more involved in school, improving her academics, preparing for college and rekindling her relationship with Matty. A new character, Eva, enrolls in school. Ming has broken up with Fred Wu and moved away to Vermont while Tamara and Jake partake in a sexually active relationship. Jake changes his image during the summer and starts making music. He eventually decides to break up with Tamara. Sadie lives with her adoptive parent, Allie, while working nights at a food truck. Matty gets a job and continues to be friends with Jenna. However, they end up having sex and what Jenna interprets after, by his evasive actions, as embarrassment to be with her, is grieving over the fact that he's adopted. He eventually quits his job in rebellion over his adoption. In sympathy, Matty and Jenna become friends with benefits. Jenna eventually ends it and becomes romantically involved with Luke, a college freshman. It causes more friction between Matty and Jenna and to compensate, Jenna tries to get him and Eva together. Yet, Jenna realizes that she hasn't truly let go. This puts strain on her relationship with Luke as Matty and Jenna argue whenever they see each other due to Eva causing trouble. She's generally up to no good, black-mailing Sadie so Austin breaks up with her and trying to make Jenna jealous of Matty's new relationship. One of these acts include leaving her underwear in Jenna's bed, so that it looked like she and Matty slept together. The mid-season ends with Luke and Jenna breaking up, Eva being caught in her lies and confessing to lying about being pregnant, Tamara and Jake becoming friends, and Mr. Hamilton being injured. However, Matty figures out that Amber (Eva) was lying about everything and breaks up with her and tells her to leave forever. On New Years, Matty, Jenna, Jake and Tamara get together and decide to crash Sadie's aunt's party. While there, Matty reconciles with his mother and Jenna finds a new guy to kiss at midnight, a guy who she later finds out is a sophomore. Meanwhile, college acceptances are rolling in and it seems as though everyone's been accepted everyone except Jenna, that is. Jenna also attempts to get into Lockard University, but doesn't get accepted though her mother does. On the episode of Matty's 18th birthday, Jenna competes with his new girlfriend Gabby, only to realize Gabby is genuinely nice and means no harm. Jenna ends up confessing to Matty in her bedroom that she feels like Gabby's virginity is worth waiting for, and that her own wasn't. Matty argues this by telling her that he didn't want to be alone when he opened a letter which would tell him who his birth parents are, which showed how much Jenna meant to him. After Matty's disappointment of reading that his birth mother does not want to be found, Jenna comforts him and the two end up kissing. Jenna stops him and tells him she can't because he needs to be loyal to Gabby. Matty then argues by saying, "It's us. It's kinda different, goes a bit beyond the rules of high school."... During spring break, Jenna locates Matty's father and they plan to meet him in Mexico. Gabby shows up and goes with Matty to meet his dad instead. While in Mexico, Tamara gets engaged to a man named Adam whom she met in a bar and is in basic military training. She accepts his proposal, thinking that he is going to serve somewhere far away but in reality, he will be in California which makes her worry about the engagement. Meanwhile, Mrs. Hamilton discovers she is pregnant and considers not going to college. Near the end, it is shown that Gabby slept with Jake and Jenna finally lets go of Matty as she begins dating a friend of Adam whom she had crossed paths with several times while in Mexico. Matty goes to the beach to get away from things but instead sees Jenna and her new date in the distance. Jake then shows up on the beach, initially wanting to confess about him and Gabby but decides to keep quiet instead. The season ends with Matty staring at Jenna in the distance on the beach while wondering whether he had lost his chance of true love.

Season 5

Awkward was renewed for a fifth and final season on October 8, 2014. It's expected to be released in two volumes (like seasons 3 and 4) with the first half telling the story of Graduation and then College preparations. It will premiere on August 31, 2015.

Cast and characters

Main Cast

  • Ashley Rickards as Jennifer "Jenna" Hamilton, a 17-year-old "invisible" girl in high school with an irreverent, optimistic outlook on life, who just wants to fit in. Things go from bad to worse when she gets a mysterious "care-frontation" letter in which the writer says she could disappear and no one would notice. Her reaction leads to a misunderstanding of epic proportions causing everyone to believe that Jenna's accident was a failed suicide attempt. She loses her virginity to Matty, but he doesn't want to take their relationship public, which causes complications. Jenna is best friends with Tamara and Ming. Jenna is the nemesis of Sadie Saxton. Later in the first season, she begins a relationship with Jake Rosati. In the second season, Jenna tells Jake she isn't a virgin leading Jake to become somewhat jealous. After Jake breaks up with her, she admits that she is still in love with Matty. Jenna and Matty officially get back together in the season 2 finale but she wonders if she made the right decision. At the beginning of season 3, Jenna starts to have feelings for the new boy in school, Collin and tries to get over those feelings while still dating Matty. She makes out with Collin in the summer finale and it is unknown if Matty saw them or not. Soon she cheats on Matty, breaks up with him, and starts dating Collin. While dating Collin, her personality, wardrobe and attitude began to change, making her reckless, uncaring and more daring, and as a result she was alienated by her friends, but it's later revealed that Collin was still in a sexual relationship with his ex-girlfriend. Collin told Jenna that their relationship wasn't exclusive, this made it clear that they are no longer together, but she managed to make everything right between her friends and family. In season 4, while looking at a college, she meets a guy named Luke and starts dating him. However, Luke broke up with Jenna as he felt that she still has a lot of growing up to do and has to deal with all the high school drama after she ditches him to help Sadie find Matty. Towards the end of season 4 she implies that she still loves Matty but will not act on it because of the drama it previously caused and how she had hurt him by cheating.
  • Beau Mirchoff as Matthew "Matty" McKibben, one of Jenna's main love interests and best friends with Jake Rosati. Despite being popular, athletic, and handsome, Matty is extremely concerned with his peers' perception of him. He had sex with Jenna in a supply closet at summer camp. He didn't want anyone to know what he did with her, creating their secret on/off relationship throughout the first season. She dumps him when she realizes that he will never out their relationship. However, he asks her to prom, which she accepts, but he backs out due to the fact that Jake is in love with Jenna. She thinks that he actually just does not want to be seen with her in public, which causes her to dump him and go to prom with Jake and others. Jenna and Jake kiss at prom, thus ending Jenna's relationship with Matty. However, later in season 2 on episode 8, Jake finds out about Matty and Jenna's secret relationship and dumps her because it made him feel cheated and lied to. Matty later shows up at Jenna's house to comfort her, but both end up kissing as Jake watches to his horror from the window. Eventually Matty and Jake become friends again and tell Jenna that she can choose who she wants to be with. Matty and Jenna officially get back together in the season 2 finale. During season 3, Matty and Jenna grow distant, due to Jenna having growing feelings for Collin. In the summer finale, Matty admits that he was embarrassed by Jenna after her accident because he thought she tried to commit suicide, as her accident was the same day they had sex for the first time. After he admits this, Jenna makes out with Collin in his car as Matty walks up; it is unknown if he saw them kissing or not. At her surprise birthday party, Jenna walks in kissing Colin, which leads to a fallout and results in Matty and Jenna's subsequent break-up, despite Matty wanting to carry on. In season 4, Jenna introduces Matty to Eva, a new girl, and they start dating. At the end of the mid-season finale, it is revealed that Eva is pregnant. However Matty finds out that Amber (Eva) was lying about being pregnant and breaks up with her. He rebuilds his friendship with Jenna by telling her that she was trying to be a good friend and he was a terrible one. He meets a new girl named Gabby and eventually starts a relationship with her, despite her worries that he was just going to hurt her. Throughout their relationship, Gabby grows more and more jealous of Jenna, while Matty is oblivious. In the season 4 finale, Matty realizes that he still has feelings for Jenna but, after talking with Lacey, he understands that he has to let her go and let her move on, without having any ties when she goes to college.
  • Nikki DeLoach as Lacey Hamilton, Jenna's mother, who is clueless about raising a child. A superficial plastic surgery fanatic, she had Jenna when she was a teenager and gave up on her dreams of going to college, using the funds to get breast implants instead. Although she cannot properly show it, Lacey loves her daughter Jenna, even going so far to give her the dress Lacey's mother (Jenna's grandmother) wore when she was a young model. Lacey finds it easy to find faults in her daughter, because she wants Jenna to have everything Lacey could not have after becoming pregnant. Lacey even goes so far to "help" her daughter change her image by writing her the Care-frontation letter. In the Season One finale, Jenna finds out that she wrote the Care-Frontation letter she received at the beginning of the season. In the second season premiere, Jenna tells her mother she knows she wrote the letter, and in the second episode opts to share this information with Jenna's father, Kevin. Her writing of the letter has that entire branch of her family in shambles; she temporarily loses her daughter's respect and Kevin moves out, much to both of their dismay. At Ally's wedding, her ex-boyfriend Ben appears and begins making moves on her. In the immediate aftermath of the wedding, Jenna inconspicuously finds them kissing at the poolside, further to her dismay. The next day, Jenna informs her that Kevin may want a divorce, which makes things worse.By the End of the Season Kevin and Lacey Get back together. Soon "Val" becomes friendly with Jenna's mom, "Lace", and are seen together quite frequently. In season 4 Lacey applies to college and is accepted, much to Jenna's dismay. But in a season finale turn of events, Lacey reveals she is pregnant, and Kevin and Jenna urge her to still attend college. Although she cannot properly show it, Lacey loves her daughter Jenna, even going so far to give her the dress Lacey's mother (Jenna's grandmother) wore when she was a young model. Lacey finds it easy to find faults in her daughter, because she wants Jenna to have everything Lacey could not have after becoming pregnant. Lacey even goes so far to "help" her daughter change her image by writing her the Care-frontation letter.
  • Jillian Rose Reed as Tamara "T" Kaplan,[10] one of Jenna's best friends. She is extremely loud and outgoing, but openly desires to be accepted and popular. She has an on-again-off-again relationship with Ricky Schwartz, which has caused her to behave irrationally in the past. When Jenna accidentally kisses Ricky at a party, Tamara ends their friendship by claiming that she was the one who wrote the care-frontation letter. She quickly realizes that Jenna was not responsible for her actions that night, and the two reconcile and she admits that she do not really send the letter, she just said it to spite Jenna for hurting her. During the season one finale, Tamara ends her relationship with Ricky after finding out that he asked three other girls to the winter formal before her. They get back together at the dance when Ricky quotes a Missed-Connections and that he placed for her. By the second season, Tamara and Ricky are together, but she breaks up with him once again when she catches him kissing another girl during a school assembly. She spends the rest of the season trying to get over him, despite that fact that he has started dating Sadie. In the second season finale, she makes out with Jake because she is upset over how bad the past year has been for her. Starting at the end of season 2 Jake and Tamara start a relationship together. Tamara replaces Lissa on the cheerleading team after she gets into a cheer accident. In season 4, Jake and Tamara break up over her controlling and bossy attitude which contrasts to his new boyband personality. However, Tamara desperately want him back, so she creates a fake profile to keep in contact with Jake and tries to find out what Jake really thinks of her. Eventually he finds out and despite his initial reaction, they become friends again. At the end of Season 4, Tamara gets engaged to a man named Adam whom she met in a bar and is in basic military training. She accepts his proposal, thinking that he is going to serve somewhere far away and they can break up within the first few months but in reality, he will be in California which makes her realise that she may be a teenage bride.
  • Brett Davern as Jake Rosati, Jenna's other love interest. He is the class president, popular, smart, and outgoing. Jake is best friends with Matty and started off dating Lissa before the beginning of Season One, but eventually broke up with her due to his feelings for Jenna and the way Lissa and Sadie treat him. Unlike Matty, who thinks with the team, Jake thinks for himself. He leads, rather than follows, and is a sensitive guy with a heart of gold. Jake and Jenna grow closer, leading him to develop a crush on her. At first Jenna does not reciprocate these feelings, but she eventually realizes that he is kind, honest, and thoughtful towards her. He doesn't mind being seen in public with Jenna, unlike Matty, and he doesn't care about what other people think of him. At the start of season two, Jake is publicly dating Jenna. However, he becomes constantly jealous of the guy Jenna was in love with before him, not knowing it was Matty. Soon, Jake finds out about their relationship and breaks up with Jenna, only to regret his decision later. However, it is too late to revoke his decision to break up with Jenna when he accidentally sees Jenna and Matty kissing. At the end of the season 2 finale, Jake begins a relationship with Tamara. In season 4, Jake and Tamara break up over her controlling and bossy attitude which contrasts to his new boyband personality. However, Tamara desperately want him back, so she creates a fake profile to keep in contact with Jake and tries to find out what Jake really thinks of her. Eventually he finds out and despite his initial reaction, they become friends again. After brief flings with a M.I.L.F and Tamara, Jake sleeps with Matty's girlfriend Gabby, after being rejected by his first-choice college. Feeling guilty, Jake goes to confess to Matty, who tells him he doesn't want to be with Gabby anymore, so Jake stays quiet.
  • Molly Tarlov as Sadie Saxton, Jenna's nemesis. Sadie becomes the most popular girl at school thanks to her parents buying her influence, however, she is the one with the biggest weight issues of the "popular kids". Despite Sadie's popularity and power, Jenna senses that Sadie feels she never measures up. Sadie makes excuses for her bad behavior because she feels entitled; she thinks the world owes her for having to suffer with the "fat gene", that she has everything except the perfect body. Her infamous catchphrase is a very sarcastic and distinctive "You're welcome," that she normally says after a rude comment. She had a secret crush on Matty which was mainly the reason why she hated Jenna, but in the season two premiere, she hooks up with him at a New Year's Eve party and realizes that he's nothing special. Ironically, Jenna sympathizes with Sadie and tries to help her but her attempts are misinterpreted by Sadie as the same sort of mean girl tricks she is known to do. After her failed hookup with Matty, she kisses Ricky Schwartz which leads to a secret relationship. Her and Ricky's secret relationship soon ends when she finds him kissing Clark in the season 2 finale. In a drunken stupor, she comes close to apologizing to Jenna but passes out on Tamara's lap. In season 3, Sadie starts dating a guy named Austin, but in season 4 he breaks up with her, because she lied to him even though she didn't do anything. In the second half of season 4 Sadie begins dating Sergio, her co-worker from the food truck, who genuinely seems to care for her despite her rude and sarcastic comments.
  • Desi Lydic as Valerie Marks, the school counselor. She clearly has her own problems as she tries too hard to be like the teenagers she is there to help. She's a lonely person who feels her gift in life is helping people. She crosses boundaries and acts inappropriately around students; when Valerie is assigned to talk to Jenna once a week, their relationship becomes increasingly unprofessional as Valerie comes to think of Jenna as her best friend. On Jenna's sixteenth birthday, as a present she gives her the movie, Sixteen Candles, and also quotes famous lines from the film. Soon "Val" becomes friendly with Jenna's mom, "Lace", and are seen together quite frequently. She is the Palos Hills High School's Guidance Counselor, and later became the vice principal, but drops it to become a Guidance Counselor, but was later fired by the school's principal, towards the end of season three, after he read the school's newspaper and Jenna Hamilton's article of Valerie (during her rebellious phase). But she later got rehired after her reappeal after the help of Lacey Hamilton, Jenna Hamilton, Matty McKibben and Bailey Parker. In the second half of season 4 Val begins to date "Biggie" Will, her former mascot/stalker/school coach. At the end of season 4 Val and Will reveal they're quitting the school and exploring the world after the end of the school year.
  • Greer Grammer as Lissa Miller (season 3-present, recurring previously), Jake's ex-girlfriend, and Sadie's best friend. She is usually identified as being ditsy, and for having very strong Christian beliefs. At the beginning of the show, Lissa is very insecure about her relationship with Jake due to her taking a virginity pledge, and often gets advice from Sadie. Like that she could have anal sex (which she called her "be-hymen") because that didn't count, and to take a naked picture of Jenna in order to humiliate her. When she finds out that Jake kissed Jenna, Lissa publicly slaps her, due to Saddie's encouragement, however she does not seem happy with her actions. When Jake breaks up with her, she realizes Sadie destroyed her relationship with Jake due to her constant meddling, and ends their friendship. In the beginning of the second season, Lissa asks for forgiveness from Jenna, and tries to form a friendship with her. She also decides to take Sadie back, because she believes that God put Sadie in her life as a test. It is also shown that she still has feelings for Jake. In the fifth episode of three season, she also lost her virginity to Ricky Schwartz. She most likely killed Ricky Schwartz after making out and having sex with him after eating Thai food containing nuts, which he had an allergy to. She was going to own up but Sadie manages to talk her out of it, convincing her that it wasn't her. After a trip to Africa, Lissa returns with an adoptive brother, who she begins a brief fling with before deciding (after having sex) its not best. The fling causes lots of tension between Lissa and her mother, due to her mother deeming it 'wrong', however it is obvious that she is also attracted to him. The fling also brings to light the fact that her dad is gay, which he dismisses by going to 'gay' camp to turn back to "normal". She is the best friend of mean girl Sadie Saxton, senior student at Palos Hills High School and head cheerleader.
  • Jessica Lu as Ming Huang (season 3, recurring previously), Jenna's other best friend. While she is known for her sense of fashion, Ming was also cautious, who was always on her toes because of the Asian Mafia's then-leader Becca (Jessika Van). She is portrayed as a down-to-earth indie-style teenager with strict Chinese parents. Ming gets mad at Jenna for telling Tamara about her secret relationship with Matty instead of telling her and because of that she feels left out, but still remains supportive of Jenna. In season 2, she gets caught up in the Asian group while trying to help Jenna in Sex, Lies and the Sanctuary. Ming eventually finds a boy that she likes, Fred Wu, although he used to be Becca's boyfriend so she tries to ruin Ming's life. Eventually Fred leaves Palos Hill High School because he is scared for Ming's safety. She swears to get revenge at the end of season 2. In season 3, she becomes the leader of the Asian 'Mafia' after hitting Becca and putting her in her place. Ming and Fred get back together after she takes hold of the mafia. Ming has a unique sense of style compared to the other female cast members (other than Valerie Marks). Her fashion choices appear to store-bought, but glued, cut and sewn to appear to be home-made, even adding accessories such as buttons and ribbbons to make it twice as different. She also not usually seen without wearing specially made hats. She also wears glasses. In Season 3, she switched her short black hair for shoulder-length curly blonde hair. Ming was written off the show and hasn't been referenced since 4.01.[11] In No Woman is An Island, she is mentioned that she went off to boarding school so she can get into better colleges. After confusion between Jenna and Valerie, it is implied that the Asian Mafia kidnapped her.

Recurring cast

  • Mike Faiola as Kevin Hamilton (season 1–present), Jenna's father. He is shown as being the more responsible parent as opposed to his wife and to be caring and supportive to Jenna through rough times. He and Lacey separate after she tells him that she wrote the letter. By the end of season 2, Kevin and Lacey are back together. Soon after Jenna gets birth control pills, Kevin finds them, and irrationally calls Matty's parents, telling them that the two are having sex. This leads to a fight between families over dinner and leads to Matty's week stay at the Hamilton house.
  • Wesam Keesh as Kyle (season 1-4), a mysterious boy who attends school with Jenna. He walks around with a shirt that says "Jenna Lives" and Jenna comes to believe that he is obsessed with her. She later gives up on the idea of him being a stalker when she finds out that Jenna Lives is actually his band...only for it to turn out that he is a stalker. He reappears in season 2, having given up on Jenna Lives and now running a club called "Take It Outside", a phrase Tamara coined, leading to her believing that he is now stalking her.
  • Barret Swatek as Aunt Ally (season 1–present), Jenna's mom's best friend who first appeared in the season one episode "The Adventures of Aunt Ally and the Lil' Bitch". She smokes, drinks, and shows a clear disdain for Jenna, whom she refers to as "Lil' Bitch", since Lacey had her at a young age. In season two, she reappeared breaking the news that she was getting married to Sadie's wealthy uncle.
  • Kelly Sry as Fred Wu (seasons 1–3, Guest season 4), Ming's boyfriend. He used to date Becca, the original leader of the Asian mafia. He is described as the non-stereotypical Asian.
  • Shane Harper as Austin Welch (season 3–4), an intelligent kid with weird tendencies who displays an interest in Sadie. While Sadie initially rebuffs his advances, she eventually caves. At the end of season three, they said "I love you" to one another.
  • Elizabeth Whitson as Eva Mansfield or Amber Horne (season 4), a new girl at Palos Hills who attempts to become friends with Jenna and Tamara, and later Matty and Jake. Both Jenna and Sadie distrust her as she has a tendency to brag about her fast-paced former life in New York City and other various plays while seeming determined to get close to Matty. She is also a pathological liar.
  • Evan Crooks as Theo (season 4–present), a gay student at Palos Hills who runs in the same social circle as Jenna. He is best friends with Cole.
  • Monty Geer as Cole (season 4–present), a gay student at Palos Hills who runs in the same social circle as Jenna. He is best friends with Theo.
  • Jessika Van as Becca (seasons 2–3), the ringleader of the Asians or the "Asian Mafia" at Palos Hills High School. She frequently conflicts with Ming, and is considered Ming's arch-rival in the series, having previously been in a relationship with Ming's boyfriend (seasons 2 and 3), Fred Wu. Knowledge is her power, and allows her to fulfill her own agenda. She also manipulates others for her own personal gain. Becca's not out to help Ming, but rather to help herself. She knows everything about every Asian in Palos Hills, and demonstrates this by describing the origins of Ming's Grandparents. In the episode "Reality Check," Ming punches Becca in the face. However, instead of being suspended, Becca attains a number of signed affidavits (from the Asian students) saying that she ran into a door by accident, thereby demonstrating her clout within the Asians of Palos Hills High. However, as she is forced to leave the school, Ming Huang takes over as the ringleader of the Asian mafia.
  • Nolan Gerard Funk as Collin Jennings (season 3), a student in Jenna's creative writing class. They share a bit of animosity with one another. He dated a girl named Angelique, whom Sadie hates. He and Jenna start to get closer when he comes to support her at her reading at the local coffee house. After that Jenna starts to have fantasies about Collin. She is required to write the fantasy of how she lost her virginity. It turns out secretly being about how she fantasizes her first time with Collin would be. Soon after, he breaks up with Angelique. They continue to have subtle chemistry. At the end of the spring finale, Jenna decides to go to a party that Collin invited her to. She decides to stay with him instead of going to another party with Matty. While Collin drops Jenna off at the other party to meet up with Matty, they end up making out in the car. Jenna briefly dated Collin after breaking up with Matty, but broke up with Collin after he slept with his ex.
  • Matthew Fahey as Ricky Schwartz (seasons 1–2), Tamara's on-again off-again crush. He is in the band with Tamara, and is shown to be quite the player. Jenna accidentally kissed him at her house party, which caused severe tension between her and Tamara. After asking Tamara out to the winter formal, she breaks up with him when she finds out that he asked three other girls before her. But he wins her back at the dance by quoting an ad he placed for Tamara on Missed Connections. In season two, he develops a secret relationship with Sadie, which ends after Sadie catches him making out with Clark in the season finale. He often calls Tamara "beautiful" as a nickname, and Sadie "doll-face". He dies from a peanut allergy at the beginning of the season 3 premiere, but he reveals via Sadie's spirit board that his death was actually no accident.
  • Joey Haro as Clark Stevenson (seasons 1–3), the tribute to her when he won Formal Princess. They grow closer during season two when Jenna attends a youth Christian retreat, where he explains his religious beliefs. In the season two finale, he reveals himself as the anonymous poster on her blog, and is caught making out with Ricky Schwartz.
  • McKaley Miller as Bailey Parker (season 3), a freshman at Palos Hills whom Jenna befriends near the end of season three. She is labeled as a slut by the school, although she's actually quite the opposite. Jenna is her only friend. She has feelings for Matty, but also knows that Jenna never got over him and places their friendship above a potential relationship with Matty.
  • Anthony Michael Hall as Mr. Hart (season 3), Jenna's creative writing teacher who takes pride in pushing his students outside of their comfort zones. He is also a former novelist.
  • Erinn Westbrook as Gabby (season 4–present), a senior at Palos Hills who becomes Matty's new love interest. She is a tennis player with a scholarship to Stanford University, and she is a virgin. Jenna is jealous of Gabby when they first meet, but they eventually become friends. After Jenna reveals that her and Matty kissed after his birthday party, things with Gabby don't get better. Gabby begins to feel shut out by Matty, who just met his "bio-dad". She sleeps with Jake and is last seen lying in bed afterwards clinging to the blanket.

Conception

"The first season is really about identity and an exploration of 'Who am I?' through the eyes of Jenna as she's exploring who she is. This season [season 2] the driving theme is, 'Who do I want to be with?' and that doesn't just pertain to romantic entanglements but also to friendships and family for everyone. The driving force of Season 3 will be 'Who do I want to be?' and making a choice in the decision of identity."

Lauren Iungerich on Awkward's themes[12]

Series creator Lauren Iungerich spent time with actual high school students to elaborate the teen dialogue of the show.[13][14] She also met them to talk about their lives and to make sure the show reflects the reality.[12]

Citing her writing influences, Iungerich said she likes Friday Night Lights: "What Jason Katims did in five seasons was utterly beautiful. The story and who the people truly were came first. That's what I sort of took away from it; to be so bold as to graduate people, and wrap up story lines or allow them to come back in organic ways and to fall in love with the new characters. I want to take a lesson from that. Moving forward, I'm going to take a note from the brave things that he did in that show."[12]

Reception

Critical response

Awkward mostly received positive reviews for its first season.[15] At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the TV series received an average score of 74, based on 13 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[15] The Wall Street Journal's Dorothy Rabinowitz explained Awkward is a "series about a high-school girl that's neither maudlin nor alarming nor conceived with intent to preach or to shock. It's further distinguished by its focus on entirely recognizable teenage pains, as endured by an entirely recognizable teenager, Jenna (Ashley Rickards). Its other distinction: strong echoes of an older kind of storytelling, the sort whose characters grow and acquire depth. This is a lot to expect these days from TV writing of any kind, much less a series about teenagers—it's relief enough when it's not about vampires."[16] Hank Stuever of The Washington Post found that series "funny", which was "a pleasant surprise from MTV, the maker of so many lame teen comedies that I’ve lost count."[17] The New York Times called Awkward as "a wry show about longing—for love, certainly, but also for consistency, that great intangible in the ever-morphing world of high school life".[18] John Kubicek of BuddyTV website wrote "Just like Easy A, Mean Girls or other strong, female-centric teen comedies, Awkward has a quick wit and a very distinct vision of the world. It's the perfect blend of comedy and painful teenage awkwardness, and in the end, the title says it all." He concluded "The result is one of the most enjoyable and earnest teen comedies TV has produced".[19] Writing for the San Francisco Chronicle, David Wiegand described the show as "a very smart mix of realism and satirical exaggeration" and praised the writing for being sharp.[20] Curt Wagner of RedEye stated Awkward is "whip-smart and hilarious" while lauding the sharpness of the writing.[21]

"With the right amount of exaggerated realism, creator Lauren Iungerich turns all the yearning, pain and, well, awkwardness of high school into a frothy, funny satire that should make anyone feel better about their own fumbling ways."

Curt Wagner of RedEye[21]

The New York Post writer Linda Stasi gave the show a three stars rating out of four commenting "aside from the gratuitous sexual stuff, Awkward is a really good, funny, fun show". However, Stasi mentioned "this just isn't the kind of thing you'd want to watch with your kids—nor want your kids to watch."[22] According to The Philadelphia Daily News, "Awkward, like Glee, deals gently and semicomically with issues of sexuality and bullying but never really draws blood".[23] HitFix's Daniel Fienberg gave the show a B rating commenting "Not only are high school horrors pretty universal, even if the specifics change, but I can find a way to fit Awkward into a tradition of hyper-literal high school comedies like Pretty in Pink or Heathers or Mean Girls or Juno. It's not as good as any of those, but it's not as bad as Jawbreaker, which is in the same tradition."[24] Variety's Brian Lowry was less enthusiastic about the show: "While the premise is refreshingly gimmick-free compared with RJ Berger or Teen Wolf, the situations aren't compelling enough to make this much more than a latter-day Doogie Howser, M.D. with a gender switch."[25]

The character of Jenna Hamilton has received positive feedback. Entertainment Weekly wrote Jenna "navigates the sharky waters of high school, friends, mean cheerleaders, and cute boys with a snarky voice-over that makes her—and Awkward.—easy to fall in love with."[25] The Huffington Post deemed Jenna's voice-overs "witty" as "[they] make this high-school dark comedy stand out from a crowd of stereotypical high school prime-time soaps."[26] David Hinckley of the Daily News gave the show a four stars rating out of five and wrote "Awkward is very good". He explained "For all the times we've seen the high school outcast who feels alternately ignored and humiliated by her peer group, she has rarely been played better than Ashley Rickards plays Jenna Hamilton." and went on "If the dramas are exaggerated, Jenna makes the trauma feel legitimate, and her narration gives everything a knowing undertone of humor and self-awareness that keeps the most uncomfortable moments from being painful."[27] Stasi compared Ashley Rickards to Juno actress Ellen Page: "Rickards is a great teen actress of the Ellen Page variety—the kind of kid whose pretty face and adorable bearing is swamped by her ability to look awkward and offbeat."[22] The Washington Post wrote of Rickards: "Following the well-trod path of Molly Ringwald’s Sixteen Candles and Claire Danes’s My So-Called Life, she effortlessly manages to elevate the unfresh premise of MTV’s new Tuesday night comedy series, Awkward, to something that is tawdry yet honest.[17]

Other characters' performances were also well received by critics. Kubicek appreciated that the show's villain, Sadie Saxton, is not "the typical perfect skinny girl" but "an overweight cheerleader who is popular only thanks to her parents."[19]

Critics' top ten lists

Following its first season, Awkward was included in various critics' top ten lists.

Accolades

Year Award Category Recipients and nominees Outcome
2012 Young Artist Award[33] Best Performance in a TV Series – Leading Young Actress Jillian Rose Reed Nominated
2012 Critics' Choice Television Awards Best Comedy Actress Ashley Rickards Nominated
2012 Teen Choice Awards[34] Summer TV Star: Female Nominated
2012 TV Breakout Star: Male Beau Mirchoff Won
2013 People's Choice Awards Favorite Cable TV Comedy Awkward Won
2013 Young Artist Award[35] Best Performance in a TV Series – Guest Starring Young Actor 11–13 Robbie Tucker Nominated
2014 People's Choice Awards Favorite Cable TV Comedy Awkward Nominated
2015 People's Choice Awards Favorite TV Dramedy Awkward Nominated

DVD Release Dates

DVD release dates for Awkward
Name Release dates Ep # Additional information
Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
Season One November 15, 2011[36] October 4, 2012[37] October 17, 2012[38] 12 The two disc set contains all 12 episodes of season one as well as special features including Webisodes, Behind-the-scenes tours of the set, Wardrobe trailer and Cast interviews. WARNING: There are no subtitles, and "bad words" are bleeped out (on the region 1 set).
Season Two October 16, 2012 TBA TBA 12
Season Three, Part One August 3, 2013 TBA TBA 10
Seasons One and Two October 1, 2013 TBA TBA 24
Season Three, Part Two June 3, 2014 TBA TBA 10
Season Three August 5, 2014 TBA TBA 20
Season Four July 30, 2015[39] TBA TBA 21

References

  1. ^ Abrams, Natalie (August 15, 2011). "MTV Renews Freshman Comedy Awkward for Season 2". TV Guide. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  2. ^ "Breaking News – MTV Announces Sizzling Summer Lineup at 2012 Upfront". TheFutonCritic.com. April 26, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
  3. ^ "Awkward Season 3 Trailer".
  4. ^ "'Awkward' Creator Lauren Iungerich Exits". Hollywood Reporter. June 26, 2013. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  5. ^ "Good News, 'Awkward.' Fans: The Palos Hills High School Gang Is Coming Back For Season 4!". MTV.com. August 5, 2013. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
  6. ^ "MTV's Awkward to End After Season 5". TVLine. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
  7. ^ Denise Petski. "MTV Upfronts: 'Faking It' Renewed, New Late-Night Show Gets Green Light - Deadline". Deadline. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
  8. ^ "'Awkward' season 5 not the end of the story after all?". ChristianPost. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  9. ^ "'Awkward' Final Season spoilers". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  10. ^ 8/30/12. "I'm Team Jenna | Video". MTV. Retrieved November 2, 2012. {{cite web}}: |author= has numeric name (help)
  11. ^ Swift, Andy (October 31, 2013). "'Awkward' Season 4 Spoilers — Tamara & Jake's Breakup And More". TVLine. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  12. ^ a b c Goldberg, Lesley (June 28, 2012). "'Awkward' Showrunner on Love Triangles and Lessons From 'Friday Night Lights'". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
  13. ^ Eggersten, Chris (August 9, 2011). "Interview with "Awkward" Star Ashley Rickards: "Michele Bachmann... I'm Terrified of Her"". AfterElton.com. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
  14. ^ Radish, Christina (August 23, 2011). "Creator Lauren Iungerich Exclusive Interview AWKWARD". Collider. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
  15. ^ a b "Awkward: Season 1Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
  16. ^ Rabinowitz, Dorothy (July 22, 2011). "Therapy as Shock Treatment". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
  17. ^ a b Stuever, Hank (July 19, 2011). "TV: On 'Web Therapy' and 'Awkward,' a lot of Skyping and sniping". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
  18. ^ Bellafante, Ginia (July 18, 2011). "Teenager's High-Five Is Plastered in Place". The New York Times. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
  19. ^ a b Kubicek, John. "'Awkward' Review: New MTV Comedy is Painfully Funny". BuddyTV. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
  20. ^ Wiegand, David (June 26, 2012). "'Awkward' review: A regular teen in high school". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved August 30, 2012.
  21. ^ a b Wagner, Curt (June 27, 2012). "TV review: Nothing 'Awkward' about this MTV gem". RedEye. Tribune Company. Retrieved August 30, 2012.
  22. ^ a b Stasi, Linda (July 19, 2011). "'Awkward' suicide attempt makes for quirky series". New York Post. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
  23. ^ Gray, Ellen (July 19, 2011). "Ellen Gray: Teen parents' daughter is focus of MTV's 'Awkward'". Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
  24. ^ Fienberg, Daniel (July 19, 2011). "TV Review: MTV's 'Awkward'". HitFix. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
  25. ^ a b "Critic Reviews for Awkward Season 1 at Metacritic". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
  26. ^ Bell, Crystal (September 13, 2011). "'Awkward' Interview With Ashley Rickards: Actress Talks MTV Show, High School & Love Triangles". The Huffington Post. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
  27. ^ Hinckley, David (July 19, 2011). "'Awkward'". Daily News. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
  28. ^ Fernandez, Maria Elena (December 23, 2011). "Homeland, Justified, Downton Abbey & More: The Best and Worst TV Shows of 2011". The Daily Beast. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
  29. ^ Ryan, Maureen (December 15, 2011). "Best TV Shows of 2011: 'Community', 'Homeland' & More". The Huffington Post. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
  30. ^ McFarland, Melanie (December 14, 2011). "On Year End Lists, and Our Ten Reasons We Loved TV in 2011". IMDbTV. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
  31. ^ Hinckley, David (December 25, 2011). "Best in TV for 2011 includes 'Downton Abbey,' '2 Broke Girls,' 'Homeland' and more". The New York Daily News. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
  32. ^ Hale, Mike (December 16, 2011). "Drama, Fictional and Real, and Well-Earned Laughs". The New York Times. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
  33. ^ "33rd Annual Young Artist Awards – Nominations / Special Awards". Young Artist Award. October 29, 2013. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
  34. ^ Goodacre, Kate (June 19, 2012). "Critics Choice Television Awards 2012: The winners in full". Digital Spy. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
  35. ^ "34th Annual Young Artist Awards – Nominations / Special Awards". Young Artist Award. October 29, 2013. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
  36. ^ "Awkward. DVD news: Press Release for Awkward – Season 1". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
  37. ^ "Awkward. – Season 1 [2 DVDs]: Amazon.de: Ashley Rickards, Beau Mirchoff, Nikki Deloach, David Katzenberg, Ryan Shiraki, Lauren Iungerich, Patrick Norris: Filme & TV". Amazon.de. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  38. ^ "Awkward: Season 1". Ezydvd.com.au. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  39. ^ http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Awkward-Season-4/21401

External links

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