Rating: 
Summary: Eat Your Heart Out, Holden Caulfield
Review: August 25, 1994 saw the debut of MY SO-CALLED LIFE on ABC-TV. I watched the pilot episode that night and when it was over I felt it just didn't belong on television. It was too good. MY SO-CALLED LIFE was in the wrong place at the wrong time. And yet it was in the right place at the right time. Each episode is worthy of a theatrical presentation and I would gladly pay to see the entire series presented in such a manner. The cinematography by Ernest Holzmann and Charles Leiberman is wonderful - warm and friendly, making the Chase's house cozy and inviting. Ron Rosen's editing calls to mind THE SOPRANOS and the brilliant juxtaposing of characters, storylines, and misunderstandings. The show has garnered numerous accolades for its portrayal of adolescence. It is so good, in fact, that it does not feel like television at all. Each episode unfolds with its own interesting pace and is its own short chapter. Claire Danes is nothing short of brilliant as Angela Chase. She possesses a maturity and poise rarely seen in actresses her age. She lusts after the dreamy Jordan Catalano, a guy whom she is understandably attracted to but who, in the end, is a true dolt. The rest of the cast is wonderful, too. Despite their often-annoying idiosyncrasies, you like these people. The character of Brian Krakow can be unbearable, making you want to punch him in the face, but I think that's a compliment to the actor who portrays him (in a strange sort of way!!) What is truly amazing about this show is that it took place just eight years ago, when the World Wide Web was just coming into its own, and the world seemed still full of possibilities. The current state of violence - school shootings, anthrax cases, and overall terrorism - today makes these episodes a true joy to escape to. The show only lasted 19 episodes, and there never was a "final" episode - it was just cancelled. Most of the show's most zealous fans caught up with it on its MTV-marathons, but the episodes were slightly cut to add more annoying commercials than you could possibly imagine. Thank heavens for home video, as the new DVD box set has arrived. The complete episodes of one of the best shows I've ever seen is now available. The series is spread out to five discs and they contain only the episodes. No effort appears to have been made to make this release into a special edition, which is a shame because it would have been nice to have had some commentaries by the creators and performers, as well as on-the-set interviews and the like. I suppose that once we all buy this set, they'll re-release it with the aforementioned inclusions, which is something that most companies do deliberately today. The transfers are the best I have seen for this show. While not stellar, they are better than the broadcast quality. It's a joy to see each episode in its entirety without commercials destroying your brain every twelve minutes. The audio is nicely represented as well. Simply put, if you're a fan of this show, you must own this collection on DVD. Not VHS, but on DVD. The Christmas episode with Juliana Hatfield is beautifully lit and is quite moving. MY SO-CALLED LIFE is proof of just how excellent television can really be. It's better than just about anything on cable and in theaters now. I would personally like to thank everyone who was involved with this show for being a part of it and making it what it is. This is a classic television series that lends itself to repeat viewings. You do not have to be a teenager to appreciate this show. I'm now 34 and I still see things that I missed the first time I saw it. Now, if they would only release 1987's A YEAR IN THE LIFE on DVD...
Rating:
Summary: My So-Called Review
Review: I din't realize there was a DVD collection of this series until yesterday when I happened in the Virgin mega store in Boston looking for a completely unreleated TV series DVD. I have all the MSCL episodes on tape in some form or another and they've gotten quite a lot of wear. I think all of my female friends on college borrowed them in college at one point. I wasn't going to write a review since there are already plenty of great ones here but as I was viewing this listing (to make sure the price online was better than in the store) someone in the house was watching Boston Public. Now while the 2 shows have different focuses the subject matter is the same, High School, Kids, Society. I'm sitting here now listening to the soap opera that is Boston Public in the background and thinking of how realistic MSCL was and not because of it's portrayal of public High School in the 90's but because of it's characters. I've met all the people in that series in my real life at one point, I think I even dated a few of them. MSCL was never overdramatic, it was real without being reality, and it was interesting without being flashy. If you never saw MSCL then this is your chance and if your in your 20's like me you'll probably see a few people you know in these episodes; you might even see yourself.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This DVD is AMAZING. I almost cannot put into words my feelings about this show. I was too young to enjoy it when it premiered but I have fallen in love with it upon watching the dvd. It is brilliantly written and acted. My only complaint with the dvd is that it doesn't have any extras and that there never was a second season. The dvd makes you long for answers. My So-Called Life is intense. It doesn't seem fair that such an amazing show would have such a short shelf life. I highly recommend this dvd to anyone who sees TV as an art form. It will touch you in so many ways.
Rating: 
Summary: Bitter sweet
Review: My high rating may be biased since I loved the show when it was originally on the air but I love the DVD collection even more. The lack of special features bothers me a little bit but the shows are still great on their own. The abrupt end to the series leaves you wanting more but the season finale fits nevertheless. If you were a fan of Dawson's but thought they were too happy all of time or were ever addicted to Daria, My So Called life is for you.
Rating:
Summary: audio quality lacks but show is a good as I remember
Review: I love my so called life but the audio quality of this dvd set makes it slightly disappionting. Music sounds very distorted and voices bounce bakc and forth between distorted and not. I thought with this being a very wanted set the the company that released the set would make sure that the technical quality of the dvd's would be as wonderful as the show it's self. I also wish that there were some sort of extras. Aside from the technical aspects, I absoulutly adore this set. This is my all time favorite tv show and I wish they continued it into another season. It captures highschool life prefectly. I was Anglea Chase, the way they prptrayed her life was exactly how I felt at that time. Even wacthing it now after I've been out of high school I can still relate to the characters. This show is the prefect protrayal of highschool life that many people can realte to. I can't stop wacthing it.
Rating:
Summary: TV at it's Best!
Review: My So-Called Life is one of those instant classics. A brilliant show, it just came along at the wrong time and was subsequently canned after one season. But that only adds to the legend and in a small way makes the series even more enjoyable on DVD. The writing never got a chance to waiver. There was never really a bad episode. The cast never had to grow up and face "the college years" or even prom. Instead we are left with this one season, this one year of high school, with a brilliant group of characters who are locked forever in youth. The shows themselves are just great. When you compare this one series, sandwiched between the farce of the early 90s' Beverly Hills 90210 and the junk of the late 90s' Dawson Creek, you see how true, poignant and amazing these 19 hours of teen TV truly are. You also see how Hollywood knows very little about GOOD TV. This is a classic. (why did I not give the dvd 5 stars... if you are looking for extras, look somewhere else all you get is the show... in this case that is enough though.)
Rating:
Summary: One of the best series ever to air on commercial television
Review: This is without a doubt one of the best series ever the air on network television, but as is the case with some gems, ¡§My So-Called Life¡¨ never stood a chance at longevity in a TV universe that seems to demand over the top stereotypes, bad stereotypes, or the latest scandal on one of the 100 magazine shows the networks know will attract viewers. Bitter? Maybe ƒº, but I simply loved this show and seeing all 19 episodes almost 1 decade after they aired remind me that it was as good if not better than I had remembered it to be. The show focuses on ¡§Angela,¡¨ brilliantly played by Claire Danes in a performance that earned her a Golden Globe and an Emmy nomination. Danes is so good that you can¡¦t imagine anyone else playing this character, much like is the case with Dana Delaney in ¡§China Beach¡¨ or the entire cast of ¡§Once And Again,¡¨ other brilliant ratings underachievers that it least were allowed to air for much longer than the too brief season that MSCL got. As much as it was Danes¡¦ star vehicle, the entire cast was brilliant and as the season progressed the show became a true ensemble piece in every sense of the word. Angela¡¦s parents are played not as annoying caricatures but as real people who look married and like the parents of Angela and her sister. Angela¡¦s friends and neighbors don¡¦t act nor look like the kids of 90210, and really look like young adults struggling to find a place in the world. Even the parents are shown are trying to find their place in the world. Although my favorite episodes center around the Angela and Jordan Catalano, there are certain episodes like ¡§The Zit¡¨ (horrible name) that never miss a beat. Although the writers do not hit you over the head with a stick with the big issues it tackles, the above-mentioned episode focuses on how society views women and how few people have it as bad as they think or that others have it as good as we may think they have it. The most poignant moments don¡¦t come from yelling, but from quiet truths or what may seem at first like throwaway lines, many times uttered by Angela¡¦s younger sister, who is also perfectly cast. If you liked shows like ¡§thirtysomething,¡¨ ¡§China Beach,¡¨ ¡§Once And Again,¡¨ ¡§The Wonder Years¡¨ (the early years), this DVD set is just what the doctor ordered. Unfortunately, the show¡¦s producers only got to make 19 episodes and the series just ends as if it were just another episode. Maybe the producers thought they¡¦d get a chance at a second season or simply decided to conduct business as usual, but either way neither should serve as a deterrent to enjoying one of the very best series period. Although the DVD set does not include many extras and its not cheap by any stretch of the imagination, I give it my highest 5 star recommendation. If you can¡¦t afford this maybe you can rent them or catch them on cable as they are being rerun on some channel called the ¡§N.¡¨ the major annoyance in watching them on this cable channel is that they put up the most obnoxious and prevalent reminders on the screen so it¡¦s difficult to totally block them from the story that you are watching.
Rating:
Summary: MY NEW TV ADDICTION!!!
Review: I LOVE this show. I didnt watch it when it was on air, but I was flipping channels & came across it. I had heard about it so I decided to watch it. And now im addicted! This show is just really well written, & the preformances by all the actors are amazing. I LOVE RAYANNE!! but I wish this dvd would be cheaper. i think 40 dollars would be good. By the way, if you cant wait until you buy this, they show it regularly on NickNoggin.
Rating:
Summary: Deserved To Last Longer
Review: I first heard of My So-Called Life when it began to air on the digital cable/satellite night-time teen network The-N. I didn't think anything on The-N could compete with Degrassi, but when they say My So-Called Life defined teen drama, I soon found out they weren't kidding. I love this show! It really hits home, truly. I recognized Claire Danes as Kate Brewster in Terminator 3 and couldn't believe it when I made the connection. Wow! She's grown up! I was blown away when I saw the complete series on DVD in FYE, but was disappointed to see that it only lasted one season. It should have gone on longer.
Rating:
Summary: A show WAY ahead of its time!
Review: When I saw the first episode of MSCL, my friends and I could not stop talking about how great it was. It was just too good to be on TV. This show is so relatable. All of us at some point can identify with just about all of the characters on that show. Claire Danes is such an AMAZING actress! The viewer is able to follow and empathize her everywhere she goes. I personally love the way she cries, because it makes the audience actually feel her pain, too. Jered Leto was so beautiful in this show. He had an innocence and a sort of airheadedness to him that made him that much more desireable, but I am sure that the vast majority of the teens watching this show were green with envy that Angela (Danes) and Jordan (Leto). I know I was. Out of this 5 disk set, my favorite disk is disk 4. There is so much passion and love in this one disk. Everyone FINALLY gets to see the anticipated relationship with Angela and Jordan get started, and we get to follow that journey, we follow the will they or won't they theme throughout this disk. Not just with Angela and Jordan, but with Rayanne, Ricky, and her parents as well. I truly love this series, and my only gripe about it, is that the first season did not even get to wrap before cancelation, so it just totally leaves you hanging with "will they or won't they?" This show was way ahead of its time, and I firmly believe that if it was brought back now, it would do so much better! Such an AMAZING show!
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