Get Real (American TV series)
A teen drama about a dysfunctional family breaking the fourth wall.
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Get Real is an American teen comedy-drama television series that aired on the Fox Network from September 1999 to April 2000. It follows the Green family, headed by parents Mitch and Mary, and their three teenage children. The series marked the onscreen debuts of both Anne Hathaway and Jesse Eisenberg.
Premise
The Green family is a mess. Mitch and Mary had kids as teenagers and now their marriage is falling apart. Their oldest, Meghan, is a star student who gets into UC Berkeley and is up for valedictorian, then shocks everyone by saying she won’t go.
Middle child Cameron is a lazy troublemaker who brings girls home to spend the night, angering his mom. Youngest Kenny is awkward and gets bullied. Mary’s mom Elizabeth lives with them after her husband died. Mitch’s family is Reform Jewish; Mary’s is Catholic.
The kids sometimes talk directly to the camera, a trick show creator Clyde Phillips used on Parker Lewis Can’t Lose. These comments are often sarcastic and make fun of pop culture and other shows. In the pilot, Meghan jokes that viewers might think this is another show where teens act smarter than their parents, like Dawson’s Creek or My So-Called Life.
Reception
Ray Richmond of Variety reviewed the show positively, saying it felt sassy, hip, and provocative, and carried sophistication, angst, and wit with self-aware irony. He noted that the pilot used characters to satirize the show's zeitgeist through pop-culture referencing, and that the production was saved by its giddy irreverence and sharp observations about family life. The Star Tribune gave a positive review, praising the narration and pop-culture asides as fast and funny, especially Jesse Eisenberg's delivery.
The Bangor Daily News praised the cast, with critic Dale McGarrigle stating that Phillips and the cast made the show work despite its mix of observational comedy, relationship melodrama, and life-or-death suspense. Kay McFadden of The Seattle Times called the series self-conscious and smirky, saying it failed to distinguish itself from similar shows. Kinney Littlefield of the Orange County Register criticized it as teen-targeted sketch comedy with quick visual schtick and shock-inducing dialogue.
Hal Boedeker of the Orlando Sentinel wrote that the style was comical and cynical, but its emotional force was blunted by fantasy scenes, glib dialogue, and constant TV references, and criticized the tone for veering bafflingly between sophomoric sex comedy and wrenching drama. The series aired in a competitive Wednesday time slot against NBC's The West Wing and The WB's Roswell, struggled in ratings, and was cancelled in spring 2000 before its final two episodes could air.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who stars in Get Real (American TV series)?
Get Real stars Jon Tenney, Debrah Farentino, Anne Hathaway, Christina Pickles, Eric Christian Olsen, Jesse Eisenberg and Scott Vickaryous.
When did Get Real (American TV series) first air?
Get Real first aired on 8 September 1999.
When did Get Real (American TV series) end?
Get Real last aired on 12 April 2000.
More in 2000s American Teen Drama Television Series
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Get Real (American TV series) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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