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{{short description|American drama}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox television
| image = My So-Called Life.svg
| genre = [[Teen drama]]
| creator = [[Winnie Holzman]]
| starring = <!--Per opening credits, Armstrong is credited before Cruz and Danes-->{{Plainlist|
* [[Bess Armstrong]]
* [[Wilson Cruz]]
* [[Claire Danes]]
* Devon Gummersall
* [[A. J. Langer]]
* [[Jared Leto]]
* Devon Odessa
* Lisa Wilhoit
* [[Tom Irwin (actor)|Tom Irwin]]
}}
| narrated = Claire Danes
| theme_music_composer = [[W. G. Snuffy Walden]]
| open_theme = "My So-Called Life Theme" by W. G. Snuffy Walden
| country = United States
| language = English
| num_seasons = 1
| num_episodes = 19<ref>{{cite news|title= The gift of growing pains |work= Los Angeles Times|date=October 28, 2007|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-oct-28-ca-so-called28-story.html|access-date=August 30, 2010 | first=Robert | last=Lloyd |url-status=live |archive-date=June 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220602052617/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-oct-28-ca-so-called28-story.html}}</ref>
| list_episodes =
| producer = [[Alan Poul]]
| executive_producer = {{Plainlist|
* [[Marshall Herskovitz]]
* [[Edward Zwick]]
}}
| camera =
| runtime = 47–48 minutes
| company = {{Plainlist|
* a.k.a. Productions
* [[Bedford Falls Productions|The Bedford Falls Company]]
* [[List of production companies owned by the American Broadcasting Company|ABC Productions]]
}}
| network = [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]<ref>{{cite news|title= Rebroadcasting of 'My So-Called Life'
|work= The New York Times|date=April 3, 1995|url= https://www.nytimes.com/1995/04/03/arts/rebroadcasting-of-my-so-called-life.html?scp=7&sq=my%20so%20called%20life&st=cse|access-date=August 11, 2010}}</ref>
| first_aired = {{Start date|1994|08|25}}
| last_aired = {{End date|1995|01|26}}
| related = ''[[Mein Leben & Ich]]''
}}
'''''My So-Called Life''''' is an American [[teen drama]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/25/entertainment/my-so-called-life-25-anniversary/index.html|title = 'My So-Called Life' debuted 25 years ago and still may be the best teen drama ever|website = [[CNN]]|date = August 25, 2019}}</ref> television series created by [[Winnie Holzman]] and produced by [[Edward Zwick]] and [[Marshall Herskovitz]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Aurthur |first=Kate |date=October 28, 2007 |title=Reliving the many upsides of 'Life' |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-oct-28-ca-holzman28-story.html |url-status=live |access-date=August 30, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091215084849/http://articles.latimes.com/2007/oct/28/entertainment/ca-holzman28 |archive-date=December 15, 2009}}</ref><ref name="Braxton">{{cite news |last=Braxton |first=Greg |date=April 3, 1995 |title='My So-Called Life' Gets a Second Life on MTV |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-04-03-ca-50415-story.html |url-status=live |access-date=August 30, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210403031856/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-04-03-ca-50415-story.html |archive-date=April 3, 2021}}</ref> It aired on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] from August 25, 1994 to January 26, 1995. Set at the fictional Liberty High School in a fictional suburb near [[Pittsburgh]], [[Pennsylvania]], called Three Rivers, it follows the emotional travails of several teenagers in the social circle of main character Angela Chase, played by [[Claire Danes]].<ref name="Rosenberg">{{cite news |last=Rosenberg |first=Howard |author-link=Howard Rosenberg |date=August 24, 1994 |title='My So-Called Life': Weary Trip Through Teen Years |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-08-24-ca-30485-story.html |url-status=live |access-date=August 30, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220513235804/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-08-24-ca-30485-story.html |archive-date=May 13, 2022}}</ref>
The show was officially canceled on May 15, 1995, despite being critically praised for its realistic portrayal of adolescence and the commentary of its central character Angela, and the series' reception of several major awards, which included a [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama|Golden Globe Award]] for Danes. Besides Danes, the show also launched the careers of several other actors, including [[Jared Leto]] and [[Wilson Cruz]]. The show became a [[Cult following|cult classic]] and has been frequently cited by multiple publications including ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'', ''[[TV Guide]], [[The Atlantic]]'', and ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' as one of the best teen dramas of all time.
== Premise ==
Angela Chase is a 15-year-old high school student who lives in the fictional Pittsburgh suburb of Three Rivers with her mother Patty, father Graham, and little sister Danielle. Each episode, which is usually narrated by Angela, follows her trials and tribulations as she deals with friends, parents, guys, and school.
==Themes==
''My So-Called Life''
|work= The New York Times|date=August 25, 1994|url= https://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/25/arts/television-review-so-called-world-adolescent-girl-interpreted-one.html?scp=10&sq=my%20so%20called%20life&st=cse|access-date=August 11, 2010 | first=Bruce | last=Weber}}</ref>
==Characters==
[[File:MySo-CalledLifeCast.jpg|thumb|right|From left to right, [[Jared Leto]] as Jordan Catalano, [[A. J. Langer]] as Rayanne Graff, [[Wilson Cruz]] as Rickie Vasquez, Lisa Wilhoit as Danielle Chase, Devon Odessa as Sharon Cherski, [[Claire Danes]] as Angela Chase and Devon Gummersall as Brian Krakow]]
;Main cast
*[[Bess Armstrong]] as Patricia "Patty" Chase, Angela's mother
*[[Wilson Cruz]] as Enrique "Rickie" Vasquez, Angela's gay friend
*[[Claire Danes]] as Angela Chase, a 15-year-old sophomore and narrator of the series
*Devon Gummersall as Brian {{Not a typo|Krakow}}, Angela's socially awkward next-door neighbour
*[[A. J. Langer]] as Rayanne Graff, Angela's new best friend, a rebellious alcoholic
*[[Jared Leto]] as Jordan Catalano, Angela's crush
*Devon Odessa as Sharon Cherski, Angela's childhood best friend
*Lisa Wilhoit as Danielle Chase, Angela's 10-year-old sister
*[[Tom Irwin (actor)|Tom Irwin]] as Graham Chase, Angela's father
;Recurring cast
*[[Mary Kay Place]] as Camille Cherski, Sharon's mother
*Johnny Green as Kyle Vinnovich, Sharon's jock boyfriend
*Lisa Waltz as Hallie Lowenthal, Graham's business partner and potential love interest
*[[Jeff Perry (American actor)|Jeff Perry]] as Mr. Katimski, gay English teacher who takes Rickie under his wing
*Patti D’Arbanville as Amber Vallone, Rayanne's mother
*Danton Stone as Neil Chase, Graham's brother
*[[Senta Moses]] as Delia Fisher, student who has a crush on Brian
*Winnie Holzman as Ms. Kryzanowski, school guidance councilor
Tino, a friend of Jordan and Rayanne, is [[unseen character|never actually seen]] but is mentioned in almost every episode as a [[Running gag|running joke]] of the series.
== Production ==
=== Development ===
[[Marshall Herskovitz]] was approached by [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]] in the 1980s to write a show about teenagers. Herskovitz conceived of the series as a "very personal, very internal" story about a boy with the title ''Secret/Seventeen'', but it was not picked up by the network.<ref name="Roberts" /> A few years later, after the cancellation of ''[[Thirtysomething]]'' in 1991, Herskovitz and his co-creator [[Edward Zwick]] approached [[Winnie Holzman]], a writer on ''Thirtysomething'' and ''[[The Wonder Years]],'' to brainstorm a new show.<ref name="Jensen" /> Holzman sparked to the idea of an "uncensored" depiction of teenage life.<ref name="Jensen" /> Said Herskovitz, "Most shows about teens on television [in the early '90s, like ''[[Beverly Hills, 90210]]'' were very exploitative about sexuality and meant to be titillating rather than inside the experience of what it meant to be an adolescent."<ref name="Revolution" />
{{Quote box
| quote = "[In preparation] I taught high school students for two or three days. When I went to this place, Fairfax High in Los Angeles, there were so many moments of sense memory that brought back high school for me: The sound of the bell. The feeling of being trapped in the room. The kids falling asleep in class. The messiness of the hallways. The clanging of lockers. These things were so evocative, and I know they unlocked some stuff for me."
| author = — Creator [[Winnie Holzman]] on her inspiration for the series.<ref name=elle/>
| align = left
| width = 400px
}}
To capture contemporary adolescence authentically, Holzman did research and taught classes at [[Fairfax High School (Los Angeles)|Fairfax High School]] in Los Angeles for a few days.<ref name=elle/> She also kept a diary and wrote down journal entries from the perspective of a teenage girl. These journal entries would later become the basis for Angela's voice-overs.<ref name="Roberts" />
Holzman named the title character Angela after the niece of a script coordinator on ''Thirtysomething''. Holzman recounted, "She mentioned to me she had a young teenage niece named Angela. I had a phone conversation with [Angela] and it really affected me. I remember she said something like, 'Boys just have it so easy.' And that's in the pilot. So I named the character Angela partly in honor of her."<ref name=elle/>
Intent on dismantling stereotypical portrayals of teens and parents on TV, Holzman wrote Patty Chase, the wife and mother character, as the breadwinner of the Chase family and husband Graham as the homebody.<ref name="Roberts" /> Holzman portrayed the parents as in the "midst of establishing their identities and discovering their incompatibility with traditional domestic tropes."<ref name="Roberts" />
=== Casting ===
In keeping with their desire to portray adolescence authentically, producers looked for actors who were close in age to their teen characters.<ref name="Revolution" /> Before [[Claire Danes]] was cast, [[Alicia Silverstone]] auditioned for the role of Angela and impressed Zwick, and as an [[emancipated minor]] could work longer hours, but was not deemed the right fit for "Holzman’s messy high-school universe, which included subplots about drug addiction, bullying, binge drinking, promiscuity, and homosexuality."<ref name="lahr20130909">{{cite magazine |author=Lahr |first=John |date=September 2, 2013 |title=Varieties of Disturbance |url=http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/09/09/130909fa_fact_lahr?currentPage=all&mobify=0 |access-date=September 4, 2013 |magazine=[[The New Yorker]]}}</ref> Herskovitz said, "We needed somebody who shimmered between beauty and sort of not formed yet. And in walks Claire. She read the scene in the pilot where she has a confrontation with her childhood best friend. There was a direction that said, 'Angela starts to tear up.' Claire gets to the moment. Her whole face turns red. She's having this intense emotional experience — and then pulls it back. Everybody was just knocked out."<ref name="Jensen" /> As Danes was 15 and had to attend school alongside filming, producers ended up increasing the screen time for the parental characters to accommodate for Danes.<ref name="lahr20130909" /><ref name="elle">{{Cite web |last=Watkins |first=Gwynne |date=2016-11-16 |title=An Oral History of My So-Called Life |url=https://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/a40594/my-so-called-life-cast-interviews/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531052807/https://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/a40594/my-so-called-life-cast-interviews/ |archive-date=2022-05-31 |access-date=2022-05-23 |website=[[Elle (magazine)|Elle]] |language=en-US}}</ref>
[[Wilson Cruz]] was cast as Rickie Vasquez, who was written in the script as "half black, half Puerto Rican, sexually ambiguous like [[Jodie Foster]] in ''[[Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore]]''".<ref name="Jensen" /> The character of Rickie was inspired by Holzman's peers as a teenager, as well as by the 1990 documentary ''[[Paris Is Burning (film)|Paris Is Burning]]'', which explores [[ball culture]] in New York City.<ref name="Roberts" /> Cruz drew on some of his own experiences, such as a period of homelessness after he [[Coming out|came out]] to his dad, for his portrayal of Rickie.<ref name="Jensen" />
[[Jared Leto]] was supposed to appear in just the pilot episode, but his acting and chemistry with Danes impressed producers and he was upgraded to the main cast.<ref name="Jensen" />
=== Filming ===
The [[Pilot (My So-Called Life)|pilot]] was shot in April 1993.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Shister |first=Gail |date=August 25, 1994 |title='So-Called' hype causes jitters |pages=D8 |work=[[The Vindicator (Ohio newspaper)|The Vindicator]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vQVKAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA39 |access-date=June 22, 2022}}</ref> An enthusiastic response from ABC executives and TV critics raised producers' hopes for a series debut in the 1993-1994 TV season lineup; however, ABC delayed ''My So-Called Life''’s addition as they pondered over the right time slot for the show.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Engel |first=Joel |date=1993-10-24 |title=TELEVISION; The Next 'Thirtysomething'? Not Yet. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/24/archives/television-the-next-thirtysomething-not-yet.html |url-status=live |access-date=2022-06-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220622043518/https://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/24/archives/television-the-next-thirtysomething-not-yet.html |archive-date=June 22, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="Jensen" /> The show finally premiered in the Thursday night lineup in August 1994, a year and a half after the filming of the pilot.<ref name="Slant">{{Cite web |last=Cinquemani |first=Sal |date=2007-10-28 |title=DVD Review: My So-Called Life: The Complete Series Joins the Shout! Factory |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/my-so-called-life-the-complete-series/ |access-date=2022-06-22 |website=[[Slant Magazine]] |language=en-US}}</ref>
The series was filmed in the [[Los Angeles]] area. Scenes at the fictional Liberty High School were shot on ___location at [[University High School (Los Angeles)|University High School]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-08-25 |title=19 Facts About My So-Called Life |url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/56115/19-things-you-might-not-know-about-my-so-called-life |access-date=2022-06-22 |website=Mental Floss |language=en-US}}</ref>
Due to the show's rapid shooting schedule and the uncertainty of its future, producers "did not have the luxury of planning out the season's arc in advance," and story lines would unfold episode to episode.<ref name=elle/><ref name="Jensen" /> Network executives did give the show's creators relatively free rein to explore what were then seen as risky subjects for network TV, such as teen sexuality and orientation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Berkshire |first=Geoff |date=2015-08-19 |title='My So-Called Life' Creator Winnie Holzman on Boys Wearing Eyeliner |url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/my-so-called-life-creator-winnie-holzman-rickie-vasquez-1201570756/ |access-date=2022-06-22 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Reception==
===Critical reception===
Upon its debut, ''My So-Called Life'' received critical acclaim. Critic Joyce Millman said the show "evokes the emotional turbulence of adolescence with breathtaking accuracy" and is also "unusually perceptive in its portrayal of the push and pull of mother-daughter relationships."<ref name="Millman">{{Cite news |last=Millman |first=Joyce |date=November 23, 1994 |title=Too Bad About "My So-Called Life," It's A Fine Family Drama |pages=16 |work=[[Star-News]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JLksAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA50 |access-date=June 22, 2022}}</ref> Millman added the show has an interesting take on "midlife crisis and marital boredom", and concluded "with bittersweet clarity, ''My So-Called Life'' shows us that teen angst is something we never outgrow."<ref name="Millman" />
The ''[[Hartford Courant]]'' called it "one of the most humanizing hours of television to come along in decades."<ref name="Courant">{{Cite news |last=Endrst |first=James |date=January 27, 1995 |title='So-Called Life' hangs on for dear life |pages=2C |work=[[Hartford Courant]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JK9NAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA16 |access-date=June 22, 2022 |via=[[Lakeland Ledger]]}}</ref> [[Steven Spielberg]] lauded the show and called Danes "one of the most exciting actresses to debut in 10 years", likening her to [[Audrey Hepburn]].<ref name="Courant" />
In a critical review, [[Howard Rosenberg]] of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' found the teen characters grating and the plot lines to be too neatly resolved, but did praise Holzman's writing and Danes' acting. Rosenberg wrote, "you also recognize that Holzman has a witty grasp on adolescence and knows a bull’s-eye when she sees one...Another plus is the brooding self-consciousness that seems so genuine in Angela, a credit to Danes’ effortless performance. Her nervous body language speaks volumes, as do her character's private thoughts, delivered as part of a voice-over narration in the manner of '''The Wonder Years''.'"<ref name="Rosenberg" />
After the series' cancellation and over the years, the series continued to gain acclaim for its realism and is praised by some critics as one of the [[List of television shows considered the best|greatest television series of all time]].<ref name="time">{{cite magazine |last=Poniewozik |first=James |author-link=James Poniewozik |date=September 6, 2007 |title=All-TIME 100 TV Shows |url=https://time.com/collection-post/3103667/my-so-called-life/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071111190728/http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1651341_1659192_1652609,00.html |archive-date=November 11, 2007 |access-date=May 13, 2022 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Collins |first=Sean T. |date=September 3, 2014 |title=Class Acts: 20 Best School TV Shows |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-lists/class-acts-20-best-school-tv-shows-167827/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220513235805/https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-lists/class-acts-20-best-school-tv-shows-167827/ |archive-date=May 13, 2022 |access-date=May 13, 2022 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Garber |first=Megan |date=2016-07-20 |title=What I Learned From Re-Watching 'My-So Called Life' as an Adult |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/07/what-i-learned-from-rewatching-my-so-called-life-as-an-adult/492005/ |access-date=2022-05-13 |website=[[The Atlantic]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=DVD set shows consistent excellence of 'My So-Called Life' |url=http://www.popmatters.com/article/dvd-set-shows-consistent-excellence-of-my-so-called-life/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304231903/http://www.popmatters.com/article/dvd-set-shows-consistent-excellence-of-my-so-called-life/ |archive-date=2016-03-04 |website=[[PopMatters]]}}</ref> On review aggregation website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], Season 1 has a 94% approval rating based on 53 reviews. The site's consensus reads, "Effectively avoiding cliche and cheesy exposition, ''My So-Called Life''{{'}}s realistic portrayal of the average American girl is ahead of its time".<ref>{{Cite web |title=My So-Called Life |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/my-so-called-life |access-date=April 23, 2024 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], which assigns a [[weighted mean|weighted average]] rating, the show has a score of 92 out of 100 based on 19 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".<ref>{{Cite web |title=My So-Called Life |url=https://www.metacritic.com/tv/my-so-called-life |website=[[Metacritic]] |via=}}</ref> It is the 20th highest rated television series on the website.<ref>{{cite web |title=Best TV Shows of All Time |url=https://www.metacritic.com/browse/tv/?releaseYearMin=1910&releaseYearMax=2024&page=1 |access-date=April 23, 2024 |website=Metacritic}}</ref> In 2007, it was listed as one of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]''{{'}}s "100 Best TV Shows of All-''TIME''".<ref name="time" /> ''Time'' critic [[James Poniewozik]] wrote,
{{cquote|Angela Chase (Claire Danes) was a fully realized TV teen, smart and perceptive one minute, whiny and unstable the next, ready to burst into red-faced tears after getting jerked around by learning-challenged heartthrob Jordan Catalano. Angela's narration was angsty in that '90s, suburban, I've-listened-to-In-Utero-a-million-times way—"School is a battlefield for your heart"—but she won the battle for our hearts anyway.<ref name=time/>
}}
In 2008, [[AOL TV]] named ''My So-Called Life'' as the second Best School Show of All Time.<ref name="AOL">{{cite web |date=August 26, 2008 |title=Best School Shows of All Time |url=http://www.aoltv.com/2008/08/26/best-school-shows/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025023023/http://www.aoltv.com/2008/08/26/best-school-shows/ |archive-date=October 25, 2012 |access-date=September 14, 2012 |website=[[AOL TV]]}}</ref> It was number 33 on ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''{{'}}s "New Classics TV" list of shows from 1983 to 2008,<ref name="EW">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.ew.com/article/2007/06/18/new-classics-tv |title=The New Classics: TV |date=June 18, 2007 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710094307/http://www.ew.com/article/2007/06/18/new-classics-tv |archive-date=July 10, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> and as number 8 in the "25 Greatest Cult TV Shows Ever".<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Pastorek |first=Whitney |date=September 15, 2009 |title=25 Greatest Cult TV Shows Ever |url=https://ew.com/gallery/25-greatest-cult-tv-shows-ever/?slide=311483#311483 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=May 13, 2022}}</ref> ''[[TV Guide]]'' ranked the series number 16 on its 25 Top Cult Shows Ever list in 2004,<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780760756348/page/330 |title=TV Guide Guide to TV |publisher=Barnes and Noble |year=2004 |isbn=0-7607-5634-1 |page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780760756348/page/330 330] |url-access=registration}}</ref> as well as number 2 on its 2013 list of 60 shows that were "Cancelled Too Soon".<ref>Roush, Matt (June 3, 2013). "Cancelled Too Soon". ''TV Guide''. pp. 20 and 21</ref>
===Awards and nominations===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|- style="vertical-align:bottom;"
!scope="col"|Year
!scope="col"|Award
!scope="col"|Category
!scope="col"|Recipients
!scope="col"|Result
!Ref.
|-
|rowspan=4|1994
| rowspan=4|[[Young Artist Awards]]
| [[16th Youth in Film Awards|Best Performance by a Youth Actress in a Drama Series]]
| Lisa Wilhoit
| {{won|tied}}
| rowspan="4" |<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sixteenth Annual Youth in Film Awards {{!}} 1993-1994 |url=https://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms16.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000711084722/https://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms16.htm |archive-date=July 11, 2000 |access-date=May 23, 2022 |website=Young Artist Awards}}</ref>
|-
| Best Performance by a Youth Ensemble in a Television Series
| rowspan=2|''My So-Called Life''
| {{won}}
|-
| Best New Family Television Series
| {{won}}
|-
| Best Performance by a Youth Actor in a Drama Series
| Devon Gummersall
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan=8|1995
| [[52nd Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Award]]s
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Television Series Drama|Best Actress – Television Series Drama]]
| [[Claire Danes]]
| {{won}}
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Winners & Nominees 1995 |url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/winners-nominees/1995 |access-date=2022-05-23 |website=Golden Globe Awards |language=en}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan=4|[[Primetime Emmy Award]]s
| [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series|Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series]]
| Claire Danes
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="4" |<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nominees / Winners 1995 |url=https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/1995 |access-date=2022-05-23 |website=Television Academy |language=en}}</ref>
|-
| [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series|Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series]]
| [[Scott Winant]] for "Pilot"
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series|Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series]]
| [[Winnie Holzman]] for "Pilot"
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music|Outstanding Main Title Theme Music]]
| [[W. G. Snuffy Walden]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[GLAAD Media Award]]
| Outstanding Drama Series
| rowspan=3|''My So-Called Life''
| {{won}}
|<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 5, 2012 |title=GLAAD Taps Actor-Activist Wilson Cruz as Strategic Giving Officer |url=https://www.playbill.com/article/glaad-taps-actor-activist-wilson-cruz-as-strategic-giving-officer-com-197267 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126010716/https://www.playbill.com/article/glaad-taps-actor-activist-wilson-cruz-as-strategic-giving-officer-com-197267 |archive-date=November 26, 2020 |access-date=May 23, 2022 |website=[[Playbill]]}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan=2|[[TCA Awards]]
| [[TCA Award for Program of the Year|Program of the Year]]
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="2" |<ref>{{Cite web |title=Television Critics Association (TCA) Award Winners |url=http://tvcritics.org/tca-awards/?q=view%2Ftcaawards |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180620181010/http://tvcritics.org/tca-awards/?q=view%2Ftcaawards |archive-date=June 20, 2018 |access-date=May 23, 2022 |website=[[Television Critics Association]]}}</ref>
|-
| [[TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Drama|Outstanding Achievement in Drama]]
| {{won}}
|-
|-
|rowspan=1|1996
| rowspan=1|[[Bravo Otto Award]]s
| Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series
| [[Jared Leto]]
| {{nom}}
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bravo Otto – Sieger 1996 |url=https://bravo-archiv.de/auswahl.php?link=ottosieger1996.php |access-date=May 23, 2022 |website=[[Bravo (magazine)|Bravo]] |language=de}}</ref>
|}
===Ratings===
For its original run in the United States, the show aired on Thursday nights at 8 p.m. ET against top-10 hit sitcoms — ''[[Mad About You]]'' and ''[[Friends]]'' on [[NBC]], as well as the popular ''[[Martin (TV series)|Martin]]'', ''[[Living Single]]'' and ''[[New York Undercover]]'' on [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]], possibly contributing to the series' low ratings.<ref name="Bella" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=January 30, 1995 |title=Cast, fans face the facts of 'so-called life' |url=https://dailybruin.com/1995/01/30/cast-fans-face-the-facts-of-so/ |access-date=2022-06-22 |website=[[Daily Bruin]]}}</ref>
The producers said that they could not fault ABC for the creative freedom and support they gave them during production, as there were probably few networks that would have even put ''My So-Called Life'' on the air in the first place.<ref name="Deseret" />
''My So-Called Life'' was produced before the explosion of youth and teen programming.<ref name=elle/> The culture of television changed significantly in the years that immediately followed, most notably with the rise of [[The WB Television Network|The WB]] and [[UPN]]—networks that catered to the teenaged audience ''My So-Called Life'' sought—during the late 1990s and early 2000s (The WB and UPN launched just two weeks and one week, respectively, before ''My So-Called Life''{{'}}s run on ABC ended). "Networks didn’t understand that you could sell to adolescent girls," said Herskovitz.<ref name="Roberts">{{Cite web |last=Roberts |first=Soraya |date=2017-08-26 |title=Riot grrrls, beta males and fluid fashion: how My So-Called Life changed TV forever |url=http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/aug/26/my-so-called-life-claire-danes-show-that-changed-tv |access-date=2022-05-23 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref> Although ''My So-Called Life'' drew adult fans in addition to teenage viewers,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mann |first=Judy |date=January 13, 1995 |title=A TV Show Worth Saving |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1995/01/13/a-tv-show-worth-saving/8128fea7-e77a-4c24-b9e3-63dbc73e0ece/ |access-date=May 23, 2022 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> the ratings-focused ABC concluded not enough viewers of a particular demographic were watching the show during its initial network run.<ref name="Deseret">{{Cite web |date=1994-12-14 |title='My So-Called Life' Fighting to Remain on ABC's Schedule |url=https://www.deseret.com/1994/12/14/19147941/my-so-called-life-fighting-to-remain-on-abc-s-schedule |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220513235804/https://www.deseret.com/1994/12/14/19147941/my-so-called-life-fighting-to-remain-on-abc-s-schedule |archive-date=2022-05-13 |access-date=2022-05-13 |website=[[Deseret News]] |language=en}}</ref> Holzman said, "It is one thing to have huge ratings, but it is quite another to have smaller ratings but with an extremely passionate following. I don't understand why the network did not understand that."<ref name="DVD Interview">{{Cite web |date= |title=2002 Bonus DVD Interview (My So-Called Life DVD Box Set) |url=https://www.mscl.com/scripts/dvdinterview.html |access-date=March 25, 2011 |website=www.mscl.com |language=en}}</ref>
When the network was considering canceling the show, producers Zwick and Herskovitz appealed to then-ABC President [[Bob Iger]], telling him, "You should keep this show on the air because teenage girls have no voice in our culture, and the show is giving them a voice."<ref name="Revolution">{{Cite web |last=Bierly |first=Mandi |date=March 19, 2018 |title=The moment TV's teen revolution truly began |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/moment-tvs-teen-revolution-truly-began-235443548.html |access-date=2022-05-23 |website=[[Yahoo! Entertainment]] |language=en-US}}</ref> In January 1995, it was reported the show averaged 10 million viewers per week, a number ABC president of entertainment [[Ted Harbert]] said was high, but still fell short compared to ABC sitcom ''[[Home Improvement (TV series)|Home Improvement]],'' which averaged 30 million viewers weekly.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Zurawik |first=David |author-link=David Zurawik |date=January 19, 1995 |title=ABC goes on-line for 'So-Called Life' |work=[[The Baltimore Sun]] |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1995-01-19-1995019164-story.html |url-status=dead |access-date=May 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122041105/https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1995-01-19-1995019164-story.html |archive-date=January 22, 2021}}</ref>
===Cancelation===
An online [[online petition|fan campaign]] attempted to save ''My So-Called Life'', the first such event in the history of the [[World Wide Web]].{{r|lahr20130909}}<ref name="Deseret" /><ref>{{cite web |last=Rhodes |first=Steve |date=May 31, 1995 |title=My So Called Modem |url=http://www.well.com/~srhodes/tvstory.html |website=San Francisco Bay Guardian}}</ref> Bolstered by fans' support, Ted Harbert said he was prepared to bring the show back for a second season.<ref name="Jensen" /><ref name="Braxton" /> However, Herskovitz said at that time Danes and her parents approached the show's creators and told producers that she did not want to be involved with the show if it continued,<ref name="DVD Interview" /><ref name="Jensen" /> citing the arduous shooting schedule which required the show's young actors to balance schoolwork with rehearsal and time on the set.
When Holzman learned Danes was no longer keen to continue with the show, her attitude changed as well. Holzman said, "When I realized that Claire truly did not want to do it any more, it was hard for me to want to do it. The joy in writing the show was that everyone was behind it and wanted to do it. And I love her. So part of the joy and excitement and happiness would have gone out of me if she had not been on board 100 percent. I wasn't able to say this at the time, but in retrospect it was a blessing for it to end at a time when we all enjoyed doing it. That's not to say that if the network had ordered more shows that I wouldn't have given it my best. But there was a rightness in how short the season was. This was a show about adolescence and sort of ended in its own adolescence. There was an aura about how short the series was like all things that die young. The show ended at a point that it was still all potential."<ref name="DVD Interview"/>
The show was officially canceled on May 15, 1995, for its "far too narrow" appeal.<ref name="Roberts" /> Although the fan campaign was not successful in getting a second season, the surrounding publicity led to [[MTV]] airing repeats of the show a month prior, which helped the show gain newer exposure.<ref name="Braxton" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-02-10 |title=A Matter Of 'My So-Called Life' Or Death |url=https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/a-matter-of-my-so-called-life-or-death |access-date=2022-06-22 |website=[[MEL Magazine]] |language=en-US}}</ref> In a 2004 interview with ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'', Danes insisted that she did not have enough power to cause the cancelation by herself.<ref name="Jensen">{{Cite magazine |last=Jensen |first=Jeff |author-link=Jeff Jensen |date=September 10, 2004 |title=Life As We Knew It |url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0%2C%2C692296%2C00.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070308101414/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,692296,00.html |archive-date=March 8, 2007 |access-date=July 12, 2010 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}}</ref> It is generally accepted that the show's cancelation was the result of a variety of factors, including low ratings and scant publicity from the network.<ref name="Jensen" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Littlefield |first=Kinney |date=December 27, 1994 |title=Quality may not salvage 'So-Called Life' |pages=21–22 |work=[[Record-Journal]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lMdHAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA11 |access-date=May 23, 2022}}</ref> [[Bess Armstrong]] said, "Actually, I don't think there were any bad guys. It was just a confluence of events. It was a perfect storm."<ref name="Jensen" /> Winnie Holzman theorized that the network was so on-the-fence about renewing the show in the first place that in some ways they used Danes' reluctance to return as a convenient excuse to not renew the series.<ref name="DVD Interview" /><ref name=elle/>
==Episodes==
{{Episode table
|background=#dfbf68
|overall=5
|title=
|writer=20
|director=20
|airdate=17
|prodcode=9
|viewers=9
|episodes=
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber= 1
|Title= [[Pilot (My So-Called Life)|Pilot]]
|DirectedBy= [[Scott Winant]]
|WrittenBy= [[Winnie Holzman]]
|OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|1994|08|25}}
|ProdCode= 59300
|Viewers= 11.7<ref>{{cite news|title=Nielsen ratings|department=Life|work=[[USA Today]]|page=3D|date=August 31, 1994}}</ref>
|ShortSummary= As Angela Chase starts her sophomore year at Liberty High, she dyes her hair red and abandons her best friend Sharon for her outgoing new friend Rayanne. She starts reading Anne Frank's ''[[Diary of a Young Girl]]'', which she greatly enjoys, feeling that she relates to Anne Frank in some ways. This episode establishes her romantic interest in Jordan Catalano. She lies to her parents that she's staying at Rayanne's; instead, she, Rayanne, and Rickie head to a club but are unable to gain access. The two girls are hit on by some guys in the parking lot; after a confrontation, a cop drives them home and Jordan Catalano notices Angela in the backseat of the police car.
|LineColor= dfbf68
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber= 2
|Title= Dancing in the Dark
|DirectedBy= Scott Winant
|WrittenBy= Winnie Holzman
|OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|1994|09|01}}
|ProdCode= 59301
|Viewers= 8.2<ref>{{cite news|title=Nielsen ratings|department=Life|work=[[USA Today]]|page=3D|date=September 7, 1994}}</ref>
|ShortSummary= Rayanne arranges for Jordan Catalano to sell Angela a fake ID as a ruse for getting Jordan and Angela interact more. Unfortunately, Jordan bungles in his romantic approach to Angela; although this constitutes the first time the two kiss, she describes it in a later episode as a really bad kiss. Meanwhile, Patty and Graham stumble through ballroom-dancing lessons meant to spice up their marriage.
|LineColor= dfbf68
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber= 3
|Title= Guns and Gossip
|DirectedBy= [[Marshall Herskovitz]]
|WrittenBy= [[Justin Tanner]]
|OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|1994|09|08}}
|ProdCode= 59302
|Viewers= 8.9<ref>{{cite news|title=CBS' 'Boys' off to good start|department=Life|work=[[USA Today]]|page=3D|date=September 14, 1994|author=DeRosa, Robin}}</ref>
|ShortSummary= After a gunshot goes off in school, Brian Krakow experiences pressure from authority figures to inform on Rickie, who is suspected of bringing the gun to school; he didn't, but he wants fellow students to think he did, believing that he will be harassed less for his bisexuality. He points out in class that firearms are not just tools of aggression; they are also often tools of defense. After Angela comforts Rickie in his car, their friendship grows stronger. The parents panic more about the gun incident than the students do. Meanwhile, Angela is dealing with a rumor that she had sex with Jordan Catalano; she discovers that the rumor originated with Brian Krakow.
|LineColor= dfbf68
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber= 4
|Title= Father Figures
|DirectedBy= Mark Rosner
|WrittenBy= Winnie Holzman
|OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|1994|09|15}}
|ProdCode= 59303
|Viewers= 9.7<ref>{{cite news|title='Girl' helps ABC start fall season on top|department=Life|work=[[USA Today]]|page=3D|date=September 21, 1994|author=Gable, Donna}}</ref>
|ShortSummary= Patty, who runs her father's printing business, must deal with him when [[Internal Revenue Service|the IRS]] decides to do an audit; all of her various suggestions go unheard by her unyielding father. Meanwhile, Angela gives her own father the [[silent treatment]] after accidentally seeing him with another woman. Graham gives her and Rayanne [[Grateful Dead]] tickets, but Angela [[ticket scalping|scalps]] them, angering Rayanne, who has no father figure so appreciates her interactions with Graham. Angela hides in Brian Krakow's car to make her dad think she went to the concert, knowing he'd be disappointed to learn she didn't, but he discovers the truth and gives ''her'' the silent treatment. Eventually he asks Angela what kind of music she likes.
|LineColor= dfbf68
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber= 5
|Title= The Zit
|DirectedBy= Victor DuBois
|WrittenBy= [[Betsy Thomas]]
|OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|1994|09|22}}
|ProdCode= 59304
|Viewers= 8.6<ref>{{cite news|title=Nielsen ratings|department=Life|work=[[USA Today]]|page=3D|date=September 28, 1994}}</ref>
|ShortSummary= The Annual Three Rivers Mother-Daughter Fashion Show is approaching. Rayanne's slut potential and Sharon's large breasts get mentioned on a Sophomore Girls List made by some jocks. Angela, who is not on the list, feels self-conscious about her small breasts and a zit on her chin and concludes that she is ugly; coincidentally, Sharon becomes self-conscious about her large breasts. Patty doesn't understand why Angela doesn't wish to participate in the fashion show until she learns of Angela's insecurities. Angela suggests that her mom do the fashion show with Danielle.
|LineColor= dfbf68
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber= 6
|Title= The Substitute
|DirectedBy= [[Ellen S. Pressman]]
|WrittenBy= [[Jason Katims]]
|OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|1994|09|29}}
|ProdCode= 59305
|Viewers= 9.0<ref>{{cite news|title=Nielsen ratings|department=Life|work=[[USA Today]]|page=3D|date=October 5, 1994}}</ref>
|ShortSummary= An unconventional substitute teacher ([[Roger Rees]]) temporarily turns Angela's English class into a poetry-writing club that encourages students to express themselves. Controversy arises when students’ poems are published in the school’s literary magazine and the principal finds the content to be inappropriate. When the principal threatens to suspend any student distributing copies, Angela defies him and engages in civil disobedience.
|LineColor= dfbf68
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber= 7
|Title= Why Jordan Can't Read
|DirectedBy= [[Mark Piznarski]]
|WrittenBy= Liberty Godshall
|OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|1994|10|06}}
|ProdCode= 59307
|Viewers= 9.1<ref>{{cite news|title=CBS edges into No. 1 spot, but can it stay?|department=Life|work=[[USA Today]]|page=3D|date=October 12, 1994|author=Graham, Jefferson}}</ref>
|ShortSummary= Angela and Jordan get close when she learns of his [[reading disability|reading problem]] by discovering that he was unable to read a note he found that she had written about him. She speculates that he might be [[Dyslexia|dyslexic]], although he doubts it. After being invited to his band's practice session, she grows even closer to him when she hears his new song, "Red," which she and Rickie believe is about her, but which is actually about his car. Meanwhile, Patty might be pregnant: Graham warms to the possibility of having a son, but when they learn Patty isn't pregnant, she realizes that he's disappointed. Graham resorts to playing catch with Brian Krakow.
|LineColor= dfbf68
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber= 8
|Title= Strangers in the House
|DirectedBy= [[Ron Lagomarsino]]
|WrittenBy= Jill Gordon
|OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|1994|10|20}}
|ProdCode= 59308
|Viewers= 9.3<ref>{{cite news|title='Grace' leads ABC to tie with CBS|department=Life|work=[[USA Today]]|page=3D|date=October 26, 1994|author=DeRosa, Robin}}</ref>
|ShortSummary= After her father has a heart attack, Sharon moves in with the Chases temporarily. Angela wants to get closer to her but doesn't know how; however, Rayanne does get closer to Sharon and drives her to the hospital. Sharon's father is about Graham's age, and the experience prompts him to think about his future and his dissatisfaction with his job. He lands a big account, but Patty fires him as a way to free him to pursue a more fulfilling career.
|LineColor= dfbf68
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber= 9
|Title= Halloween
|DirectedBy= Mark Piznarski
|WrittenBy= Jill Gordon
|OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|1994|10|27}}
|ProdCode= 59401
|Viewers= 9.8<ref>{{cite news|title=ABC is 'Home' alone at the top|department=Life|work=[[USA Today]]|page=3D|date=November 2, 1994|author=DeRosa, Robin}}</ref>
|ShortSummary= Halloween rolls into Three Rivers, blurring the line between facades and realities. When Patty and Graham venture to buy costumes on Halloween day, a pirate costume and a [[Rapunzel]] costume are all they can find, but serendipitously the costumes lead them to passionate roleplaying. Danielle dresses as Angela and goes trick-or-treating with Sharon. Meanwhile, Angela dresses as a schoolgirl from the early 1960s. After learning of Nicky Driscoll, a student who died in the early '60s, she, Rayanne, and Rickie decide to break into the school on Halloween night. Brian shows up too, facilitates the break-in, and comforts the [[achluophobia|achluophobic]] Rayanne in the basement while Angela sees visions of Nicky Driscoll and the events leading to his death. The experience gives Angela the motivation to convince Jordan Catalano not to let his teachers define his life for him.
|LineColor= dfbf68
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber= 10
|Title= Other People's Mothers
|DirectedBy= [[Claudia Weill]]
|WrittenBy=[[Richard Kramer (writer)|Richard Kramer]]
|OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|1994|11|03}}
|ProdCode= 59306
|Viewers= 9.8<ref>{{cite news|title='Cagney & Lacey' makes winning return|department=Life|work=[[USA Today]]|page=3D|date=November 9, 1994|author=DeRosa, Robin}}</ref>
|ShortSummary= Rayanne throws a party on the same night of Angela's grandparents’ anniversary dinner. After an argument with Patty, Angela heads to Rayanne’s. Rayanne overdoses on a cocktail of [[ecstasy (drug)|ecstasy]] and [[alcohol abuse|alcohol]], but her mother Amber shows little concern about her condition. Patty comes over and takes Rayanne to the hospital.
|LineColor= dfbf68
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber= 11
|Title= Life of Brian
|DirectedBy= [[Todd Holland]]
|WrittenBy= Jason Katims
|OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|1994|11|10}}
|ProdCode= 59402
|Viewers= 9.6<ref>{{cite news|title=CBS' 'Scarlett' sweeps to No. 1|department=Life|work=[[USA Today]]|page=3D|date=November 16, 1994|author=DeRosa, Robin}}</ref>
|ShortSummary = This episode is told from Brian's viewpoint as the school World Happiness Dance screws up everyone's love lives, Brian gets his first erection "from actual physical contact" when new transfer student Delia ([[Senta Moses]]) touches his hand, and he asks her to the dance. Jordan won't ask Angela to the dance, so Angela asks Brian to drive her there; realizing that this is his chance to woo Angela, he cancels on Delia. Rickie develops a crush on Cory, whom Rayanne asks to the dance with her and Rickie. At the dance, Rickie thinks Cory might be hitting on him, but it's soon clear that Cory was interested in Rayanne all along. Angela gets angry at Brian for snubbing Rickie and scheming to get her alone. Brian sees Delia at the dance and tries unsuccessfully to reconcile. Jordan comes to the dance and tells Angela that he likes the way "she is." Angela, buoyed by a successful conversation with Jordan, admits she ruined Brian's night and asks him to dance; he declines.
In 1997, [[TV Guide]] ranked this episode #37 on its list of the 100 Greatest Episodes.<ref>{{cite book |year=2007 |title=The TV Guide Book of Lists |url=https://archive.org/details/tvguidebookoflis0000unse |___location=Philadelphia |publisher=Running Press |page=750|isbn=9780762430079 }}</ref>
|LineColor= dfbf68
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber= 12
|Title= Self-Esteem
|DirectedBy= [[Michael Engler]]
|WrittenBy= Winnie Holzman
|OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|1994|11|17}}
|ProdCode= 59403
|Viewers= 8.8<ref>{{cite news|title='Scarlett,' CBS' sweeping epic|department=Life|work=[[USA Today]]|page=3D|date=November 23, 1994|author=DeRosa, Robin}}</ref>
|ShortSummary = Jordan won't acknowledge his new relationship with Angela, but continues to meet her at school for makeout sessions that he tells her to keep secret. The distraction starts to negatively impact Angela's academic performance, especially in geometry class. Rayanne and Sharon express skepticism about Jordan's treatment of Angela, who lies that he's asked her on a date to a concert. At the concert, Jordan snubs Angela, and Rayanne tells him off. Back at school Angela finally tells Jordan she won't accept his terms. Graham starts cooking classes and meets a charismatic woman, but the alcoholic teacher keeps missing the class. Patty assumes Graham wants to quit, or that his shortcomings causing the class to go poorly. When the teacher goes to rehab, Graham is asked to teach the class. A new teacher invites Rickie to join the drama club.
In 2009, TV Guide ranked this episode #44 on its list of the 100 Greatest Episodes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rev-views.blogspot.com/2009/06/tv-guides-top-100-episodes.html|title=TV Guide's Top 100 Episodes|publisher=Rev/Views|access-date=July 4, 2016}}</ref>
|LineColor= dfbf68
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber= 13
|Title= Pressure
|DirectedBy= Mark Piznarski
|WrittenBy= [[Ellie Herman|Ellen Herman]]
|OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|1994|12|01}}
|ProdCode= 59404
|Viewers= 10.4<ref>{{cite news|title=Nielsen ratings|department=Life|work=[[USA Today]]|page=3D|date=December 7, 1994}}</ref>
|ShortSummary = Jordan pressures Angela to sleep with him; Graham considers starting his own restaurant.
|LineColor= dfbf68
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber= 14
|Title= On the Wagon
|DirectedBy= [[Jeff Perry (American actor)|Jeff Perry]]
|WrittenBy= Elizabeth Gill
|OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|1994|12|08}}
|ProdCode= 59405
|Viewers= 9.1<ref>{{cite news|title=Nielsen ratings|department=Life|work=[[USA Today]]|page=3D|date=December 14, 1994}}</ref>
|ShortSummary = Feeling left out of Angela's life, Rayanne becomes lead singer of Jordan's band, the Frozen Embryos. Meanwhile, Patty suspects that Rayanne has started drinking again.
|LineColor= dfbf68
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber= 15
|Title= So-Called Angels
|DirectedBy= Scott Winant
|WrittenBy= Winnie Holzman & Jason Katims
|OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|1994|12|22}}
|ProdCode= 59406
|Viewers= 11.2<ref>{{cite news|title=Football kicks off ABC's winning week|department=Life|work=[[USA Today]]|page=3D|date=December 29, 1994|author=DeRosa, Robin}}</ref>
|ShortSummary = Christmas in Three Rivers finds Rickie out on the street after a fight with his abusive uncle. Aided by a mysterious homeless girl ([[Juliana Hatfield]]), Angela tries to help him which puts her at odds with Patty. Meanwhile, Brian faces Christmas alone.
|LineColor= dfbf68
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber= 16
|Title= Resolutions
|DirectedBy= [[Patrick Norris|Patrick R. Norris]]
|WrittenBy= Ellen Herman
|OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|1995|01|05}}
|ProdCode= 59407
|Viewers= 10.5<ref>{{cite news|title=Nielsen ratings|department=Life|work=[[USA Today]]|page=3D|date=January 11, 1995}}</ref>
|ShortSummary = As the new year begins, everybody makes resolutions without intending to keep them. Rickie's home situation sends him on his own odyssey; Brian and Jordan tutor each other; and Graham considers Hallie's proposition(s).
|LineColor= dfbf68
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber= 17
|Title= Betrayal
|DirectedBy= Mark Piznarski
|WrittenBy= Jill Gordon
|OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|1995|01|12}}
|ProdCode= 59408
|Viewers= 9.9<ref>{{cite news|title='ER' rolls into the No. 1 spot|department=Life|work=[[USA Today]]|page=3D|date=January 18, 1995|author=DeRosa, Robin}}</ref>
|ShortSummary = Rayanne wins the starring role in the school play but loses Angela's friendship after she and Jordan get drunk and have sex in his car.
|LineColor= dfbf68
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber= 18
|Title= Weekend
|DirectedBy= Todd Holland
|WrittenBy= Adam Dooley
|OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|1995|01|19}}
|ProdCode= 59409
|Viewers= 10.4<ref>{{cite news|title='ER' helps pull NBC to No. 1|department=Life|work=[[USA Today]]|page=3D|date=January 25, 1995|author=DeRosa, Robin}}</ref>
|ShortSummary = Rayanne accidentally handcuffs herself to Patty and Graham's bed when Angela's parents go out of town for a weekend in this episode narrated from Danielle's perspective.
|LineColor= dfbf68
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber= 19
|Title= In Dreams Begin Responsibilities
|DirectedBy= [[Elodie Keene]]
|WrittenBy= Winnie Holzman
|OriginalAirDate= {{Start date|1995|01|26}}
|ProdCode= 59410
|Viewers= 11.8<ref>{{cite news|title=Super Bowl kicks ABC to the top|department=Life|work=[[USA Today]]|page=3D|date=February 1, 1995|author=DeRosa, Robin}}</ref>
|ShortSummary = Everybody in Three Rivers is having weird dreams lately. Jordan, hoping to win Angela back, enlists Brian to help him say the right words, resulting in The Letter. Delia has a crush on Rickie, Patty dreams about her old beau, and Graham cooks for the investors. Rickie's odyssey and the ''MSCL'' season both conclude.
|LineColor= dfbf68
}}
}}
=== Planned storylines ===
Had the show continued, Winnie Holzman said a second season would potentially have seen Patty and Graham getting a divorce, Angela turning to Brian for comfort, Sharon dealing with a teen pregnancy, and Brian and Delia getting together at some point.<ref name=elle/>
''My So-Called Life'' is seen as a groundbreaking television show for its realistic portrayal of adolescence and for launching a revolution of [[Angst|teen angst]]-oriented [[Drama (film and television)|dramas]] on primetime TV.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Salveta |first=Rachel |date=April 4, 2022 |title=Why 'My So-Called Life Remains One of the Most Honest Depictions of Teenage Angst |url=https://collider.com/my-so-called-life-honest-depiction-of-teenage-angst/ |access-date=2022-07-06 |website=[[Collider (website)|Collider]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="Revolution" /> It is credited with moving teen dramas away from the [[soap opera]] tone of previous shows like ''[[Beverly Hills, 90210]]'' and towards a smarter look at everyday teenage life.<ref>{{Cite web |last=St. James |first=Emily |date=2014-01-27 |title=My So-Called Life set the path all teen shows would follow |url=https://www.avclub.com/my-so-called-life-set-the-path-all-teen-shows-would-fol-1798265693 |access-date=2022-07-06 |website=[[The A.V. Club]] |language=en-us}}</ref>
On a 2012 list of cult TV shows, critic Melissa Maerz wrote "it was the first teen drama that didn't feel like an [[After school special|after-school special]]. No one ever learned a very important lesson or uttered the phrase 'I love you, Dad.' Angela acted like a real 15-year-old, with all the crying jags and [[Buffalo Tom]] concerts that implies. What's even more impressive is that anyone who watched the show back in the '90s, when angst and [[Manic Panic (brand)|Manic Panic]] felt totally of the moment, can now enjoy it on a very different level. Suddenly, Angela's parents are relatable. Dammit, we're old."<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Maerz |first=Melissa |date=August 26, 2012 |title=26 Best Cult TV Shows Ever |url=http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0%2C%2C20620965_21199218%2C00.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121118184132/http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20620965_21199218,00.html#21199058 |archive-date=November 18, 2012 |access-date=July 6, 2022 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}}</ref>
Of the character types explored in the show, Jeff Jensen of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' wrote, "[Winnie] Holzman took these stock types and made them complicated and real — you didn't need to be a girl to feel Angela's longing for Jordan, didn't need to be gay to connect with Rickie's coming-out journey."<ref name="Jensen" /> The character of Rickie Vasquez became the first openly [[queer]] character on primetime TV, and the first queer [[Person of color|character of color]].<ref name="Roberts" /> The final episode of the series, "In Dreams Begin Responsibilities" is notable for featuring a moment in which Ricky says out loud that he's gay — "a first for both the character and network television."<ref name="elle" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gopalan |first=Nisha |date=December 29, 2019 |title='My So-Called Life' revisited |url=https://ew.com/article/2007/10/25/my-so-called-life-revisited/ |access-date=2022-07-06 |website=EW.com |language=en}}</ref> While doing publicity for the show at the time, Cruz made a point of communicating that he was gay in real life.<ref name="elle" />
In a 2017 article for ''[[The Guardian]]'', Soraya Roberts wrote ''My So-Called Life'' "not only flirted with [[Non-binary gender|gender fluidity]] before it became a part of the national conversation, it questioned the parameters of conventional maleness," and "was the rare primetime show that candidly discussed teen sex (according to the [[Kaiser Family Foundation]], by 1996 only 12% of shows involved adolescent sexual content) – not only that, teen girl sex."<ref name="Roberts" /> The episode "Guns and Gossip" is notable for addressing the topic of [[gun violence]] in schools, five years before [[Columbine High School massacre|Columbine]].<ref name="Revolution" />
Numerous [[showrunner]]s and creators of teen-centered dramas or sitcoms, including [[Nahnatchka Khan]] (''[[Fresh Off the Boat]]''), [[Brian Yorkey]] (''[[13 Reasons Why]]''), [[Stephanie Savage]] (''[[Gossip Girl]]''), and [[Terri Minsky|Terri Minski]] (''[[Andi Mack]]''), have cited ''MSCL'' and its impact on them as teens.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bierly |first=Mandi |date=March 16, 2018 |title=Why 'My So-Called Life' is the most influential teen show ever |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/called-life-influential-teen-show-ever-215704787.html |access-date=2022-07-06 |website=Yahoo! Entertainment |language=en-US}}</ref> Showrunner and [[Arrowverse]] creator [[Greg Berlanti]] called the series "the most painfully honest portrayal of adolescence ever on television."<ref name="Jensen" />
The series is ranked at number 68 on the [[Writers Guild of America]] 2013 list of the 101 Best-Written TV Series,<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2013-06-02 |title='101 Best Written TV Series Of All Time' From WGA/TV Guide: Complete List |url=https://deadline.com/2013/06/wgas-101-best-written-tv-series-of-all-time-complete-list-512061/ |access-date=2022-07-06 |website=[[Deadline (website)|Deadline]] |language=en-US}}</ref> and is frequently included in lists of TV shows that were cancelled too soon.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=June 7, 2022 |title=10 Beloved TV Shows That Only Lasted One Season |url=https://time.com/6184854/one-season-tv-shows/ |access-date=2022-07-06 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |language=en}}</ref>
''My So-Called Life'' also inspired a German version of the sitcom called ''[[Mein Leben & Ich]],''<ref name="Slant" /> which ran for 6 seasons and a total of 74 episodes, 25 minutes each.
==Home media==
A subset of the episodes were released on VHS by [[Bertelsmann Music Group|BMG]] Video in 1998.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Block |first=Debbie Galante |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EQoEAAAAMBAJ&dq=my+so-called+life&pg=PA66 |title=Video: A Fat Fall Lineup Fills Up the Horizon |date=1998-08-22 |magazine=Billboard |page=66 |language=en}}</ref>
On November 19, 2002, BMG released the complete series on a five-disc box set.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 23, 2003 |title=My So-Called Life — The Complete Series |url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/6154 |access-date=2022-11-28 |website=www.dvdtalk.com}}</ref>
On May 14, 2007, [[Universal Pictures Home Entertainment|Universal Playback]] released the complete series in the United Kingdom in [[DVD region code#2|Region 2]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/My-So-Called-Life-DVD/dp/B000N39I0M |title=''My So-Called Life'' on Amazon.co.uk |website=Amazon UK |date=May 14, 2007 |access-date=December 17, 2016}}</ref>
On October 30, 2007, [[Shout! Factory]] re-released ''My So-Called Life'' on DVD in Region 1 in a six-disc box set with a disc of special features, including an interview with series star [[Claire Danes]]. Shout! Factory is a distribution company that has released short-lived shows in the past.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=7646|title=My So-Called Life DVD news: Claire Danes interviewed for MSCL set - Press Release |website=tvshowsondvd.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070716202419/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=7646|archive-date=July 16, 2007}}</ref>
On September 13, 2007, Eurovideo released the complete series on DVD in Germany in [[DVD region code#2|Region 2]]; The 5-disc boxset featured German and English soundtrack but no special features.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.de/dp/B000TDR6MI |title=Willkommen im Leben - Die komplette Serie (5 DVDs): Amazon.de: Claire Danes, Jared Leto, Bess Armstrong, W.G. Snuffy Walden, Mark Piznarski, Scott Winant, Todd Holland: Filme & TV |website=Amazon Germany |date=April 21, 2008 |access-date=September 22, 2013}}</ref>
On June 10, 2008, Beyond Home Entertainment released the complete series on DVD in Australia in Region 4.<ref>{{Cite web |title=My So-Called Life - The Complete Series (5 Disc Set) |url=https://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/799508 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210130635/https://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/799508 |archive-date=December 10, 2008 |website=www.ezydvd.com.au}}</ref>
On December 3, 2008, Free Dolphin released the complete series on DVD in France in Region 2,<ref>{{cite web |date=September 12, 2008 |title=DVD Release in France on December 3rd |url=https://www.mscl.com/newsarchive/284_DVD_Release_in_France_on_December_3rd.html |access-date=May 13, 2022 |website=MSCL.com News Archive |publisher=AnotherUniverse.com}}</ref> with a 32-page booklet but no other special features.
As of March 2021, [[Hulu]] is the official streaming service for the series.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 4, 2021 |title=Groundbreaking 'My So-Called Life' Series is Coming to Hulu |url=https://www.out.com/television/2021/3/04/groundbreaking-my-so-called-life-series-coming-hulu |website=[[Out (magazine)|Out]]}}</ref>
==Soundtrack==
[[Atlantic Records]] released a soundtrack of the show, which was released on August 25, 1994, then re-released on January 24, 1995.<ref>{{Citation |title=Original TV Soundtrack My So Called Life Album Reviews, Songs & More |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/my-so-called-life-mw0000122115 |work=[[AllMusic]] |language=en |access-date=2022-05-23}}</ref>
{{Infobox album
| name = My So-Called Life (Music from the Television Series)
| type = soundtrack
| artist = Various artists
| cover =
| caption =
| alt =
| released = {{Start date|1994|08|25}}<br />January 24, 1995 (re-release)
| recorded =
| venue =
| studio =
| genre =
| length = 34:54
| label = Atlantic Records
| producer =
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title =
| next_year =
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = My So-Called Life (Music from the Television Series)
| extra_column = Artists
| total_length = 34:54
| all_writing =
| all_lyrics =
| all_music =
| writing_credits =
| lyrics_credits =
| music_credits =
| title1 = Make It Home
| writer1 =
| lyrics1 =
| music1 =
| extra1 = [[Juliana Hatfield]]
| length1 = 4:44
| title2 = Soda Jerk
| writer2 =
| lyrics2 =
| music2 =
| extra2 = [[Buffalo Tom]]
| length2 = 4:26
| title3 = Genetic
| writer3 =
| lyrics3 =
| music3 =
| extra3 = [[Sonic Youth]]
| length3 = 3:46
| title4 = Petty Core
| writer4 =
| lyrics4 =
| music4 =
| extra4 = [[Further (band)|Further]]
| length4 = 3:46
| title5 = Drop a Bomb
| writer5 =
| lyrics5 =
| music5 =
| extra5 = [[Madder Rose]]
| length5 = 2:11
| title6 = Fountain and Fairfax
| writer6 =
| lyrics6 =
| music6 =
| extra6 = [[Afghan Whigs]]
| length6 = 4:21
| title7 = South Carolina
| writer7 =
| lyrics7 =
| music7 =
| extra7 = [[Archers of Loaf]]
| length7 = 3:30
| title8 = Dawn Can't Decide
| writer8 =
| lyrics8 =
| music8 =
| extra8 = [[The Lemonheads]]
| length8 = 2:19
| title9 = The Book Song
| writer9 =
| lyrics9 =
| music9 =
| extra9 = [[Frente!]]
| length9 = 2:40
| title10 = Come See Me Tonight
| writer10 =
| lyrics10 =
| music10 =
| extra10 = [[Daniel Johnston]]
| length10 = 1:59
| title11 = ''My So-Called Life'' Theme
| writer11 = [[W. G. Snuffy Walden]]
| lyrics11 = W. G. Snuffy Walden
| music11 = W. G. Snuffy Walden
| extra11 = [[W. G. Snuffy Walden]]
| length11 = 1:12
}}
==Sequel novel==
A sequel novel by Catherine Clark, ''My So-Called Life Goes On'', was published in 1999 by [[Random House]].<ref>{{cite book|title=My So Called Life Goes on|first=Catherine|last=Clark|date=July 27, 1999|id={{ASIN|0375801111|country=uk}}}}</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title}}
* {{Epguides|id=mysocalledlife}}
{{Winnie Holzman}}
{{GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Drama Series}}
{{TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Drama}}
[[Category:1990s American high school television series]]
[[Category:1990s American LGBTQ-related drama television series]]
[[Category:1990s American teen drama television series]]
[[Category:1994 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:1995 American television series endings]]
[[Category:American English-language television shows]]
[[Category:American television series about teenagers]]
[[Category:Coming-of-age television shows]]
[[Category:GLAAD Media Award–winning shows]]
[[Category:Television series by Disney–ABC Domestic Television]]
[[Category:Television shows set in Pittsburgh]]
[[Category:American Broadcasting Company television dramas]]
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