Popular

Many aspects of life change over the duration of on time in this mortal coil bit one constant is we all have the need to be accepted, respected and if at all possible envied. At first this all too human motivation may show itself as needing to get the lead role in the kindergarten holiday parent. Later on during our adult years it can manifest itself as coveting that corner office, sports car or trophy wife. Landing somewhere in between on this chronological scale is the sociologically pressure cooker known as high school. This period of four years presents a microcosm of the larger society intensified by peer pressure and hormones to the point of becoming one of the most emotional periods of our lives. Because this experience is so central, so crucial to our overall emotional development it is frequently the basis of more television shows that possible to enumerate. One of the best to present itself unfortunately like many series did not last long. This flash in the pan became yet another lamentable addition to the ever growing ‘Brilliant but Cancelled’ List. The name of this little gem concisely sums up the dilemma; ‘Popular’. The show follows two teenage girls as they navigate the treacherous waters of high school popularity. Although they each follow different pathways to achieve this goal they intersect with sufficient frequency to form the basis of a mutually passionate animosity. The crux of the story gets going when the parents of the girls begin a romantic relationship. In short order the parental units become serous and decide to move in together. The girls can barely tolerate each other when limited to fleeting contact in school but under the same roof the situation quickly begins to degenerate. What made this series so worthwhile is how it was able to blend comedy and drama to create a fairly representative view of these situations. This series, as well crafted as it was, only looses points in one area; it is up against so pretty stiff competition in this specific sub genre. Series such as ‘My So-Called Life’ and ‘Freaks and Greeks’ have raised the bar exceptionally high but ‘Popular’, while not quite there, comes extremely close to take the Silver.

For any creative project to demonstrate the attention to detail and quality seen here it usually has to sort with the creative mind who nurtured the series from a concept to reality. In this instance the team responsible includes one of the most eclectically successful people in television today. The idea and realization of this series fell to Gina Matthews and Ryan Murphy. Murphy has been involved in several projects that might be referred to as chick flicks, ’13 Going on 30’and ‘What Women Want’ from the production side of the table. Murphy is more like an explosion of success hitting big in seemingly random genres. Right after this series met with its untimely and unwarranted cancellation Murphy’s next outing was the almost surrealistic show about a pair of self absorbed plastic surgeons; ‘Nip/Tuck’. That last on the less censored F/X cable network for six strongly received and critically acclaimed seasons. In what could very well be called a completely different direction Murphy’s current phenomenal hit is ‘Glee'. With sold out live concerts, iTunes download records and more Billboard hits than the Beatles this series not only reinvented the television musical it quickly rose to the most unique view of high school ever presented on the tube. One thing that is consistent with all of Murphy’s productions is how important social acceptance is, not only to teens but throughout a person’s life. In many ways ‘Popular’ was the crucible that forged his subsequent hits. Where ‘Nip/Tuck’ focused on the hedonistic twist afford to adults in this venue and "Glee’ offers a lighthearted look with an incredible sound track, ‘Popular’ cut to the chase going to the heart of the matter with teen girls.

In Jacqueline Kennedy High School the student body was predictably divided into the usual cliques where, predictably, the Jocks and cheerleaders at the apex and those students primarily concerned with the scholastic portion of the experience, at the nadir. The unrivaled queen bee of the class is head cheerleader, Brooke McQueen (Leslie Bibb). She is beautiful, smart and, of course, the most popular girl around. As head of the Glamazons Brooke and her co-captain Nicole Julian (Tammy Lynn Michaels), stride through the halls fully expecting all lesser beings to yield before them. The de facto leader of the outcasts is Samantha "Sam" McPherson (Carly Pope) who is also exceptional in brains and beauty. Her geek entourage consists of nerdy Harrison John (Christopher Gorham), social activist Lily Esposito (Tamara Mello) and overweight Carmen Ferrara (Sara Rue). She is pretty and wants to be a cheerleader but the in-girls tend to shun her. It also set up a running thread of hypocrisy since Carmen’s weight is always seen in a negative light but the much heavier Michael 'Sugar Daddy' Bernardino (Ron Lester) is accepted by the popular crowd since he is on the football team. Another ongoing socially relevant thread is indeterminate sexual identity. Lily is unsure of her preferences and is concerned that she appears to be more attracted to other girls. A necessary touch of comic relief is frequently found with Mary Cherry (Leslie Grossman). She is vain and completely self adsorbed; rude to anyone beneath her socially which, from her vantage point, is just about everyone.

Things get moving early on in the first season when Brooke’s father enters into a relationship with Sam’s mother. This is initially an untenable situation for both girls but Murphy is brilliant in how he permits the two girls to slowly discover the have more in common than they ever could have imagined. In the second season a friendship slowly begins to flourish. Murphy is careful never to push the issues at hand or allow them to come across as contrived. There is an overall organic feel to this series that permitted it to address the usual issues pertinent topics such as the mandatory high school topic of body dismorphia, without sounding like an afterschool special. You can get the entire series, both seasons of it, as a packaged set.

Posted 01/03/11