My So-Called Life

For other uses, see My So-Called Life (disambiguation).

My So-Called Life
File:My So-Called Life.jpg 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
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	19 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Marshall Herskovitz Edward Zwick
Producers	Winnie Holzman (co-executive producer) Scott Winant (co-executive producer) Monica Wyatt (co-producer)
Running time	Approx. 47 minutes
Production companies	The Bedford Falls Company ABC Productions
Original release
Network	ABC
Release	August 25, 1994 – January 26, 1995
Related
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. 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 who are all in the social circle of main character Angela Chase, played by Claire Danes. The critically acclaimed but short-lived show ended in a cliffhanger with the expectation that it would be picked up for an additional season, but it was officially canceled on May 15, 1995.

The show was praised for its portrayal of adolescence and the commentary of its astute central character, Angela. My So-Called Life was named the second Best School Show of All Time by AOL TV. It placed No. 33 on Entertainment Weekly's "New Classics TV" list of shows from 1983 to 2008, and then, in 2012, at No. 9 in that magazine's "25 Best Cult TV Shows from the Past 25 Years," with the praise,

"It was the first teen drama that didn't feel like an after-school special. No one ever learned a very important lesson or uttered the phrase 'I love you, Dad.' Angela acted like a real 15-year-old, with all the crying jags and Buffalo Tom concerts that implies. What's even more impressive is that anyone who watched the show back in the '90s, when angst and Manic Panic felt totally of the moment, can now enjoy it on a very different level. Suddenly, Angela's parents are relatable."

In 2007, it was listed as one of Time magazine's "100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME", and TV Guide ranked the series number 16 on its 25 Top Cult Shows Ever list. and ranked it #2 on their 2013 list of 60 shows that were "Cancelled Too Soon".

Themes

My So-Called Life dealt with important social issues of the mid-1990s, 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.

Characters

The young cast of My So-Called Life

• Angela Chase, played by Claire Danes, is a 15-year-old sophomore at Liberty High School in Three Rivers, Pennsylvania, a fictional suburb of Pittsburgh. Like most teens in the throes of self-evaluation, Angela is attempting to discover and assert her identity. To do this, she distances herself from her past and pulls away from her parents and her childhood friends, Sharon Cherski and Brian Krakow. In their place, she befriends Rayanne Graff and Rickie Vasquez. Angela has a crush on Jordan Catalano and admires him from afar; they later begin dating, and inevitably break up. With these new relationships, Angela finds herself in precarious and sometimes dangerous situations; despite temptation, she remains levelheaded and responsible. Angela narrates 17 of the 19 episodes in voice-over.

• Patricia "Patty" Chase, played by Bess Armstrong, is Angela's mother. Unlike many TV mothers, she is the main breadwinner and, at the beginning of the series, employs her husband. She is opinionated and often can't help but express her strongly held beliefs, which at one point leads to a confrontation with the free-spirited mother of Rayanne.

• Jordan Catalano is played by Jared Leto. He is good-looking but rebellious, his bad boy image masking the real reason for his poor scholastic record (he has an undiagnosed learning disability and is nearly illiterate). He is Angela's love interest, and during the series they have an on-again/off-again relationship. He reveals his emotional depth in his songwriting ability and his occasional — and seemingly accidental — profound thoughts.

• Graham Chase, played by Tom Irwin, is Angela's father. He's soft-spoken and continues to struggle with his role in the household and the direction of his life in general.

• Danielle Chase, played by Lisa Wilhoit, is Angela's younger sister. There is an emphasis on how much she is ignored by her family. She has a biting and sarcastic wit, serving as somewhat of a comic relief throughout the show. In the episode "Halloween", she dresses up as Angela and fools her parents with her near-exact replication of Angela's red hair, clothes, and demeanor. Danielle narrates the penultimate episode, "Weekend", in voice-over.

• Rayanne Graff, played by A.J. Langer, is Angela's new best friend at the beginning of the series. She is wild, rebellious, and parented by a single mother (Amber, played by Patti D'Arbanville-Quinn). In the episode "Other People's Mothers", the depth of Rayanne's troubles are revealed when she suffers a drug and alcohol overdose at her own party.

• Enrique "Rickie" Vasquez, played by Wilson Cruz, is Rayanne Graff's other best friend. He is a bisexual 15-year-old boy being raised by his uncle, who physically abuses him. Rickie wears eyeliner and bright clothing and feels most at home in the girls' bathroom with Rayanne and Angela. When his uncle kicks him out of the house, he is fostered briefly by the Chases; he is then fostered by gay English teacher Richard Katimski (played by Jeff Perry), who becomes a mentor to him.

• Sharon Cherski, played by Devon Odessa, was Angela's best friend throughout childhood until Angela became friends with Rayanne. Sharon is conventional and academically minded, but her values and ideals are challenged throughout the show and she grows to be more open-minded.

• Brian Krakow, played by Devon Gummersall, has an unrequited crush on Angela, and has been longtime friends with both her and Sharon. Despite his high IQ and insight into other characters, he lacks emotional intelligence and is socially awkward and self-righteous. This tends to alienate him from his peers. The other characters usually turn to him only when they have an academic or technological query, and he usually seems willing if not actually pleased to help them out. Brian is a conflicted character, fearing and often rejecting the intimacy that he intensely desires. He becomes friends with Rickie towards the middle of the series.

• Tino is never actually seen but is mentioned in almost every episode as a running joke of the series. He is a friend of Jordan and Rayanne. Tino is also the lead singer of Jordan's band, Frozen Embryos (later called Residue).

Ratings

File:Angela Chase and Jordan Catalano.jpg

Angela Chase (Claire Danes) and Jordan Catalano (Jared Leto)

For its original run in the United States, it aired on Thursday nights at 8 p.m. ET against 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.

Cancellation

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. 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."

The rumors of the end of the show strongly divided its fans. Flame wars raged across the Internet, 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. 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.

Episodes

#	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
1	"Pilot"	Scott Winant	Winnie Holzman	August 25, 1994	59300
In the pilot, Angela starts her Sophomore year at Liberty High. She dyes her hair red, and finds herself abandoning her best friend, Sharon, for her new, outgoing friend, Rayanne. She begins reading Anne Frank's Diary of a Young Girl, which she greatly enjoys reading; she relates in some ways to Anne Frank. Her romantic interest in Jordan Catalano is established in this episode. She also lies to her parents about a night out, telling them that she would be staying at Rayanne's house. Instead, she, Rayanne, and Rickie head to a club into which they were unable to gain access. In the parking lot, the two girls are hit on by some guys, leading to a confrontation. The two girls are driven home by a cop, and Jordan Catalano takes notice of Angela being sat in the backseat of the police car.
2	"Dancing in the Dark"	Scott Winant	Winnie Holzman	September 1, 1994	59301
Rayanne arranges for Jordan Catalano to sell Angela a fake ID as a ruse for getting Jordan and Angela interacting more. Unfortunately for Angela, Jordan bungles his romantic approach to Angela. Although this constitutes the first time Jordan Catalano kisses Angela, she describes it in a later episode as a really bad kiss. Meanwhile, Patty and Graham stumble through ballroom-dancing lessons meant to re-spice their marriage.
3	"Guns and Gossip"	Marshall Herskovitz	Justin Tanner	September 8, 1994	59302
After a gunshot goes off in school, Brian Krakow experiences pressure from authority figures to inform on Rickie, who is suspected of having brought the gun to school. While parents become very concerned, students remain relatively calm about the situation. Although Rickie did not bring the gun to school, he wants fellow students to believe he did, believing that he would be harassed less for his bisexuality. He points out in class that firearms are not just tools of aggression; they are also often tools of defence. After Angela comforts Rickie in his car, their friendship grows stronger. Meanwhile, Angela is dealing with a rumour that she had sex with Jordan Catalano. It is discovered that the rumour originated with Brian Krakow.
4	"Father Figures"	Mark Rosner	Winnie Holzman	September 15, 1994	59303
Patty must deal with her father, whose printing business she now runs, when the IRS decides to do an audit. Patty makes a variety of suggestions, all of which go unheard by her unyielding father. Meanwhile, Angela and Graham's relationship is also strained as Angela gives Graham the silent treatment. Graham gives Angela and Rayanne tickets to the Grateful Dead, but Angela scalps them, angering Rayanne. Rayanne has no father figure, and appreciates her interactions with Graham. Angela hides in Brian Krakow's car in order to make her dad think she went to the concert, knowing that he would be disappointed to learn she didn't; but he discovers the truth, and gives her the silent treatment. In the end, Graham asks Angela what kind of music she likes.
5	"The Zit"	Victor DuBois	Betsy Thomas	September 22, 1994	59304
The Annual Three Rivers Mother-Daughter Fashion Show is approaching. Rayanne's slut potential and Sharon's large breasts get mentioned on a Sophomore girls list made by some jocks. Angela, who is not on the list, feels self-conscious about her small breasts and a zit on her chin; she comes to the conclusion that she is ugly. Coincidentally, Sharon becomes self-conscious about her large breasts. Patty is unable to understand why Angela does not wish to participate in the fashion show until she learns of Angela's insecurities. Angela suggests that her mom do the fashion show with Danielle.
6	"The Substitute"	Ellen S. Pressman	Jason Katims	September 29, 1994	59305
An unconventional substitute teacher temporarily turns Angela's English class into a poetry writing club. Students are encouraged to express themselves. Controversy arises when Patty, who runs a publishing company, reads an anonymous poem titled "Haiku for Him" alluding to sexual interaction, but the substitute assuages her reservations and she agrees to publish the poem along with the rest of the submissions in the school's literary magazine called Liberty Lit. The principle, however, does not share the libertarian attitude of his students; he confiscates every copy of the magazine he could, threatens to suspend any student distributing copies of the magazine, and manages to convince the substitute to quit. Jordan Catalano, who is illiterate and who was starting to learn to read under the tutelage of the substitute, is particularly incensed. Sharon is worried that it will be discovered that she wrote the poem, while Rayanne is worried people will discover that she didn't write it; they agree to keep the deception going, which leads to the emergence of a sort of agentic friendship. Angela, despite being disenchanted with the substitute after learning he abandoned his family, maintains that freedom of speech is critical, and engages in an act of civil disobedience, distributing copies of the 1994 Liberty Lit despite the prohibition. She informs her parents—who had, earlier, encouraged her to speak up for what she believes in—that she is willing to be suspended if that's what it takes to fight the injustice she sees. In the end, the parents back her, and the principle opts not to suspend her.
7	"Why Jordan Can't Read"	Mark Piznarski	Liberty Godshall	October 6, 1994	59307
Angela and Jordan get close when she learns of his reading problem, which she discovers because he was unable to read a note she wrote about him that he found. She speculates that he might be dyslexic, although he doubts it. After being invited to his band's practice session, she grows even closer to him when she hears his new song, "Red," which she and Rickie believe are about her, but which is actually about his car. Patty and Graham try to cope with a possible pregnancy. Graham starts getting attached to the idea of having a son, and when Patty presents to him the "good news" that she is not pregnant, she realises that he is disappointed. Graham resorts to playing catch with Brian Krakow.
8	"Strangers in the House"	Ron Lagomarsino	Jill Gordon	October 20, 1994	59308
After her father has a heart-attack, Sharon moves in for a short while with the Chases. Angela wants to get closer to Sharon, but doesn't know how. Rayanne, however, does get closer to Angela, helping to drive her to the hospital. Sharon's father is approximately the same age as Graham, and the experience leads Graham to think about his future and how unsatisfied he is with his job. Despite his landing a big account, Patty fires her husband in order to free him to pursue a more-fulfilling career.
9	"Halloween"	Mark Piznarski	Jill Gordon	October 27, 1994	59401
Halloween rolls into Three Rivers, blurring the line between façades and realities. When Patty and Graham venture to buy costumes on Halloween day, a pirate costume and a Rapunzel costume are all they can find; serendipitously, it leads the couple to some passionate role-playing. Danielle dresses as Angela, and goes trick-or-treating with Sharon. Angela, meanwhile, dresses as a schoolgirl from the early 1960s. After learning of Nicky Driscoll, a student who had died in the early '60s in the school, she, along with Rayanne and Rickie, decides to break into the school on Halloween night. Brian Krakow shows up as well, and actually facilitates the break-in. While there, Brian Krakow comforts the achluophobic Rayanne in the basement while Angela sees visions of Nicky Driscoll and the events leading up to his death. The experience gives Angela the motivation to convince Jordan Catalano not to let his teachers define his life for him.
10	"Other People's Mothers"	Claudia Weill	Richard Kramer	November 3, 1994	59306
Rayanne, Angela, and Rickie are in the Chase kitchen, obtaining food from the refrigerator to be taken up to Angela's room and consumed. Rayanne, who is fifteen, grabs a beer for herself and drinks some before the trio begin heading upstairs. In order to take a bite of her pickle, she hands the beer to Rickie, at which point Patty and Danielle enter. Patty initially believes Rickie was drinking the beer, even though Rickie doesn't drink. Patty chastises Angela and informs her daughter that consumption of alcohol will not be condoned in the Chase household by minors, whether in the chase family or not. Patty also reminds Angela that she will have to attend a dinner party being held that weekend to celebrate the anniversary of Angela's grandparents. Rayanne, Angela, and Rickie decide to head to the Graff home, where Angela gets to meet Rayanne's hippie mom, Amber Graff, with whom she is entranced; Amber appears to Angela very laid back. Amber, in contrast to Patty, does not mind children drinking in her home, so long as they do so responsibly. Rayanne decides to throw a party of her own, which she schedules for the same night as Angela's grandparents' party. Angela would prefer to attend Rayanne's party, but Patty forbids it, saying that Angela must attend the family party. Meanwhile, Patty's mother, who has been treating Patty like a child throughout the episode, pressures Patty into having the party in the Chase home instead of a restaurant and commandeers the refrigerator, frustrating both Patty and Graham. On the night of the dinner party, the Chase family discovers that Patty's father will not be in attendance. Angela, frustrated that she is being required to attend a party being held for someone not in attendance, opts to violate her orders and attend Rayanne's party, instead. At the Rayanne party, Rayanne takes ecstasy and copious amounts of alcohol. The combination has an extremely adverse effect on Rayanne. When Amber enters, she kicks nearly everyone out (save for Rayanne, Rickie, and Angela), and chastises Rayanne for the noise, for not keeping the party's guestlist small, and for drinking to excess; she does not, however, show much sympathy for Rayanne's condition, about which both Rickie and Angela are highly concerned. Angela calls Patty, who comes over and makes sure Rayanne is taken to the hospital. Once Rayanne is under the care of professionals, Patty invites Rickie and Angela to attend a "very dull" party, which both are happy to attend.
11	"Life of Brian"	Todd Holland	Jason Katims	November 10, 1994	59402
This episode is told from Brian's point of view. Everyone's love life gets screwed up by the school World Happiness Dance.
12	"Self-Esteem"	Michael Engler	Winnie Holzman	November 17, 1994	59403
Jordan won't acknowledge his new relationship with Angela, Graham starts his cooking classes, and a new teacher invites Rickie to join the drama club.
13	"Pressure"	Mark Piznarski	Ellen Herman	December 1, 1994	59404
Angela considers sleeping with Jordan, while Graham considers starting his own restaurant.
14	"On the Wagon"	Jeff Perry	Elizabeth Gill	December 8, 1994	59405
Feeling left out of Angela's life, Rayanne becomes lead singer of the Frozen Embryos. Meanwhile, Patty thinks Rayanne has started drinking again.
15	"So-Called Angels"	Scott Winant	Winnie Holzman & Jason Katims	December 22, 1994	59406
Christmas in Three Rivers finds Rickie out on the street after a fight with his abusive uncle. Angela, aided by a mysterious homeless girl (Juliana Hatfield), tries to help him, putting her at odds with Patty. Meanwhile, Brian faces Christmas alone.
16	"Resolutions"	Patrick Norris	Ellen Herman	January 5, 1995	59407
The new year begins, and everybody makes their resolutions without resolving to keep them. Rickie's home situation puts him on his own odyssey, Brian and Jordan do some mutual tutoring, Graham considers Hallie's proposition(s).
17	"Betrayal"	Mark Piznarski	Jill Gordon	January 12, 1995	59408
Rayanne wins the starring role in the school play, but loses Angela's friendship after she and Jordan get drunk and umm... in his car.
18	"Weekend"	Todd Holland	Adam Dooley	January 19, 1995	59409
Rayanne accidentally handcuffs herself to Patty and Graham's bed when Angela's parents go out of town for a weekend.
19	"In Dreams Begin Responsibilities"	Elodie Keene	Winnie Holzman	January 26, 1995	59410
Everybody in Three Rivers is having weird dreams lately. Jordan, hoping to win Angela back, enlists Brian to help him say the right words, resulting in The Letter. Delia has a crush on Rickie, Patty dreams about her old beau and Graham cooks for the investors. Rickie's odyssey and the MSCL season comes to an end.

Note: In 1997, TV Guide ranked the episode "Life of Brian" number 38 on its "100 Greatest Episodes of All Time" list.

DVD and online release

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.

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].

In popular culture

In the 2008 film Juno, the title character is asked whether her band will get back together, and she replies, "Once Tino gets a new drumhead, we should be ready to rock." This was confirmed as a reference to My So-Called Life by screenwriter Diablo Cody on the DVD audio commentary.

Soundtrack

Atlantic Records released a soundtrack of the show, which originally released on August 25, 1994, then re-released on January 24, 1995.

Untitled

1. "Make It Home" by Juliana Hatfield – 4:44
2. "Soda Jerk" by Buffalo Tom – 4:26
3. "Genetic" by Sonic Youth – 3:46
4. "Petty Core" by Further – 3:46
5. "Drop a Bomb" by Madder Rose – 2:11
6. "Fountain and Fairfax" by Afghan Whigs – 4:21
7. "South Carolina" by Archers of Loaf – 3:30
8. "Dawn Can't Decide" by The Lemonheads – 2:19
9. "The Book Song" by Frente! – 2:40
10. "Come See Me Tonight" by Daniel Johnston – 1:59
11. "My So-Called Life Theme"; words and music by W.G. Snuffy Walden – 1:12

External links

• My So-Called Life at IMDb
• Template:Tv.com show
• My So-Called Life at epguides.com