Coming from a 14-year-old male, I was genuinely interested in seeing this. I knew it was going to be blunt, but I had no idea. The guys willing tell you that they're horny, and one even gets up and runs off to the bathroom, presumably to masturbate.
At least wait until you get home.
ANYWAY, this is one of the best teen dramas I've seen in a while. The idea of characters narrating the story does make it seem a bit like My So-Called Life, but "life as we know it" found a different way of narrating. The background freezes, and the character looks directly at the camera and comments. It felt a little forced at the beginning, but it soon meshed in and felt natural.
Each of the main characters (Dino, Jonathan, and Ben) have their own problems, aspirations and failures, and plenty of flaws. And they talk like any normal person would. I'm sick of hearing people on TV flaunting words I've never even heard of.
The characters were well thought-out, they appear to be contrived for a moment,(Stud, Skittish Nerd, A Student) but almost immediately reveal different facets to their personalities, making them seem multi-dimensional. By the time I finished the pilot I felt like they were my best friends, that I'd known them my whole life. The acting is very good, especially coming from kids, and Kelly Osbourne held up remarkably well.
Their reactions and emotions ring true, and thank God, Jonathan (the nerd) actually acts (although doesn't look) like a nerd. He stated, "I've only really been with one other girl, and she...well, we tried and I like, couldn't find anything. I mean, it's not like diagrams or even in the magazines, it's really complicated!! So...she just laughed and, um, left."
Ouch. But finally a "nerd" who has "nerdy" problems.
Anyway, this is one of the best, and most realistic teen dramas I've seen in a while. It's actually quite funny at points, so it's thankfully not a soap-fest. And it's also a relief to see a teen drama that isn't built around an outlandish premise...(cough, The OC, One Tree Hill, cough cough). It takes place in thankfully unremarkable Seattle. I just hope that this show doesn't fall into the same ratings no-mans-land that My So-Called Life did.
So, watch this show, it'll be worth your while.
