Chica rara

OK, technically, I should be too old for this show. I'm at the point in my life when I should be over the shows about high school kids. And I am. Except for this show. I'm in my 20s (still a kid, I know, but certainly far removed from a sophomore in high school). This show is witty. It has me laughing out loud in every episode. I am usually patient about new episodes of my favorite shows. With this show, however, I yell at my TV with the episode ends. I wish it was an hour-long. I have never been more excited to hear about a show being renewed for another season. But I digress...

Jenna is quirky and smart. Yes, she's awkward, but in the most lovable of ways. She has impeccable taste in men, and I couldn't be more proud of the growth of her character in this show. I love watching ALL these characters grow. They are actually maturing, and I can't wait to see where the writers take them. Most of the characters are relatable. (We all knew "that girl" or "that guy" in high school). And they're lovable too. Or, you know, "love to hate"- every good show has one of those.

Anyway, give it a chance. It won't disappoint. Even if you're well past high school (like this quarter century old gal (plus or minus a few years...)).

While it's combination of almost surreal humor and real emotion can sometimes be… well… awkward, the first season is still among the better and more honest series about teenagers I've seen.

I'm a male over 50, so I'm certainly not the target audience for this MTV show about a spunky blogging 15 year old girl dealing with the confusions and absurdities of sex, love, high school social politics, and well meaning but humorously dysfunctional parents and guidance counselors.

But after friends recommended it I started watching and found I appreciated it's frankness, quirky characters and good natured humor. I also liked how it dealt with issues like sex and drinking as simply a part of teenage life, neither preaching morality (kids have sex and no one gets pregnant, they know to wear condoms, and they do sometimes get their hearts broken) nor striving to shock.

The acting is all over the place, often cartoony, and a number of characters are little more than comic clichés, but as the the show goes along a surprising number of them reveal new sides and new depth. If not quite great, Awkward season 1 is quite good and very easy to enjoy... if you don't mind bringing back some of your own awkward memories as you realize the teen years really aren't so different now.

The second season seemed weaker to me, it started to push plot twists over character, and began to feel a little soapy. It still is a cut above average, but in reaching for more tension and 'what will happen?' moments, it lost some of the easy looseness that made season 1 so much fun.

This show is amazing and while the writing may be a bit over the top, it addresses real life issues not only teens face, but adults as well with a great message. The lead, Ashley Rickards, brings a realism and unique style to the show that makes us all love Jenna and relate to her struggles.

The supporting actors all work great together. The two male leads balance each other well. Each bring depth to their characters and present Jenna with two very different alternatives (physical vs. intellectual attraction). We all are waiting to see if she recognizes this and if so, how will she deal with it.

The rest of the supporting staff, while over the top at times with their delivery and energy, do bring good humor and balance to the show and story line.

Each show ends with me wanting to know more. MTV has finally gotten it right. I LOVE it.

First season was good and I got impression that this was going to be something original & interesting. Sadly after 2nd season I started to dislike the heroine and it seemed like she was an emotional mess with questionable moral standards. Other characters stayed rather true to themselves but I didn't know where the heck the Jenna Hamilton character was going. She was all over the place and changed her mind about loving someone almost daily. A good portion of the series Jenna was twitching her face all the time while thinking her relationship with Matty. In the beginning it had seemed cute but started to annoy a lot when the supposed strong leading female character was insecure as hell. Someone should have counted how many times Jenna & Matty fell of the wagon & back to loving each other throughout the series. It was ridiculous and ruined seasons 3, 4 and 5 completely and even in the end there was not a happy ending. I was left wondering if this character goes through her life questioning everything. Never settling and never actually having a meaningful long relationship. And she was supposed to be the smart one of the group. Maybe the writers tried to create sex and the city for teens. Or maybe Jenna was what writers want to be or are. It definitely wasn't what viewers want to see & what would be smart to write. So this series goes to the bin with other "too many seasons with nothing to tell" and "cant write a decent ending even if my life depended on it". I liked, with serious intention not to, Jenna's friends Tamara, Lissa, Sadie and Jake, Valerie, Ally & Sergio most. Especially Sadie, Valerie & Ally were great characters.

This show really captured my interest right from the first episode. Since I have both a son and daughter (now grown), I thought the show did a great job of showing the entire convoluted ecosystem high school kids live in, and what it looks like from their perspective (clearly, often a complete minefield). The stories are clever, well written, and interesting, 3 things sadly lacking in about 95% of TV content today. The cast is great, from Jenna right to the evil cheerleader. I didn't really expect to find this kind of show anywhere, MTV was a true surprise, and I think a lot of people (no matter what age) will enjoy this, if they ever find it. Maybe a bit too spicy for younger kids, but very impressive for everyone else.