Kids These Days

Two sitcoms for teenagers, with girls in the lead roles, recently hit tv screens. So how do Awkward and Suburgatory compare to Ye Teen Shows of Olde?

What I learnt from the first season of Awkward is, never let teenagers out of the house. Simple as that. This could be a knee jerk reaction to the main character losing her virginity in the opening scenes of the pilot. At summer camp. In a supply cupboard. (Cue parental wincing. To clarify, I don't have kids, but this made me empathise with in-house Powers That Be).

The show lives up to its name, especially the sex scenes. Our protagonist is desperately in love with the school's alpha dude. Unfortunately, he seems as dense as a pile of bricks. To add insult to injury, he hides the fact they're involved from his oh so trendy friends.

What a star.

Frankly, it's all a bit, Lay Back and Think of England. In some of the early sex scenes, it's almost like Jenna's being assaulted. She just grits her teeth and lies there, occasionally fake-smiling when he remembers to look in the general direction of her face.

It's almost disturbing, especially when the script implies she really enjoyed the sex. Ah... are you sure?? It seemed more that she liked the idea of a popular guy banging her, but NOT the actual banging (excuse the blunt language, I'm trying to work in some lingo to connect with the kool kidzzz of 2day LMFAO).

Luckily, our heroine finds her SELF RESPECT as the season progresses. She even watches 16 Candles on her sixteenth birthday (props to the writer's for introducing a new generation to John Hughes' films).

Television continues to embrace recycling. Here it's with a reconstructed Lane from Gilmore Girls. As in, the Korean best friend in dark framed glasses with uber-strict parents and a love of alternative music. There's also more than a hint of Dharma from Dharma and Greg in the kooky hippy counsellor.

Overall, the premise is pretty hilarious, in a dark kind of way. Jenna's sent an awful anonymous letter, detailing the reasons her life sucks, point by point. She falls over in the bathroom and through a clumsy chain of events, ends up with both a cast and counsellor.

Kinda like a Heather, Jenna had no intention of killing herself, but the not-suicide attempt defines her reputation, much to our heroine's chagrin. She even has a stalker who makes a killing (okay, bad pun) selling JENNA LIVES tshirts at school.

Awkward, much?

Suburgatory is still in the early stages of production, so audiences should cut the show some slack. The lead teen actress looks a little like Emma Stone, who both look a little like Lindsay Lohan. (Apparently Hollywood has a type).

The series is obnoxiously pro New York. I get that our family unit aren't enjoying suburban life, but even the Big Apple's home to a few worms. The pair of them should just slip on their I ❤ NY tshirts and shut up already...

The trailer implies some cutting edge wit, but the script's a tad heavy handed. (Think of someone trying to tell a good joke, with bad delivery). Plastic people are a pretty easy targets, though. You've got to do something clever, material-wise, to avoid clunky scenes. So far, the show's a bit hit and miss. I mean, making fun of shallow mall rats... not really a comic challenge, is it?

Now and again Suburgatory bypasses the obvious turn down Jaded Road for an unexpected jaunt through Sweetness Lane. Yes, it humanises stereotypes. Some may scoff, but I like the unexpected gentleness.

It does spook me that the obnoxious guy Elton from Clueless is now old enough to be playing a dad role. This makes me feel one hundred thousand years old. Even scarier is the sight of Wash from Firefly, all tanned, buff'd and blonde... Worse than Reavers.

What I like about both shows are the pro dad angles. It's not often the most approachable parent in a thc show is Papa. Rather than authoritarian, there's a hint of the Full House vibe going on. Nice touch.

Our lead misfits are both pale, so apparently not being tanned is de rigour in outcast circles. A sassy mouth and world weary sarcasm are also must-haves, hiding a certain vulnerability.Thumbs up for the obvious intelligence (ALWAYS good to see in female protagonists).

Kind heartedness is nice onscreen, especially when expressed toward the underdog. Surrounded by social piranhas, the key to surviving high school, apparently, is a) finding the other victims in the crowd, b) teaming up to tough out the rest of your sentence and c) suffering in solidarity.

A lust for sporty meat heads seems a recurring theme on both shows. But in Suburgatory, Tessa overcomes her desires by pretty much dismissing them (after a brief indulgence), while Jenna moves on to date the nice best friend (plenty of opportunity for future drama there).

Overall, I think Awkward and Suburgatory are worth checking out, especially if you're a teen girl. For the rest of us, they're like David Attenborough documentaries focusing on young homosapiens. Not quite golden, there's still a definite sheen.

For all their faults, these new shows are pretty sophisticated in comparison to the teen shows I was raised on. Being Australian, I grew up with the Henderson Kids:

MY, HOW TIMES HAVE CHANGED...