My So-Called Life centers on a 15 year old sophomore named Angela Chase, her family and her life and friends at Liberty High in the city of Three Rivers, a fictional suburb of Pittsburg. The show was critically acclaimed but failed due to low ratings and a lead star anxious to make the jump to the big screen.
My So-Called Life was unique in its themes and style on dealing with growing up as a teenager in the mid-nineties. The show may have appeared on the surfaced to be a teen drama, but it dealt with adult themes as much as any drama out there in a very honest and mature way. It paved the way for future shows like Freaks and Geeks and gave us two actors that would break out and eventually find success in movies.
Claire Danes was the obvious star that was waiting to shine brightly during the short stint of the show. Her portrayal of teenage angst is one of the most honest characters ever captured on television. Danes was the breakout star that should have had a bigger success but, for good or for bad, walked away from it all to go to college. Sounds much like what Angela Chase would have done.
Her love interest, Jordan Catalano, was another one of those actors ready and waiting to find success on the big screen. That actor turned movie star, turned rock star, is Jared Leto. His good looking yet illiterate portrayal of Jordan Catalano, was another rich character on the show that showcased Leto’s acting chops more through his body language.
All in all, My So-Called Life was a rich tapestry of characters that dealt with real life problems, who looked like actual teenagers and all of it was completely mesmerizing. It was a unique show that tackled themes that weren’t talked about at that time on television. Issues like child abuse, homosexuality and even adultery. It’s also equally honest in their portrayals of parenting. The gift within the writing was the show was void of stereotypes. My So-Called Life was well written, acted and I was sad when it wasn’t renewed for another season.
Never fear, if you were a fan of the show or too young to remember it, the complete series has just been released onto DVD. The series was originally released back in 2002 but has long been out of print. Now with a 40-page bound book and a nice collection of bonus features, this edition is here to do justice to a wonderful show.
All 15 episodes with 7 audio commentaries (including the pilot episode) on 6 discs are all here. The bonus features on disc 6 includes the documentary, My So-Called Story, that is a nicely produced and is an in depth look into the process of making a TV series.
There’s a conversation of Claire Danes with the creator Winnie Holzman and another one with Holzman and the producer, Marshall Herskovitz. It’s at times a love fest but there are nice little nuggets including Holzman’s possible ideas for what would have been in store for Angela, if there would have been a season two.
The character featurettes are great to see the actors how they look today. Surprisingly the actors haven’t changed that much other than of course the younger daughter, played by Lisa Wilhoit who played the 10 year old Danielle Chase.
Those are just a few of the many extras that are included in this wonderful set. If you were a fan of the show or a fan of quality television this is the box set for you.
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