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A review by greg_talbot
Freaks, Gleeks, and Dawson's Creek: How Seven Teen Shows Transformed Television by Thea Glassman
4.0
How much time needs to pass before revisiting the shows of my high school years?
Even as a bookish kid, avoidant of WB television, these high school dramas landed their way to my impressionable teenage brain. Dawson Creek’s steady rowboat. The indie rock needledrops of the O.C. The indelible opening of “Freaks and Geeks” with Joan Jett’s steady aggressive drive. Even if you weren’t watching - you can be sure in the 90s monolith of pre-internet culture millions of others were.
Like the turbulent strom and stressful years of adolescence, the teenage dramas reviewed were short-lived but highly impactful. Far from the Happy Days sitcoms, showrunners and writers were moving toward more truthful storytelling. Real experiences of adolescence were mirrored such as parental neglect (Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), sexual tensions and revelations (My-So Called Life) and ambition and character (Friday Night Lights).
Off-camera is just as exciting. Punch-ups to scripts. Chemistry between actors. Directors and executives conflicting over artistic integrity and ratings. And oh yeah - it shows up on the screen. We see the craft of building a show around Will Smith’s charisma with actors and writing to build a structure for a deeply impactful show. We see the wildly ambitious musically talented actors of Glee come together to build story, dance, and cultural moments that defined their coming of age show.
Partly an analysis and partly an experience of rediscovering youthful joy, this iadmirably written book by Thea Glassman highlights the importance of sharing stories of young people. It mirrors the culture of the 90s, and for the nostalgia seeking millennials, a reminder that youth culture changes but good storytelling is timeless.
Even as a bookish kid, avoidant of WB television, these high school dramas landed their way to my impressionable teenage brain. Dawson Creek’s steady rowboat. The indie rock needledrops of the O.C. The indelible opening of “Freaks and Geeks” with Joan Jett’s steady aggressive drive. Even if you weren’t watching - you can be sure in the 90s monolith of pre-internet culture millions of others were.
Like the turbulent strom and stressful years of adolescence, the teenage dramas reviewed were short-lived but highly impactful. Far from the Happy Days sitcoms, showrunners and writers were moving toward more truthful storytelling. Real experiences of adolescence were mirrored such as parental neglect (Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), sexual tensions and revelations (My-So Called Life) and ambition and character (Friday Night Lights).
Off-camera is just as exciting. Punch-ups to scripts. Chemistry between actors. Directors and executives conflicting over artistic integrity and ratings. And oh yeah - it shows up on the screen. We see the craft of building a show around Will Smith’s charisma with actors and writing to build a structure for a deeply impactful show. We see the wildly ambitious musically talented actors of Glee come together to build story, dance, and cultural moments that defined their coming of age show.
Partly an analysis and partly an experience of rediscovering youthful joy, this iadmirably written book by Thea Glassman highlights the importance of sharing stories of young people. It mirrors the culture of the 90s, and for the nostalgia seeking millennials, a reminder that youth culture changes but good storytelling is timeless.