Fifteen

Okay, the writing wasn't great, and the acting was what you'd expect from middle-schoolers. But the story lines did resonate with kids. The production values were poor and the cast tiny because the show obviously had a very small budget. One or two other reviewers mentioned that the cast were playing people their own age, which I thought was fantastic. (I can't even watch "high schoolers" who are pushing 30; how lame is that?) One thing I did not see mentioned is that I don't believe the show ever had an adult in any scene. (Budget? Not wanting to show up the kid actors? Or brilliant effort to make the show unique?) That was a stroke of genius, and I think it helped the show a great deal. Just as in real life, these kids were working out their problems themselves in their own half-baked way. The comparison with dopey sitcoms like "Saved by the Bell" and overproduced crapola like "Glee" miss the point. This was an attempt to do something on the edge, something that spoke to real people on a level deeper than entertainment. It was a success, and that's why people remember it.

FIFTEEN is probably one of the worst shows I ever saw...but it was oh so fun to watch!!!! This 1991 Nickelodeon "teen soap opera" had welfare production values and the worst dialogue ever! But I couldn't help avoiding it! The high school itself had like 10 students in it. The cafeteria had like 3 tables and didn't serve hot lunch, for everyone had to bring it bagged. The lockers never really locked, for they swung back open. Oh..and the locker rooms..it was horribly obvious that that the boys locker room was the same room as the girls...with pink papers on the wall signifying femininity. Did this school have a school board? The characters in the show are so corny and ugly. No one was like friends with each other. They all bitched at each other and all the subplots are centered about what one kid "overheard" about that kid's drinking problem..I could go on and on ..anyway..this show ..which makes "Saved by the Bell" look like Jane Austen..as horrendous to watch as it is...is still a blast to watch because its so deliciously crappy!

This show popped up in my memory one night as commercials for "One Tree Hill," "The OC," and "Smallville" bombarded my TV screen. I was in fifth or sixth grade when "Fifteen" was on the air, and I remember sitting with my sisters in front of my grandparents' TV on a random Saturday or Sunday afternoon, eagerly awaiting the next episode. I only watched it sporadically, since we didn't have cable TV ourselves, so Ashley would be dating Matt in one episode and then the next episode I saw had Ashley running off with Dylan. I was fairly young and easily bedazzled by the "drama," but I still vaguely remember thinking that there had to be more than just those ten people at the school!

It may have had corny plot lines, low-budget sets, and clichéd cardboard cut-out characters, but even so, I consider "Fifteen" to be one of the pioneering shows in the contemporary teen soap genre along with "Beverly Hills 90210." The WB network should thank their lucky stars that "Fifteen" ran and did well enough for this type of TV show to continue.

I was talking to my nephew about bad television shows the other day when this one came to mind. I remember watching it with friends in junior high just to laugh at how stupid and badly-produced it was. All I can really remember is a character named Dylan (who was supposed to be a rebel) and Dylan's ugly girlfriend. Why were so many characters named Dylan in the early nineties? What a stupid name.

Anyway, in one episode, Dylan plays the guitar down at the local "teen scene"/maltshop place. They seem to have actually let the actor play...and he was HORRIBLE. He made several grating, audible mistakes and they just LEFT THEM IN. No post-edit! And, when the actor finished, the audience clapped and cheered. I remember laughing and laughing at this episode. And talk about wooden acting! Oh! They had the obligatory "anti-alcohol" episode. And one kid had to pretend to be drunk. Oh, God! I'd give anything to see this show again! A+ for camp, F- for quality.

I was 11 when this came out and I absolutely loved it. It came out shortly after 90210, which I also loved. I watched all of the Nickelodeon tv series back then. I found out that Amazon has FIFTEEN season 1 on Prime now so I decided to relive my teen years by re-watching it. Now looking back, I am realizing how corny it was and how BAD the acting was. But wow, did Ryan Reynolds change..from his Billy days. Who would have known that the little guy Billy on Fifteen would be a big time super star. My 11-13 year old self would rate this a 10, but as an adult, I have it a 7.