Throughout the years on the blogI’ve mentioned the 90s tv show My So-Called Life. Never before have I gone into detail on it’s impact. It was one of those shows in the early 90s that directly mirrored my life. Even today I seem to compare my own happenings to the introspective Angela Chase played by Claire Danes. Although it was only on for one season it still is one of the most honest and real portrayals of 90s teen life ever. The fashion and amazing cast alone deserves a mountain of awards. So, don’t think of it as a throwback on this Thursday but more of a nod and a thank you to the creators of this show for existing even if it was only for one season.
One of the most incredible parts of this show was the multi-dimensional cast. Jared Leto as Jordan Catalano will forever go down in history as Angela’s “meant to be boyfriend” that kinda sorta was, who sang in a band. In other words perfect. Rayanne, the grungy amazingly styled best friend who’s drinking and drugs took over her life in a not so subtle way. Brian, the hopeless romantic neighbor who could only dream of Angela Chase and straight A’s in school. Rickie, a gay 15 year old teen who was always there to challenge social stereotypes on what a boy should be like in the 90s and be his own person no matter what people had to say about it. Then there’s Angela Chase, the red headed girl who thought way too much about everything but always seemed to have the best perspective on life.
This is still 90s television at it’s best. Raw, honest, and real.
Update: We covered the pilot on the Podcast and the whole series on Patreon!
omg don’t even get me started on Jordan Catalano (Jared Leto) singing “red”. Yes, it’s actually on my iPod.
photos via tumblr//pinterest
4 comments
I came to my so called life waaaay late. I think I watched the entire show back to back a few years ago. Being born in the 90s I was too young to appreciate it when it was airing unfortunately. I love the show so much. All the characters are all so detailed and interesting. They all deserve their own shows!
Being the Jared Leto fanatic that I am, I obviously love this. Reading this post and looking at the pictures made me feel .like watching the whole series all over again,
I was around nineteen or twenty when MSCL was first on tv, I recall how real and raw this show was with genuine, authentic and interesting characters. Claire Danes was one of my favorite celebrity crushes at the time. Like many great shows such as this one and Freaks and Geeks it lasted only a short time but we still have the reruns.
Yes! Both MSCL and Freaks and Geeks are some of my favorite shows of all time. We covered it on the podcast !