# My So-Called Life (1994)

> A fifteen-year-old high school sophomore navigates friendship, first love, and difficult parents as she tries to figure out who she is.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/1034

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 19
- Episode runtime: 48 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: drama
- Created by: Winnie Holzman
- Network: ABC
- Cast: Claire Danes, Bess Armstrong, Tom Irwin, Wilson Cruz, Devon Gummersall, A. J. Langer, Jared Leto, Devon Odessa
- TMDB rating: 8.4/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108872/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: wistful, sincere, awkward, nostalgic, thoughtful

## What critics say

Critics and audiences regard this single-season teen drama as a sharply written, emotionally honest portrait of adolescence, with its lead performance and dialogue widely admired.

## Synopsis

My So-Called Life (1994-1995) is an American network teen drama created by Winnie Holzman for ABC. Claire Danes stars as Angela Chase, a fifteen-year-old high school sophomore whose inner life feels enormous and whose daily world of cliques, crushes and family friction rarely seems to notice it. Her pursuit of Jared Leto's brooding Jordan Catalano, an aimless boy who barely acknowledges her, drives much of the first season, while her friendship with the wild, unpredictable Rayanne Graff (A. J. Langer) and the quiet loyalty of Enrique Vasquez (Wilson Cruz) pull her in different directions. At home, Bess Armstrong and Tom Irwin play parents whose marriage and expectations press on her from every side. Each episode is built from ordinary school hallways, parties, dances and kitchen-table arguments, all filtered through Angela's voice-over confessions. The tone is wistful, sincere and often painfully awkward, a nostalgic portrait of adolescence that refuses easy glamour. Its single season of nineteen episodes was canceled before the story fully settled. Fans of Freaks and Geeks, The Wonder Years and Dawson's Creek will find resonance in its honest look at growing up.

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